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CNN Live At Daybreak

Cleaning Up Louisiana; Fire Danger Near Los Angeles; Evolution Debate; DeLay Indictment

Aired September 29, 2005 - 06:30   ET

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

(WEATHER REPORT)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Some "open for business" signs may be out today in New Orleans, but the stores probably will have to wait for customers. Business owners from several -- actually mostly all areas of the city will be allowed back in today. Those areas include the Garden District and the French Quarter. Residents from those neighborhoods will also be allowed to return, but that will happen tomorrow.

In the meantime, the initial clean-up of the Superdome is all but finished. Crews worked around the clock for nearly three weeks to gather up about 3,000 tons of debris. Now the assessment and repair can begin. But Mayor Ray Nagin has a warning about the clean-up and federal funding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: Pay attention to what the national media is doing right now. They're basically painting the picture that New Orleanians and Louisianans are not able to effectively with the hundreds of billions of dollars that are getting ready to come down. And they're going to try and play up our colorful past.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And while Mayor Nagin is welcoming business owners back to the city, the Louisiana governor, Blanco -- Kathleen Blanco, is taking care of other business. This afternoon, she'll discuss rebuilding the state's economy during meetings in Baton Rouge. Blanco also spent time on Capitol Hill talking about jobs with the Senate Finance Committee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO (D), LOUISIANA: This is my first visit to Washington since Hurricane Katrina. I'm here because the proposals you are considering are about creating jobs. And that's what we need. That's exactly what we need in the face of this massive suffering and heartbreak: jobs. We need jobs to bring our people home and restore our economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It isn't going to be easy to get the state of Louisiana up and running at full force again. For more on that, I'm joined by WWL Radio News Director David Cohen. And he is right outside of New Orleans.

And that is actually a heartening sign, your location, Dave.

DAVID COHEN, NEWS DIRECTOR, WWL 870 AM: Well, thank you. Yes, I'm in Metairie, one of the suburbs of about 8 to 10 miles right outside of the city now.

COSTELLO: You heard what the mayor said. He said that he's afraid that the federal government is going to control all of the aid coming in to New Orleans. What is the thought on the streets there?

COHEN: Well, I think that people share the governor's and the mayor's point that, listen, if we're going to rebuild New Orleans and rebuild the economy of south Louisiana, they really feel like it should be New Orleanians who are getting those contracts. It should be Louisiana folks who are doing that work.

There's a lot of concern here amongst the politicians and the people that the contracts are going to folks in Washington. They say they feel that the feeding frenzy in Washington now with billions of dollars of no-bid contracts are going out to out-of-state companies and out-of-town workers. Many foreign workers, in fact, are now in New Orleans doing much of the work.

They say, hey, we've got to rebuild New Orleans. Shouldn't you be giving those contracts and those wages to New Orleanians so that they can start making a semblance of life again?

COSTELLO: Let's talk about the governor, Kathleen Blanco, because she was on Capitol Hill yesterday. And it was interesting to see the contrast in the styles between Governor Blanco and Mississippi's Governor Haley Barbour. I mean, he came right out and he said, we don't need the feds to be involved in our recovery effort. We can do it for ourselves. So, he was kind of echoing what Mayor Nagin said.

How are your governor's actions going over there?

COHEN: Well, the mayor wants federal help. He just wants it in the form of cash, not in the form of decision-making. The governor is trying to be more of a diplomat and say, hey, let's work together and get this done. She also, though, has expressed the sentiment that we don't want anyone coming in telling us what to do. But we do need the federal help. This is important not only to our economy, but the nation's economy that we do this right and start to get people back to work.

The biggest problem here right now is so many businesses are open or ready to open, but they can't find enough employees to run their businesses. The workers aren't coming back, because, so far, there is no housing for people here. And there's a lot of anger among the lay people and the politicians right now. Why hasn't FEMA set up any temporary housing? Not a single piece of temporary housing, not one of those thousands and thousands of trailers that have been rolled down here have been opened up yet for people to live in. They say that's absolutely necessary to develop a workforce and get people in jobs.

COSTELLO: Yes, tent cities aren't enough. The former FEMA chief, Michael Brown, ripped Governor Blanco. She responded to that criticism in front of a Senate committee this way. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KENT CONRAD (D), NORTH DAKOTA: I saw, Governor Blanco, you were criticized yesterday heavily by Mr. Brown. I'll just give you a chance here, if you would like to, to respond to that.

BLANCO: Senator Conrad, I appreciate that. But today, I came really to talk about job creation. I think there will be plenty of time to talk about other issues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good for you, Governor Blanco. This is not about blame. This is about how to get this job done here. I appreciate your response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, she's moving on. She's taking the high road. How is that playing in New Orleans?

COHEN: It seems to be playing well. I think people here really are tired of all of the finger-pointing and blaming. It was very emotional after the storm. It went for days and days. There was the feeling that we couldn't get the help that we needed down here. Everyone remembers Mayor Nagin's tearful plea to the nation and a rather graphic plea for the nation for federal help in search and rescue and food and water delivery and things like that.

People here are ready to put that behind them and just go about the task of rebuilding their lives, rebuilding the economy, rebuilding the homes and businesses. And I think that people appreciated Governor Blanco not getting into a verbal sparring match.

She did put out a press release a day earlier taking issue with some of the things that the former FEMA director, Michael Brown, had said. But she didn't publicly comment on it. She just put it out in writing for people to see that she disagreed with many of his statements.

COSTELLO: David Cohen from WWL of New Orleans. Thanks for joining us this morning.

Evacuations are under way near Los Angeles. That's because wildfires are threatening to destroy entire neighborhoods. New fire crews are set to join the fight at first light.

Dan Simon is near the scene of those fires. He joins us live now. Dan, describe the scene for us.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol.

I actually see the flames roaring in front of me. It's quite a spectacular sight. And ash is basically falling heavily on the parking lot where I'm standing.

We are in Chatsworth, California, which is on the northern fringe of Los Angeles. We know that 700 firefighters are battling this blaze; 130 homes have been evacuated. So far, about 3,500 acres have been charred.

This all unfolded yesterday. There were some strong winds in the Los Angeles area, and that's what has really pushed this fire.

But as I said, firefighters really have their hands full with this one. We know that at least two structures have caught fire, and hundreds of people have been evacuated -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. How near is this fire to homes? And how many homes could be involved?

SIMON: Well, we're talking about at least 100 homes that are very close to the flames. We know that, as I mentioned, two homes have caught fire so far. Firefighters are doing their best to protect those homes.

But the good news today, the winds are not supposed to be as strong. So, firefighters hopefully will get a handle on this thing. But yesterday was really, really a tough day, because those winds were picking up, but overnight not quite as severe.

So, we'll just have to see what unfolds today.

COSTELLO: Dan Simon reporting live from Chatsworth, California.

The latest round in the debate about intelligent design. Is it science? Is it religion? Does it belong in the classroom? That may be decided in a courtroom, and maybe it will go all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And later, the man they call the "Hammer" is now in a vice. Tom DeLay and the criminal charges he's facing.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The international markets are mixed this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei up 181 points, the London FTSE falling 9, the German DAX down 17-and-a-half.

It is a debate that centers on the creation of life on Earth, and it's playing out this week in a Pennsylvania courtroom. It started in the Dover School District.

In the case, some are calling (INAUDIBLE). The school district said last October that teachers were required to read students a statement on intelligent design before classes on evolution. That statement said Darwin's theory is not a fact and has unexplained gaps.

Eleven parents filed suit against the school district. They say talking about intelligent design as an alternative to evolution promotes a biblical view of creation, and thus violates the constitutional separation of church and state. This is playing out in a federal court.

Now, this case could have an impact on how all children are taught at school, because it could make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Legal analyst Kendall Coffey joins us from Miami.

Good morning -- Kendall.

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, no matter how this case turns out in Pennsylvania, how might it affect schools nationwide?

COFFEY: Well, I think it's being seen as national test case. In fact, it might have been set up that way for just a lot of different reasons, which means as we find out today and hear about the confirmation expected of John Roberts as chief justice, which means as we perhaps hear as early as tomorrow who might be the new Supreme Court justice to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. This is a case that could go all the way and face a Supreme Court that so many times, Carol, has divided 5-4 on questions of church and state in this country.

COSTELLO: Well, before we get into that, let's center on this federal case in Pennsylvania, because it's interesting how the defense is fighting its case. It put a 14-year-old girl on the stand, who said she was really upset to find out she came from monkeys. The scientists who are testifying in favor of evolution and against intelligent design are pretty dry.

Does a federal judge have the expertise to decide this kind of case?

COFFEY: Well, I think that is really going to trouble a lot of people either way, because what the judge is going to be looking at is, is this intelligent design a religious doctrine, or is it a legitimate scientific theory, which represents in some respects a criticism of Darwin's natural theory of evolution?

Is that a question for religious scholars? Is that a question for scientists? And yet, a federal judge is going to decide something that reaches the very core of science and spirituality in this country. COSTELLO: Well, the way they are teaching it in the schools is kind of confusing, because basically the teacher just reads this statement to the class that, hey, this theory might not be true. But let's learn about evolution.

COFFEY: Well, it's critical what you just said, because it is a much more limited introduction of the concept of intelligent design than you've seen with, for example, past cases, where evolution was being outlawed, or there was a requirement that creationism be taught. So, I think the fact that the strategy has made it a very limited thing simply to raise the issue shows that it is an intelligently- designed legal strategy that has a decent chance for surviving a court challenge.

COSTELLO: OK. So, let's say these parents lose in Pennsylvania and the case makes it to the U.S. Supreme Court. You already told us how John Roberts' presence might affect the outcome and how this new Supreme Court justice who is going to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. But won't a whole host of other things pop up, like the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings?

COFFEY: I think so. I think this case represents not only a huge impact for schoolchildren across the country, but this could be, in effect, the new test for how so many of these cases have been decided, and not just the Ten Commandments, but a giant issue involving to what extent can taxpayer dollars be used to fund students who are going to religious schools.

It is one of the giant legal controversies in this country right now. It couldn't be closer, 5-4.

This case that we're watching now and the Supreme Court developments in defining the composition of the court truly have historic dimensions.

COSTELLO: Kendall Coffey live from Miami. Thanks for joining us this morning.

COFFEY: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Has the "Hammer" been nailed? We'll take a closer look at the charges, Tom Delay's vow to fight and the potential fallout for the president.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Tom DeLay is vowing to fight the indictment that's been handed down against him. A Texas grand jury charged him Wednesday with conspiring to illegally funnel corporate cash to state candidates, which is a violation of state law. He's given up his post as House majority leader while he fights this indictment, which he says has no merits.

(voice over): REP. TOM DELAY (R), TEXAS: This is one of the weakest, most baseless indictments in American history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, what's the real deal? Is there a political vendetta at play? And what does this mean for the GOP leadership?

Let's check in with Amy Walter. She is the senior editor of "The Cook Political Report."

Good morning, Amy.

AMY WALTER, "THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT": Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, is it a political vendetta?

WALTER: Well, I guess it depends on which side you're on. Look, certainly Tom DeLay is hoping is that this case ultimately gets thrown out.

Now, there have been other indictments that have been handed down of political figures in the state that ultimately have been thrown out. That's what he's hoping will happen.

But I think in the short term the impact here could actually have long-term implications, which is Democrats are certainly very enthusiastic about this. There is no love lost between House Democrats and Tom DeLay. And they're hoping that this not only excites their base, but also helps to encourage candidates who are thinking about running for the House to come out and do it.

COSTELLO: Well, before we get into the Democratic side of this, let's talk about the Republican side. Senator Bill First is also under investigation. There's a Republican lobbyist under investigation. There is a former White House budget official who has been arrested for obstruction of justice.

All of these scandals tied together are making the Republican Party look pretty bad.

WALTER: This is not a great -- this has not been a couple of months -- few months here for the Republican Party, because you put that also in context of the bigger, broader political environment here, where you have a president who has the lowest approval ratings of his presidency. You have very low approval ratings already of Congress.

So, it's not as if you have to convince voters to be upset about what Congress is going. They already feel really pessimistic about Congress. They feel pessimistic about the direction of the country, about the economy.

So, you put all of those things together, that makes for a very volatile environment going into a midterm election, which is traditionally really bad for the party in the White House. COSTELLO: OK. So, you would assume that the Democrats would be making hay with this, as you said.

WALTER: I would

COSTELLO: But the problem with the Democrats, it seems to me, is they still have no clear message. How can they capitalize on this if they don't have that clear message?

WALTER: Well, do you know what's interesting? If you go back to the early '90s when we had a similar political environment -- political scandals in Congress, low approval ratings for Congress, a public that was pretty pessimistic -- ultimately what happened was that voters threw out a lot of the incumbents, wanted change, in that voters were looking for people who were different, who were outside. And those challengers ran on a change theme, let's do something different, let's go against the status quo.

I think that's the kind of political environment that we're going to see in 2006, and those are the sorts of campaigns that you can run as a challenger rather than having to go out and say, here's my agenda for you. Let me show you exactly what I'm going to do, what I'm going to run on, and say I'm actually different from these folks. Elect me because I am different.

COSTELLO: Yes, no matter what that difference might be.

WALTER: Exactly.

COSTELLO: You know, it's hard to believe that just a year ago Republicans -- I mean, they had a lock on everything -- the Senate, the House of Representatives, the presidency. But now, I mean, when was the last time you heard about the president's plan for Social Security? Is that now dead in the water with all of this scandal?

WALTER: Well, I think already we had some real trouble for Republicans going into this next session here, looking at the presidents' agenda. Obviously, Social Security had been very hot button and controversial. And a whole lot of Republicans didn't want to touch it going into midterm election year.

I think Katrina has really changed the political agenda and the agenda in Congress more than almost anything else, even before we started talking about Tom DeLay or Bill Frist. It put a lot of their hot-button agenda items -- tax cuts, Medicaid, funding issues -- those went on the back burner.

Now, we have to wait and see how effective the leadership is going to be in bringing some of those agenda items back on board, or if they're going to stay on the back burner for now.

COSTELLO: Amy Walter from "The Cook Political Report" joining us live this morning.

WALTER: Thanks so much.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

It is 6:52 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

President Bush sends his top Pentagon brass to Capitol Hill. Their mission? Convince lawmakers the U.S. is making progress in Iraq.

The Senate is expected to easily confirm Judge John Roberts as the nation's next chief justice today. At least 76 senators, including 21 Democrats, say they will vote to confirm Roberts.

And take a look at this. It used to be a luxury yacht. Now it's just underwater debris. A couple in the midst of a bitter breakup are to blame. The husband sank the vessel in a harbor in southwest England after his wife decided to sell it on the cheap.

And you thought I was going to say it was damaged in the hurricane, didn't you?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It kind of looks like it. It looks like drilling a hole in the bottom of the...

COSTELLO: It's a hurricane of a different sore.

MYERS: Drilling a hole in the bottom will work just the same one way the other. Shut the pumps off.

Good morning. Time to give away a mug, Carol. Good morning, everybody.

The questions from yesterday and the answers here. The questions that we answered yesterday. Number one was, following Hurricane Rita, marine biologists are worried about what that will linger along the Texas Gulf Coast? And that was obviously the Red Tide or that algae bloom. And what casino agreed to settle charges about employees using those surveillance cameras in the wrong way? And that was Caesars in Atlantic City.

Now the questions for today -- oh, the winner. Wait, wait, I've got to give away a winner. I hurried up to get this question for today. Elisabeth Gross in Summerville, South Carolina. You win. Congratulations, Elisabeth Gross.

Now here's your chance to win. When did the Dover, Pennsylvania, school system approve the required statement on intelligent design? When did that happen? And how old is Kermit the Frog?

Go to CNN.com, Carol.

COSTELLO: Very diverse questions this morning.

MYERS: Better than the casino of the ogling the women from yesterday.

COSTELLO: Yes. I will say it's definitely better.

Daybreak@cnn.com. Thank you, Chad.

When we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. You are watching DAYBREAK for Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: If you're traveling today, Chad has some news.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

More residents of New Orleans are being allowed back into the city. The mayor wants business people to return first to the French Quarter, the Business District and Uptown. Residents can start coming back tomorrow.

Wildfires in southern California are threatening entire neighborhoods this morning. At least four fires are burning in areas around Los Angeles.

There are no serious injuries after an Amtrak train derailed outside of St. Louis, Missouri. Ninety passengers and crew were traveling between Chicago and San Antonio aboard the Texas Eagle.

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Carol. I'm Miles O'Brien.

Fires raging throughout the night in the suburbs of Los Angeles, burning out of control this morning. Homes threatened. Residents evacuated. Thousands of acres burned. We'll have a live report just ahead.

Hurricane Katrina one month later. Today, the region is struggling to come back to life. New Orleans mayor is standing by his plan to bring people back to some neighborhoods.

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