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CNN Live At Daybreak

Deadline in Iraq; Saddam Letter; Football Death

Aired August 22, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is Monday, August 22, the end of an era in Gaza. The soldiers are going one way, the homeowners the other. It is the last of the Israeli settlements in Gaza.
Also, he made headlines with an Olympic bombing. Almost 10 years later, he's in court to face some of the people he hurt.

And a dream come true for big number 72. Young and athletic, but something went horribly wrong for this 49er.

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.

COSTELLO: And good morning to you. We'll have more on the Gaza withdrawal this hour.

Also ahead, it's take two for the Iraqis. Will there be a new constitution today? We will take you live to Baghdad in just a few minutes.

And later, it's home sweet home for the space shuttle Discovery.

But first, "Now in the News."

President Bush goes on the offensive. Faced with polls showing growing discontent with the war in Iraq, he's planned a series of speeches. The first today at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Salt Lake City. You can see it here live at 1:35 p.m. Eastern.

1996 Olympic park bomber Eric Rudolph faces sentencing this morning in Atlanta. About a dozen victims are expected to speak. The bombing killed a woman and injured more than 100 people. Under a plea bargain agreement, he will be sentenced to life in prison.

It is the first day of the business week of big tests for Northwest Airlines. The airline's mechanics union began a strike on Saturday. Northwest will be pressured to keep its planes flying.

To the forecast center.

Good morning, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. I wonder how that crossing the picket line thing is going to do today. A little tough on the weekend in some spots, I here.

COSTELLO: It was. MYERS: Good morning, everybody. Yes -- good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: OK. Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: 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 11 hours away, midnight in Baghdad. And that would be 4:00 p.m. Eastern in Washington.

Live now to our Aneesh Raman at the convention center in the Iraqi capital.

Aneesh, any progress?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we could be here until midnight yet again. A deja vous here at the convention center. Again, hours till go until the latest constitutional deadline, but no sense if a draft document will emerge.

The only thing that's really changed in the past week is that last time there were two big outstanding issues, the role of religion and federalism. It seems at least the former has been resolved in principle. The president of Iraq's National Assembly telling me that an agreement has been reached to make Islam "a main source of legislation."

Now, this would be a concession to more religious politicians. It will raise the question of how prominent a role clerics will play in the new Iraq, and will raise undoubtedly concerns among women's rights groups about how their liberties may be limited by this law.

But the other issue, that of federalism, remains unresolved. How powerful will autonomous regions in Iraq be? What happens to oil revenue? Oil, predominantly in the north and south, would that stay with the local governments or go to the central government? That is what they are working now to try and reach a compromise on.

We understand that U.S. and British officials today have met with both the Shia and the Kurds. But Carol, a sign of growing discontent among the Sunnis, who say this past week, where they expected engagement in these negotiations, they have largely been marginalized and left out. And that will be a key concern. If a draft comes forward that they do not like, they have the power to veto that, reject it in a referendum that would come by mid October -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let's talk about possible scenarios if they don't meet this 4:00 p.m. Eastern deadline. They could dissolve the governing body, right?

RAMAN: Exactly, yes.

COSTELLO: Or they could -- go ahead. RAMAN: Well, yes, there's essentially the three that we saw last week, but there is an addendum. The first, like you said, is that, if nothing happens by midnight tonight local, this government is dissolved, a new government would be elected, and this whole process would start again. That is the worst case scenario, but it is increasingly an option for those who feel this process is already leaving them out; notably, the Sunnis.

The second option would be that a draft of some sort comes today. But that could be a draft that everyone doesn't agree on or everyone does agree on.

And then the first option, which people are talking about, Carol, is another extension, pushing this process forward, perhaps for another week, perhaps even longer.

COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman. We'll get back to you. Thank you.

The Pentagon is planning to keep at least 100,000 U.S. troops in Iraq four more years. President Bush will use two speeches this week to rally support for the war in Iraq. The House Armed Services chairman, Duncan Hunter, agrees with the president's plan to stay the course in Iraq, but Democratic Senator Russ Feingold has called with a complete troop withdrawal by the end of 2006.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: The most important thing is protecting the lives of Americans here and abroad. And if this Iraq operation is inconsistent with that, at some point we may have to consider leaving. And that's why I'm hoping that we can create a time frame for success and then bringing home our troops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), ARMED SERVICES CHAIRMAN: Every one of us who has young people in that war would like to see an American military reduction. The point is that it has to -- it has to occur as the capabilities of the Iraqi military rises to the point where we hand the football to them and say, "You handle this responsibility now."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So far, 1,865 American troops have been killed in Iraq since the war began in March of 2003.

On to something a bit controversial now. Saddam Hussein writes a letter, and it turns up published in a Jordanian newspaper. The once powerful Iraqi dictator seems to be growing more philosophical about his legacy. That handwritten letter from jail by Saddam made the papers -- made the pages, rather, of two Jordanian newspapers. And here's a part of it. I'm quoting here. Saddam writes, "My soul and my existence is to be sacrificed for our precious Palestine and our beloved, patient and suffering Iraq."

CNN's Caroline Faraj translated the letter, and she joins us now from her post in Dubai.

What else does this letter say, Caroline?

CAROLINE FARAJ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, as you just mentioned right now, the letter also mentions -- was addressed actually to one of his best friends. It was known to us that he was basically studying with him at university. And it was not addressed to his family.

So basically, it was more of a national kind of wording. He was saying, "My brother, love your people, love Palestine. Long live Palestine. Love your nation."

So basically, this is -- this is the gist of his letter that was published in the newspapers yesterday. And it was confirmed to CNN by the Red Cross that it was delivered to Saddam's friend and handed to his friend on the 16th of August of this month. And it was not sent to his family -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Caroline, these words, "Long live Palestine," kind of a loaded phrase. I mean, tell us the meaning behind those words and why some are concerned.

FARAJ: Well, we have, first of all, to consider that the letter was about one -- one full page, these are the only words that was basically accepted to be kept known and readable. However, the rest of the letter was -- was all covered by blank ink.

According to the ICRC, the Red Cross people, they told us that letter that comes out of the prison to anybody, to his family, or anybody, usually it should go through (INAUDIBLE). And they -- usually, they covered some of these wording in order to make sure that it's not affecting their security.

So we don't really know the rest of the content of this letter. However, the content that was readable for us, and we could read it in Arabic, it basically gives an impression that his main concern is for his (INAUDIBLE) and he is willing to sacrifice his soul. And this -- he's also saying that, you know, it's worth it -- if I'm going to die, it's worth it for my own nation and for my own -- my own country.

COSTELLO: Well, let's stop right there, Caroline, and just examine that part of the letter. He says -- and I'm quoting again here -- "He who sacrifices his property and soul for his nation is but doing a little, because this nation deserves much to be done."

That seems to be some kind of call to action, doesn't it?

FARAJ: That's true to a certain extent, because when we talked to some observers, they were concerning (ph) what you just mentioned, Carol. And they were also saying that it might also give another indication that, you know, he's just -- you know, like accepting the idea that he's going to trial, supposedly going to take in any -- in any day soon. And he believes that he might be convicted.

So basically, this is also like sort of a hint that he might be facing the trial and he might face the death penalty -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. A few questions that you may or may not know the answers to. This letter was not delivered to a family member, but it was delivered to a family friend. Is that allowed?

FARAJ: That's the question addressed to the ICRC. And they said to us that usually what they do is they take the letters from the prisoner and they have to deliver it for anybody. But the question is, Carol, that the basically was basically stamped on the top of it with three words, "Family (INAUDIBLE) only." Which means, in a way, that usually these -- usually they deliver it to families.

But this is the first time that we read any letter that comes out of the prison, and especially the prisoner is Saddam, and it is not delivered not even to the family, frankly. It's his personal friend that, according to the Ba'ath Party members, because the letter actually was read during the meetings three days ago in Jordan, they confirmed to CNN that the man is an old friend who studied with Saddam in the old days, which -- and he's a Jordanian official. And he's not a member of the Ba'ath Party.

So this is something strange, and it is even raising some flags. However, the ICRC, they're saying what they did is the right thing. And this is -- this is basically their own mission -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. Caroline Faraj, we're going to let you go.

And when she mentioned the ICRC, that is the Red Cross. And I guess what happens is, the letter is written, then it's checked by the military prison at the prison, and then it's handed over to the Red Cross. Then the Red Cross delivers the message.

We're going to be talking to someone from the Red Cross in the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK. And of course we'll ask them many more questions about this letter was delivered and how it came to be delivered to this Jordanian man who does not want to be named. And as we've said, this letter made the pages of two Jordanian newspapers.

According to Geneva Conventions, prisoners of war are allowed to write the letters. But in the case of Saddam Hussein, is that fair?

And of course that brings us to our e-mail segment of the morning.

MYERS: Can you write letters to your friends? Or can you write letters to your relatives?

COSTELLO: Should he be writing letters at all?

MYERS: Well, why not? COSTELLO: That's the question we're going to pose to our audience this morning.

MYERS: Well, there you go. And it isn't -- it isn't like he rambled for 48 pages and they printed everything. It was only like one little paragraph that didn't get blacked out. But, should Saddam Hussein be allowed to write letters at all?

I guess, right? Tell me. What do you think? DAYBREAK@CNN.com -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Coming up, there's just one Jewish settlement left in Gaza. Israeli troops expect to leave it a ghost town before the day is out. We'll take you live to Matthew Chance. He's there. We'll do that shortly.

And a memorial is planned for a San Francisco 49er. But the death of a lineman, Thomas Herrion, it's still quite a mystery this morning. We'll have the latest details for you in just a few minutes.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time now to check the markets. The international markets begin the week in positive territory.

Japan's Nikkei closes up 161 points. Britain's FTSE is trading up 11. The German DAX up nearly 12.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:15 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

The clock is ticking in Iraq. Iraqi leaders have until midnight to draft a new constitution. That's 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A senior Iraqi official tells CNN some issues are still unresolved and a second deadline extension may be needed.

The space shuttle Discovery back at the Kennedy Space center. It got there riding piggyback on a jumbo jet. You probably remember Discovery's space mission ended in California when bad weather kept the shuttle from landing in Florida.

In money news, "The 40-Year Old Virgin" scored big at the box office this weekend, so to speak. Oh, we're funny this morning, aren't we? Actor Steve Carell's comedy raked in more than $20 million, debuting in the number one spot.

In culture, China reportedly will soon have its own version of the reality show "The Apprentice." A Chinese newspaper says Donald Trump will be the show's executive producer. It will be hosted by a Beijing property mogul.

In sports, here they come. Jeremy Mayfield in the red car.

Chad, where are you? Why am I reading this story? MYERS: Yes, the only thing he didn't do, he didn't run out of gas! He had the best gas mileage of everybody. He didn't take the time to gas up, when everybody else did, and he had enough to go around the track one more lap. And then he was out.

They had to push the car back to the garage, but he won it. Congratulations to him. A lot of points changes going on yesterday in NASCAR as well.

Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

The San Francisco 49ers plan a memorial service tomorrow for offensive lineman Thomas Herrion. The 23-year-old collapsed and died after a game in Denver on Saturday. Tests to determine why could take weeks.

More now from CNN Sports Reporter Steve Overmyer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE NOLAN, 49ERS HEAD COACH: Right now it's a day of mourning for the 49er family. As you all know, we lost a teammate and a very good friend as well.

STEVE OVERMYER, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An autopsy performed on the San Francisco 49er's lineman Thomas Herrion revealed nothing conclusive about his cause of death Saturday night. Investigators will wait for toxicology results to come back in three to six weeks before giving a definitive cause of death.

JANICE HERRION, MOTHER: It's not our reasoning to choose why that 23 years is all that he was allowed. And in those 23 years, he left his mark.

OVERMYER: Herrion, number 72, seen here, was on the field Saturday night in Denver in his team's last series which led to a touchdown. At the end of the game, Herrion greeted fans and even joked with the team's nutritionist before gathering for a team huddle with their coach. Moments later, the 6'3", 310-pound lineman collapsed in the locker room. Paramedics administered CPR, but he never regained consciousness.

HERRION: He was a joy. He lit up a room when he walked in. His teachers would say, "Oh, this boy just cracks me up." He had a teacher once who said, "Now, son, if you don't make it in nothing else, be a comic."

OVERMYER: Herrion was a backup lineman with the '9ers. He played college football at Utah before spending time with the cowboys last year, and even a stint in NFL Europe. He may have only been with the team for a short amount of time, but was quick to make an impression. NOLAN: I just respected his play and his work ethic. I always saw that he had leadership qualities.

OVERMYER: Steve Overmyer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, President Bush will speak before veterans today in Salt Lake City. He'll be -- will he be able to rally support for the war in Iraq?

And don't forget our e-mail "Question of the Morning." Should Saddam Hussein be allowed to write letters? And remember, this letter didn't go to a family member. It went to a friend who used to be a Jordanian politician, and it ended up in two Jordanian newspapers.

Should Saddam Hussein be allowed to write letters? E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Talk about beautiful pictures, right? In news "Across America" this morning, talk about a close call.

The Air Force's precision Thunderbird flying team was performing over Lake Michigan when two planes touched wings. A four-foot-long missile rail from one came loose and it fell into the water. Good thing they weren't over land. But about a million people were watching. Sunday's Thunderbird performance was canceled.

Guess what's in these boxes seized from a Los Angeles warehouse. Golly gee, Batman. Take a look.

It's Fantastic Man, Spiderman action figures, and they're all counterfeit. About 120,000 of them were found. And we're not talking peanuts here. Police say their value is about $500,000. A woman at the warehouse is now in big trouble with the law.

Also in Los Angeles, honors long deferred. The 58 Japanese- Americans who were sent to internment camps during World War II have finally gotten their high school diplomas. The government officially apologized for the internment in 1988 and offered eligible survivors $20,000 each.

It was a fitting finale for flamboyant writer Hunter Thompson. His ashes were packed into fireworks shells and fired into the sky. You see it there.

A star-studded invited crowd witnessed the spectacle. "He loved explosions," said his wife Anita. Thompson committed suicide six months ago, and this is how he preferred to celebrate the end of his life, we should say.

Here's what's all new in the next half-hour of DAYBREAK.

Think you can't go sledding in Hawaii? Think again. We'll tell you all about an ancient sport that will have you riding banana stumps. You won't want to miss that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.

COSTELLO: And good morning, everyone. Welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK.

Coming up in the next 30 minutes, we'll take you live to the last settlement in Gaza to be evacuated.

Also, are you a Garth Brooks fan? Only on store will be selling his new CD. That story still ahead.

But first, "Now in the News."

The clock is ticking on the interim Iraqi government. It has until 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time to come up with a draft constitution. The deadline already has been postponed a week, and that could happen again.

Brazilian officials will be in London today looking for answers in the shooting death of an innocent man. London police shot Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, thinking he may have been a suicide bomber. It happened after the failed attacks on London's transit system last month.

Olympic park bomber Eric Rudolph will be sentenced today in Atlanta. Under a plea deal, Rudolph will get life in prison without parole for three Atlanta bombings: the one in the park, another at a gay nightclub, and the third at a women's clinic that performs abortions.

There has been a dramatic development in stem cell research. Scientists at Harvard say they may have found a way to create useful stem cells without having to create and destroy human embryos. It involves fusing an adult skin cell with an embryonic stem cell. They'll discuss the rather complicated findings later today.

To the forecast center and Chad.

Good morning.

MYERS: Interesting. They think that after they do the fusing of the adult skin cell to an embryonic stem cell that the skin cell will actually have the same properties as the stem cell had. They won't have to do anything with that. They'll just be able to take the skin cell and go from there. So, I don't know.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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