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CNN Live At Daybreak

Resistance & Response; Skepticism & Optimism; Line of Fire; Fall From Grace

Aired August 17, 2005 - 05:30   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
Coming up in the next 30 minutes, Israeli troops and police begin to forcibly remove settlers. We're live from Gaza's largest Jewish settlement in just a few minutes.

And later, we ride with the U.S. Marines hunting for explosives. It is a rare, close-up look at what the troops face every day in Iraq.

But first, "Now in the News."

Confessed BTK Killer Dennis Rader appears in a Kansas courtroom today for the start of his sentencing hearing. He's described killing 10 people to satisfy his sexual fantasies. But Rader cannot face the death penalty, because Kansas didn't reinstate capital punishment until 1994, three years after Rader's last killing.

Iraqi police say at least 43 are dead, dozens of others wounded, in a pair of car bombings at a bus station in Baghdad. A third explosion went off at a nearby hospital where the bomb victims had been taken.

An auto safety group has found that the shift by drivers to buckle children up in their backseats of vehicles has helped cut child deaths in auto crashes by 18 percent. A bit of good news there.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

COSTELLO: We like that.

MYERS: Good morning -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And now it's your turn -- Chad.

MYERS: Well it's my turn, at least I have something to say here, because I absolve the top of my head.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Not bad.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome. COSTELLO: The Israeli military enters the largest Jewish settlement in Gaza and is forcibly removing Jewish protesters.

CNN's Guy Raz is there. He joins us live with the resistance and the response.

Good morning.

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Soldiers have arrived, the buses have started to leave and Israel is beginning to end its 38-year presence here in the Gaza Strip.

Now, as we speak, the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, is speaking to the nation. Mr. Sharon telling Israelis and settlers I am weeping with you. He described the scenes that he saw on his television set as heartbreaking, scenes of settlers being removed by force from their homes.

But Mr. Sharon also praised the Israeli army for the way it's been carrying out the operation. And he called on settlers and opponents of this disengagement plan not to blame the soldiers, but to blame the prime minister himself.

Now, meanwhile, soldiers have fanned out throughout all of the 21 Gaza settlements throughout the morning.

Here in Neveh Dekalim, the largest of the 21 Jewish settlements, the Israeli military is now in negotiations with community leaders over whether they would be willing to evacuate voluntarily and peacefully at around 4:00 p.m. local time. That's in about four hours, about three-and-a-half hours from now. The residents are calling for some kind of exit ceremony. They'd like to leave on their own. And the army believes it could reach an agreement with them shortly.

Now, earlier in the day, there were fierce clashes. And there have been sporadic clashes throughout the morning here between demonstrators and police. Several dozen people were arrested in several settlements throughout the day and removed from the Gaza settlements.

Elsewhere, in Morag settlement, just about a mile-and-a-half from our location here, the army successfully managed to persuade settlers who were holed up inside of a synagogue to leave voluntarily to leave on their own.

Now this process here in Gaza is expected to take as few as 5 days, as many as 20 days. But the army says it's prepared for all eventualities for every settler and supporter who remains, who's chosen to remain in the settlements illegally, the army is sending in teams of four unarmed soldiers to remove them -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Guy Raz reporting live today from the Gaza Strip from Gaza.

Gaza is home to more than a million Palestinians. They are viewing the Israeli pullout with a mixture of skepticism and optimism.

CNN's Hala Gorani has that side of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A bastion of daily Gaza life, the Shisha Cafe (ph). As Jewish settlers are removed from their homes just a few miles down the road, life in this Gaza city coffee shop follows its course.

Schoolteacher Ara Camadi (ph) tells me he's optimistic about the future.

Of course, he says, when everyone gets their land back, they will exploit it and things will improve.

But school bus driver Ada Latif (ph) isn't so sure.

If there are more withdrawals from the West Bank and elsewhere, then we will be optimistic.

Among Gaza intellectuals, there is also skepticism about Ariel Sharon's plan. We meet women's rights activist Lama Hourani. She says as long as Israel controls Gaza's borders and airspace, the pullout will mean little in the long run.

LAMA HOURANI, WOMEN'S NGO COORDINATOR: That was allowing us to have any control on any piece of land. We need to control our sovereign state so that we can call it a liberation and independence.

GORANI: On Gaza's coastal road, we wander into a children's summer camp. Refugee kids swim and play here. Here, too, the Israeli withdrawal is on people's minds.

Camp supervisor Manal Mehanna says she just wants to feel safe now and says putting more physical distance between Israelis and Palestinians could end up bringing them closer together.

MANAL MEHANNA, BAITONA SUMMER CAMP: It's the time that we can live in peace with each other, even Arab and Jews, both senior and the Israelis. The Israeli mother wants to live in peace. The Palestinian mothers, too.

GORANI: The kids chant withdrawal, withdrawal, along with their camp counselor, a political plan initiated by grownups that might very well determine these children's future.

Hala Gorani, CNN, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Two deadly car bombings in Baghdad this morning and they happened just 10 minutes apart. The twin attacks killed more than 40 people and wounded more than 70. The bombs went off in a bus station in the center of the Iraqi capital. There was also an explosion near the hospital where the victims from the first two bombings were taken.

There's a number one killer and maimer of U.S. troops in Iraq, IEDs, or improvised explosive devices. Yesterday, our Alex Quade showed us what it's like for some Marines to hunt for these bombs every single day. Now she continues their explosive story. And, we warn you, some of the language you're about to hear is graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunnery Sergeant Jeff Von Daggenheart (ph) and his Marines have hit 22 IEDs, improvised explosive devices, in two weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I took some shrapnel in the leg, and thank God for gear, because I took a piece here, then in my holster and then I got shrapnel across my leg. It's healing up now. It's all good. My helmet, you can see my helmet, my eyes through here.

QUADE (on-camera): Good thing you had these things on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes.

QUADE (voice-over): Some in his platoon bought extra protection on their own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not playing around. It's sappy here, sappy here.

QUADE: Everything helps, since their daily mission is hunting for bombs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you get used to, you know -- I guess when we first got here, it was like, you know, paranoid, you know, where's the holes? My God. And now it's just like, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen.

QUADE: It does, on the important main supply route between Falluja and Baghdad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got some (EXPLETIVE DELETED) here. I can -- go ahead and hold everybody off. Abandoned vehicle. I don't know how freaking one missed it. Go ahead, hoop a loop on this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). No license plate.

QUADE: Daggenheart's Marines secure the area.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just looking for trunks that are ajar, windows that may have been shot, doors welded shut, keyholes that are taken out, ignition wires that are ripped apart, wires coming out of the vehicle.

QUADE: They don't see anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want to go check it? I don't know, boom! Yes, I don't know.

QUADE: They decide to push it off the convoy route with an up- armored Humvee when it happens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Get out! Get out!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out! Get your ass back! All right, get your ass back!

QUADE: This is what the military calls a vehicle-borne IED. Translation: car bomb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look for a trash man. Are you OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said they saw somebody running down there.

QUADE: Someone watching and waiting for the right moment, the Marines say, detonated it remotely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Son of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Well, welcome to freaking Iraq.

QUADE: Amazingly, nobody was seriously hurt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hurry up before the .50-cal starts cooking. Leave it there. Hey, leave it there, because that's .50-cal ammo, and everything's going to start cooking.

QUADE: Ammunition can blow, causing casualties, or be salvaged by insurgents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ammo. Ammo.

QUADE: Daggenheart worries there may be a second bomb timed to target the recovery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to have a secondary if we don't get the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just count up all the Marines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just count up our Marines.

QUADE: Humvee driver Lance Corporal Jason Hunt (ph) tells me he thought he was going to die, then walks by me to pull security while his platoon deals with the situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty close. I consider myself lucky.

QUADE: Gunny Daggenheart says it's just another day hunting for bombs and bomb builders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to eventually kill them, at least in this little piece of the pie. I don't know how we're going to get them, but we're going to get them. I'd rather have a vehicle blown up than a Marine. QUADE: Alex Quade, CNN, near Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Thanks, Barry, for doing a song about DAYBREAK.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

In Wichita, Kansas, a three-day sentencing hearing starts today for BTK serial killer Dennis Rader. His victims' families will get a chance to confront him, but they'll also hear graphic details about the killings.

Dozens of antiwar protesters moving closer to President Bush's Texas ranch. They're led by a mom who lost her son in Iraq. An Army veteran is now letting them campout on a vacant lot he owns just a mile from the Bush ranch.

In money news, say good-buy Stanford, Connecticut, hello, Memphis. The world's largest paper company, International Paper, says it is relocating its global headquarters to the Tennessee city.

In culture, Eminem has cancelled his European tour. His record company says Eminem is suffering from exhaustion, which has been complicated by other medical issues. He was scheduled to play 10 shows beginning September 1 in Hamburg, Germany.

In sports, Tony Stewart has been put on probation for the rest of the year.

Chad,...

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... what happened?

MYERS: It was actually in the Busch Race. He's on Busch probation. After the race, he slammed into Brian Vickers. This is the Cup race that he won. This was the day after this event. You know how many times can you put somebody on probation before it doesn't work anymore? I mean, so sickening.

Boston today 86.

He was fined $5,000. He smashed into a guy after the race. Whatever. The race was over.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Hey, it's time for another quiz question.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: You ready?

MYERS: Well I've gotten two wrong, so, OK.

COSTELLO: Me, too, actually.

Sky-high gas prices are fueling frustration among many of you. So we've been quizzing you about gas-saving techniques. Here's the question, true or false: driving behind a big rig saves gas?

MYERS: Can save you almost five miles per gallon.

COSTELLO: You got that one right. The answer is true.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: I guess because they break the wind.

MYERS: Correct.

COSTELLO: Is that right?

MYERS: It's all about the aerodynamics. At speed, at 65 or 70, almost 80 percent of the gas that you're using is actually just using it -- the car is using it just to break the wind that it's pushing into. And if you get somebody in front of you that's already breaking it, it's just like drafting down the Talladega.

COSTELLO: All right, now you know.

Remember the DAYBREAK "Question of the Day," should panhandling be banned? Well Chad will be reading your e-mails when we come back.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Turning to matters about your health.

A message here, if you're pregnant, go ahead, turn on the kitchen tap and fill her up. Tap water will not raise your risk of miscarriage. Some studies have suggested certain chemical byproducts increase the chances of miscarriage, but new research suggests the risk is very small. In fact, researchers say the risk may not exist at all.

A warning for men, if you are obese, get yourself checked for prostate cancer. A report in the medical journal "Urology" finds obese males have more than twice the risk for prostate cancer compared with men of normal weight. And obese men were found to have increased odds of developing highly aggressive tumors. So lose some weight, see your doctor.

Male or female, it is a good idea to keep up with news about your health. You can do that on our Web site, CNN.com/health. So check it out.

All right, now to our e-mail segment. We're getting a lot of e- mails now about panhandling...

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... and whether it should be banned.

MYERS: And, actually, a few answers to the problem, not just complaints and such, Carol.

Should panhandling be banned?

I got one from David (ph) in Tousen (ph). Anti-panhandling legislation is designed to revitalize the business in the area of the inner city, which would raise tax revenue that could go to pay for more social spending. It seems that the prospect of an unbathed junkie, drunk, aggressively pursuing and harassing perspective customers tend to scare them away.

There are homeless shelters ready to provide food and a place to sleep, but they don't distribute illegal drugs. That's forcing the panhandlers to beg for money to get their high. We should -- he says we should, but maybe I'll just switch it to should we take seized heroine and distribute it in the shelters to speed the panhandlers so their obvious desire is their destination?

I don't know about that one.

And then Arthur (ph) from California, Chad mentioned that many people feel that to bar panhandling violates freedom of a person's right to do as they please. Freedom is a relative thing. It's not absolute. A person's right to do as they please ends where the rights interfere with the rights of others.

And from Jonathan (ph), says, yes, it should be illegal. It's dangerous to take money out on the street. They should go to a shelter to get help. Instead of giving money to them on the street, go to the shelter, give money to the shelter.

Not a bad idea.

And from Doug (ph) in New York, panhandling should be illegal. But if people want to give cash, let them give cash away in a voucher program. Go buy something like a food stamp so that you actually know that the money you give is actually going to go for something good.

And Beverly (ph) in Tennessee says when you visit Atlanta from a smaller town, like Chattanooga where I'm from, you're not used to seeing such a degree of panhandling. The first time I visited Atlanta, I was shocked to see every bench and patch of grass in a nearby park filled with homeless. The next thing I knew, I was being chased down the street to handover my money. As a woman, it kind of strikes a little fear in my heart...

COSTELLO: Yes. MYERS: ... and start to panic a little bit.

COSTELLO: And that's the...

MYERS: So, there you go.

COSTELLO: You know, not all the homeless do that.

MYERS: No.

COSTELLO: But you know I lived in Atlanta for a long time, and it does happen. I've been chased. So, you know that's frightening.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And that shouldn't happen, but that's only a small percentage of the homeless out there.

MYERS: Of course.

COSTELLO: We're going to talk more about it in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

Also, Lisa Drayer will be here to answer all of our nutritional questions, like how much fish should you eat, how many vitamins should you take and will it get dangerous if you take too much? She'll have all the answers for you in the next hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: What a way to spend your birthday. Singer Madonna, or Madge, as she's known in the British tabs, fell from a horse while riding on her country estate outside of London. She broke some bones, but she's going to be OK. She was celebrating her 47th birthday when she took the tumble.

CNN's Robyn Curnow now joins us live from London with more.

Good morning.

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

Well, you're right, her injuries are all over the front pages of the tabloids here in England. Madonna horse fall horror, they shriek. Another one, also, "The Sun" newspaper here saying, Madonna with the big bruises. So this is probably a slow news day. But either way, she's making the front pages here. Details on her injuries, basically she broke a collar bone. She also broke her hand and she also cracked three ribs.

Now, Carol, Madonna is not a close personal friend of mine, so I can't actually vouch for her, but I'm sure she's pretty upset about these injuries, because it's going to take about three months to heal. Definitely no Ashtanga yoga, definitely no rigorous dancing and she might even have some trouble singing in the first few weeks, because those ribs can really curtail when singing. So all in all, maybe some doubts about her November release of her new album.

COSTELLO: What painful...

CURNOW: So either way, though, she is recuperating at home.

COSTELLO: What painful injuries. You're right, she fractured three ribs, she broke her collar bone. And you just sort of have to let that heal, from what I understand.

CURNOW: Yes.

COSTELLO: What was she doing? I know her husband took her to the hospital.

CURNOW: Yes.

COSTELLO: She was out with her family, and then what happened?

CURNOW: Well, I think, as you said, she has a huge country estate out in Wiltshire. This is very posh stuff, as they say, high society, hunting, shooting and fishing, all that sort of stuff.

In the latest American "Vogue," we get some sense of the kind of life she's now living. And if you see this picture here, she's posing on a horse in tweed. Those, you know, the traditional country pursuits uniform. And it's this sort of thing that she was indulging in on her birthday.

She was getting some riding lessons. And in this part of the world, riding is, of course, the horsy sect up there. So she was probably just, you know, trying to get her riding skills in practice. I don't know how soon she'll be back on a horse, though, that's for sure.

COSTELLO: No, I don't either, but our best to her.

Thank you, Robyn Curnow, reporting live from London.

And that's our entertainment block for this hour.

The next hour of DAYBREAK starts in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. We'll have more news in just a minute.

Also ahead on DAYBREAK, a major city cracks down on panhandlers, but some say the approach just is not fair.

And what's best for your body? From vitamins, to alcohol, to time in the sun, we will share the bottom line on how much is too much.

But first, "Now in the News." Israeli soldiers are removing Gaza settlers by force this morning. Many settlers refused to leave before the mandatory deadline to withdrawal. We'll have a live report from one settlement coming up in just a minute.

A pair of car bombs in Baghdad kill at least 43 people this morning. The blasts came 10 minutes apart at a bus station in the central part of that city. Close to 80 others were injured.

A British TV network reports that police thought a Brazilian man was a terrorist before they shot him last month. An ITV report says the electrician was not acting suspiciously before he was shot eight times in a subway station by British police.

Let's head to the Forecast Center and check in with Chad.

Good morning.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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