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CNN Live At Daybreak

Pullout From Final Gaza Settlement; Mascot Madness

Aired August 22, 2005 - 06:30   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Just one more Jewish settlement left in Gaza, and it's being vacated as we speak.
Matthew Chance joins us live from Netzarim, where the final pullout is under way.

Hello -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you as well, Carol.

You're right. This is the last Jewish settlement still occupied in the Gaza Strip, about 500 people, all of them devout Jews. They've agreed with the Israeli defense forces, who are here in some significant numbers, to leave peacefully. They're not planning to resist using violence, they say.

In fact, they're just inside the synagogue here in the center of Netzarim, the building right behind me, having a joint prayer session between the Jewish settlers that are here and the soldiers that have come to evacuate them from this place, the soldiers, of course, that have performed that important role in protecting these people, because this is a very controversial Jewish settlement. It's set right in the heart of Gaza, surrounded by 1.3 million Palestinians. And as such, has been right on the front line of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As I say, those soldiers that have come in the past to protect these Jewish settlers from Palestinian attack are now here to escort them away from here for forever, it seems, bringing to an end an era of Jewish settlements here in the Gaza Strip -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Matthew Chance reporting live from Gaza this morning.

Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph will be sentenced today in Atlanta. In a plea deal, he'll get life in prison without parole for the park bombing and two other Atlanta blasts -- one at a gay nightclub and another at a women's clinic, where abortions were performed. Rudolph eluded authorities for more than five years in the North Carolina mountains.

His mother tells of one time Rudolph stole a car, ran out of gas and feared getting caught.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT RUDOLPH, ERIC RUDOLPH'S MOTHER: It was in the middle of the night, and a police officer came by and asked him what was wrong. He told him. And he said, oh, don't worry about it, I have gas in my car for when I run out, and you can have that. So he gave it to him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The police officer didn't know that he was helping a fugitive...

RUDOLPH: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... who was on the lam.

RUDOLPH: Right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And that is the first time Eric Rudolph's mother has spoken out. We just got that video in to DAYBREAK.

One person was killed, 122 others injured in three Atlanta blasts done by Eric Rudolph.

Antiwar protesters and Bush supporters go head to head in Crawford, Texas. And the peace mom may return to the protest front lines.

Soledad O'Brien joins us now for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning -- Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

Cindy Sheehan, in fact, left her protest near the president's ranch last week. She was going to take care of her ailing mother. Antiwar demonstrators, though, making sure that her message continues to be heard.

Today we're going to take a look at what U.S. troops think about her protest. We're going to talk to a Marine who was wounded last month in Iraq. We'll also hear from a former Army Reservist. He left the military as a conscientious objector.

Also this morning, part one of our best back-to-school series. The special report is called "School Days." Today we're going to tell you how you can help make sure that your kids are making smart nutritional choices at lunch and throughout the day. Of course, here is the big problem: French fries taste better often than the healthy stuff. And that's a big problem for mom and dad. We've got the dibs, though, on how to cope with that.

That's ahead on "AMERICAN MORNING," Carol. We'll see you at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: That's a big problem for adults.

S. O'BRIEN: I know. It is hard to be snarfing (ph) down Oreos and telling your kids, these are really bad for you, don't do this.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding. Thank you, Soledad. How does this sound, sports fans? The Miami extraordinarily intelligent water mammals. Or how about the Atlanta proud Native American warriors? Sports mascots are becoming an endangered species. Is it about time, or has political correctness gone mad? Put on your helmet. We're talking about it next.

And later, what did they know and when? A battle between the 9/11 Commission and the White House over too little information.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time to check the international markets now. It begins the week in positive territory. Japan's Nikkei closes up 161 points, Britain's FTSE trading up 11, the German DAX is up 8.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:38 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Three more U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq. Two died when their vehicle rolled over near Tal Afar. The other soldier was killed south of there by a roadside bomb.

In money news, it's Miller time. The nation's second-largest brewer threw a big-time party Saturday night in Milwaukee to celebrate its 150th anniversary. More than 100 descendants of the Miller family attended the beer bash.

In culture, country music star Garth Brooks makes a deal with Wal-Mart. The singer has announced he'll sell his music exclusively through the world's largest retailer.

And in sports, Tiger Woods beats Chris DiMarco by one shot to win the NEC Invitational. It is his fifth tournament victory this year.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right. How does this sound? Entering your stadium, you're Florida State sunflowers? OK, maybe not. Florida State, you know, the Seminoles is one of those universities upset with the NCAA and its move against Native American themed teams and mascots.

Rose Scott is a sports radio talk show host on 790 the Zone in Atlanta, and she joins us now live to talk about this.

Of course, we know that part of the story. But now, PETA is weighing in. They're very upset with the nickname "the Gamecocks." You knew it would come to this. The floodgates are open, aren't they?

ROSE SCOTT, SPORTS RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: You know, here's the thing. First of all, unless the Gamecocks have representation and can somehow, you know, have their lawyers weigh in on this, that's a little bit extreme for me in terms of the animals. The Native Americans I understand. But Gamecocks? No. COSTELLO: Well, let me read you, Rose...

SCOTT: You know, unless they're going to be...

COSTELLO: COSTELLO: Rose, let me read you what PETA is saying.

SCOTT: Sure.

COSTELLO: Our problem with the Gamecocks is it promotes cock fighting. That's not only illegal, but tremendously cruel to the animals involved.

And let me read you this. I'm going on. It's a safe bet that officials in South Carolina and Jacksonville would never dream of calling their athletic teams "the dog fighters," "wife beaters," "looters" or "road ragers." By calling them the Gamecocks, USC sends a message to sports fans that cruel, illegal cockfighting is something to cheer about.

SCOTT: Again, the Gamecocks are not actually out on the field. It's a reference to just a mascot. It represents a team. I think that's a little bit extreme. Native Americans, I understand. You have some that feel maybe it's offensive in terms of their culture, their community. But Gamecocks? That's a little bit too much for me.

COSTELLO: But isn't the NCAA, like, furthering this argument? Because its policy is so confusing.

SCOTT: It is confusing, and it's very vague and it's limited in terms of the policy. Now, if the NCAA is going to implement this policy, they already have an appeals process. And we have an appeals process for something you haven't even really initiated if there's a problem. So, you can't set a policy and then say, oh, hey, here's an appeal process already. You set the policy. And either the schools will adhere to it, or they won't. And we're watching the Florida Seminoles dance around.

The flip side on this, too, is that if you have enough people who are upset or find it offensive, I think you have to take that in consideration. But at the other side...

COSTELLO: Yes, but are the majority of Native Americans really upset about the Seminoles nickname? Because some tribes are and others are not.

SCOTT: Well, and that's part of the vagueness of it as well, because in Florida State, the Seminole of that community obviously says, we don't have a problem with it. And Governor Jeb Bush has said, well, we have a brethren with them, which I find a little interesting.

But the thing is you're not going to find common ground, because you may have one region of the country that says, oh, it's OK. And another region that says, no, it's not OK.

So, what do you do? I think you need to leave it up to each individual member institution. COSTELLO: Well, the NCAA certainly isn't doing that. It's saying that, you know, you can't show the mascot in post-season play, but you can during the season. And, like, by 2008 there is some other rule that's supposed to go into play.

SCOTT: Again, there we go with the policy as being very vague and limited. If you're going to have a policy, say, look, you know, we are not going to have our member institutions use mascots that are offensive or abusive or abrasive. Have that policy, and everybody has to adhere to it. That's it.

COSTELLO: So, how many other groups do you think will come forward and say, a nickname is offensive? And will the NCAA take them seriously?

SCOTT: Well, I don't think the NCAA will, but the thing is, too, you have animals, and then you have warriors, and you have Seminoles. I don't know what's next.

I went to Indiana State, where I was a Sycamore. That's a tree. So, unless you're going to have some arborist come out, I don't know what's going to happen. I wasn't offended being a Sycamore. So, you know, maybe...

COSTELLO: You were offended? You'd rather be an Oak?

SCOTT: Well, hey, you know, no one is really terrified of a Sycamore tree. I mean, come on.

Oh, by the way, I have to say this, too. You have the wrong station. I'm at 1380 WLAC, not 790. I have to represent.

COSTELLO: I apologize.

SCOTT: My program director will kill me.

COSTELLO: No, I'm glad you did that, because I totally get that. And I so apologize. And now I'll just slink off to a corner.

SCOTT: OK.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Rose.

SCOTT: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Rose Scott, I hope you'll come back.

SCOTT: I will. No problem.

COSTELLO: A battle is brewing between the former head of the 9/11 Commission and the White House. The question: What exactly was known about Mohammed Atta, and when was it known? That's ahead, plus a preview of what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

But first, it's time to say happy birthday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back. It's 6:48 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

President Bush is going on the offensive. With polls showing growing discontent with the war in Iraq, he's planned a series of speeches aimed at drumming up support. The first one is today at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Salt Lake City. We'll bring that to you live. You can see it here at 1:35 p.m. Eastern.

Meantime, back at the ranch, demonstrators who support the president are showing their stuff near his vacation home in Crawford. A man who lost his son in Falluja organized a rally supporting the president after antiwar mom Cindy Sheehan began her protest.

Just in time this morning, is it a tiff between the White House and the 9/11 Commission? The chairman of the now defunct 9/11 Commission is speaking out for the first time about a growing controversy.

Thomas Kean says his panel never got the information on a Pentagon program called "Able Danger." It had identified Mohammed Atta as a possible al Qaeda member before the attacks, two years before the 9/11 attacks.

Kean says -- quote: "I am offended, because people say, 'Well, why didn't you do anything?' This was information that was not given us."

Tim Burger co-wrote this story in "TIME" magazine. He joins us now from Washington.

Good morning.

TIM BURGER, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, what else did Thomas Kean say?

BURGER: Well, what's going on is this program called Able Danger, which was sort of a data mining program that the Pentagon had at some point before 9/11 apparently. There is a tiff over whether it picked up Mohammed Atta or not. The 9/11 Commission asked for information about the program and says they didn't get any evidence that Atta was picked up before 9/11. And they'd like to see if the administration has such evidence that they had a program that got Atta, that they'd like that information to have been handed over so that the commission could have evaluated it.

COSTELLO: Yes. But, Tim, I thought some members of the 9/11 Commission said they did get word of this. It was of no great detail, but they did get word of it. So why the discrepancy from Thomas Kean?

SCOTT: Well, the commission has said that, yes, they examined the Able Danger program, but the question of whether before 9/11 it actually had spotted Atta as a terrorist or as a potential danger to the U.S. that's another matter. And the commission says it received no such information, because it did go and review its files after this controversy erupted. And they said that if such information exists, it was never turned over.

So, now the administration is checking its files over at the Pentagon, et cetera, to see is this allegation accurate that was surfaced by Congressman Curt Weldon in a book that he wrote recently and by some military people who said they had some peripheral knowledge, at least, of the program.

COSTELLO: And doesn't Kean want the White House to publicly comment on this, to put this to rest?

SCOTT: He absolutely does. One of the things that Congressman Weldon said in his book was that just after 9/11, he handed Steve Hadley, who is now the national security adviser, a chart that had been produced by Able Danger, and Atta's name, according to the book, was on the chart. And the White House has refused to say anything about this. And Mr. Kean would like them to, for example, start by saying, did Mr. Hadley receive this chart or not? If he did, did it have Mr. Atta's name on it?

COSTELLO: And what might be the political implications of this?

SCOTT: Well, one of the problems with it is it shows that in some ways the questions about the details of 9/11 will never completely go away. There's always going to be some mystery to aspects of this. And it shows that, you know, when you have a huge bureaucracy like the Pentagon and mountains of paper and data, it's going to be hard for them to chase down a definitive answer.

But, you know, hopefully this one will be cleared up, and then we can move on and see what's next.

COSTELLO: We hope so. If you want to know more, the article is in "TIME" magazine this week. Tim Burger, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

SCOTT: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Let's check in with Miles O'Brien for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol.

As you've been reporting, President Bush is hitting the road to drum up support for the war in Iraq. Today, he's scheduled to speak at the V.F.W. national convention in Utah. It should be a friendly audience. His speech comes as support for the war continues to slip, however. Can the president turn the tide?

Former White House adviser David Gergen, who has advised both Republican and Democratic presidents, will join us live with some insights. Also, a possible break in a bizarre and legendary missing person's case. New York Judge Joseph Crater vanished without a trace 75 years ago. You remember that one, right, Carol?

COSTELLO: I actually don't. But I did read about it.

M. O'BRIEN: He's kind of the Jimmy Hoffa of his time. But a recently-discovered letter may shed light on what happened to the judge once called the missing-est (ph) man in America. We'll take a closer look ahead on "AMERICAN MORNING."

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Miles.

It is that time, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, for a new mug. The mug winner for today. The questions from Friday. There you go, that's the one. American Airlines hopes to save $1 million per year by reducing how much fuel per flight? And that's just 50 pounds. And what business school was ranked number one by "Forbes?" Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business.

And the winner from Michigan, Williamston, Michigan, is Walter Sorg. Good morning, Walter. Congratulations, you are the winner of today's coffee mug.

Now is the time for you to try to get one. First one -- here's the first question. Who authenticated the Saddam Hussein jailhouse letter? And number two, who was protesting the name of the South Carolina Gamecocks' mascot? That should be an easy one.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's too easy!

MYERS: Well, we'll give you one and one. Cnn.com/daybreak. There's a link over there on the left. Give us your answers -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I won't, but hopefully our viewers will as they do every day.

When we come back, more headlines and a travel forecast. And the Stones roll on. Or should I say rock on? Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: He sounds pretty good, doesn't he? The Rolling Stones kick off their North American tour at Fenway Park in Boston. They pumped up the crowds with old favorites like "Satisfaction" and "Start Me Up." The two-hour show on Sunday also included songs from their soon-to-be released album, "A Bigger Bang." The 60-something rockers plan to play 42 concerts in 37 cities on this tour.

It was so loud there, Chad, that the neighbors around Fenway Park were a little concerned.

MYERS: You know, I saw the Stones at Riverfront in Cincinnati many years ago, and I think I still have hearing loss from that concert. I'm not sure how those guys can stay up there night after night after night and listen to that and play that, and to hear themselves think for that matter.

COSTELLO: I know. I was going to say good living, but then I thought no.

MYERS: That's really the wrong answer.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

The next chapter for Iraq is turning out to be a tough page to turn. The deadline for the interim government to draft a constitution is now about nine hours away, midnight in Baghdad, 4:00 p.m. Eastern our time. A senior Iraqi official says some issues are still unresolved.

Three more American soldiers have been killed in Iraq. The military says two of them died when their vehicle rolled over during a patrol near Tal Afar. The other soldier was killed in a roadside bombing in Ad Dwar.

The first day of the business week is a big test for Northwest Airlines. The airlines' mechanics' union began a strike on Saturday. Northwest will be pressured to keep its planes in the air.

From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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