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CNN Live At Daybreak

IAEA and Mohamed ElBaradei Win Nobel Peace Prize; Staying the Course; Abundance of Caution in Big Apple

Aired October 07, 2005 - 5:00   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 Friday, October 7. Speculation abounds. One hundred ninety-nine nominees, who will win the Nobel Peace Prize. From Oslo, Norway, a live picture of the Nobel Institute. Any minute now, this year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced. And when that happens we'll bring it to you live.
Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK CITY: I ask that the public remain vigilant. If you see something, say something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And shout it out, too. At this hour, there is an abundance of caution in the Big Apple.

And how about some high-octane Chateau de Rothschild, perhaps? What's this, wine for fuel? It's enough to make a wine lover see red.

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 the name of the Nobel Peace Prize winner in just a minute, because I think the chairman just walked out to the podium.

Of course that's not him. That's the president.

Also ahead, President Bush talks tough on terror with three words we've heard before: stay the course. That story, too, ahead.

But first, "Now in the News."

You're looking at a live shot of rush hour, New York City's Penn Station, where security is high this morning. The city's police commissioner fears the subways may be the target of terrorists. The mayor says a specific threat has been made.

Presidential adviser Karl Rove is being called back to testify before a grand jury looking into the leak of a CIA operative's name. It will be Rove's fourth time before the grand jury. No word yet on when he will appear. It's been a back-and-forth battle against those blistering Santa Ana winds and wildfires in southern California. Officials in San Diego County lifted an evacuation order for up to 200 homes last night after making headway against one of those fires.

And as I told you, any moment now -- actually, we have the name. Mohamed ElBaradei has been named the Nobel Peace Prize winner for this year. This is the chairman speaking. He's still speaking in Norwegian. When he speaks in English, of course we will bring his comments to you live.

You can see Mohamed ElBaradei. And you recognize his name, I'm sure. He is the U.N. nuclear watchdog and its head. He's responsible for looking for nuclear weapons in countries across the globe, countries that aren't supposed to have any.

Still speaking Norwegian.

Mohamed ElBaradei is 63 years old. You know, for a while, we were hearing that Bob Geldof or maybe Bono, they were going to win the Nobel Peace Prize because of their campaign to ease hunger and poverty in Africa. But it did turn out to be Mohamed ElBaradei.

Others in the running, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn. They were nominated for their work to dismantle aging nuclear weapons for the former Soviet Union. Also, the former Finnish president had been nominated for brokering a peace deal between Indonesia and Aceh rebels. And that ended a three-decade conflict.

Also nominated, Nihan Hidienko (ph). He was a candidate who campaigned against nuclear arms -- he was a candidate who campaigned against nuclear arms, a group of survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The chairman of the committee now speaking English. Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Mohamed ElBaradei for the efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes, and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way.

At a time when the threat of nuclear arms is again increasing, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to underline that this threat must be met through the broadest possible international cooperation. This principle finds its clearest expression today in the work of the IAEA and its director general.

In the nuclear nonproliferation regime, it's the IAEA which controls that nuclear energy is not misused for military purposes. And the director general has stood out as an unafraid advocate of new measures to strengthen that regime.

At a time when disarmament efforts appear deadlocked, when there is a danger that nuclear arms will spread both to states and to terrorist groups, and when nuclear power again appears to be playing an increasingly significant role, IAEA's work is of incalculable importance.

In his will, Alfred Nobel wrote that the Peace Prize should, among other criteria, be awarded to whoever had done most for the "'abolition or reduction of standing armies."

In its application of this criterion in recent decades, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has concentrated on the struggle to diminish the significance of nuclear arms in international politics, with a view to their abolition. That the world has achieved little in this respect makes active opposition to nuclear arms all the more important today.

COSTELLO: OK. We're going to step away now.

Is that correct?

Paula Hancocks -- we have our correspondents there. She'll be joining us in moments to tell us more about this.

Mohamed ElBaradei and the IAEA winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. And, of course, Mohamed ElBaradei a name recognizable to many Americans. You remember him.

He went to Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction. He didn't find any. And in the end, there were none in that country. And, of course, he's done much of the same work across the world.

While we're waiting for Paula Hancocks, let's go to Chad to check out the weather.

And when Paula Hancocks comes back, Chad, we'll get right to her.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right.

COSTELLO: Take it away.

MYERS: Fair enough.

Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Chad.

We do have Paula Hancocks. She's going to talk more about who won the Nobel Peace Prize, because it was just announced this morning. It is Mohamed ElBaradei and the IAEA.

Good morning, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

That's right, yes, Mohamed ElBaradei and the IAEA both sharing that Nobel Peace Prize. Now, he has been in the public eye for sometime since joining the IAEA back in 1984. He's just been unanimously voted back in for a third term as director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, which is unprecedented.

So a very well respected man.

He has also been in the public eye recently, obviously, as the IAEA has been dealing with problems with Iran and with North Korea and their nuclear capabilities and whether -- their potential nuclear capabilities. So he has been pushing forward the fact that diplomacy will work in these cases. And this is one thing that many people know him for, the fact he will put diplomacy before direct action.

He always thinks that you can talk problems through. And this we have seen recently with North Korea and with Iran as well.

Now, he's Egyptian. He was born in Egypt back in 1942, taking over from the Swedish Hans Blix back in 1997. So the one thing that he is remembered for and he is known well for is the fact that he will put diplomacy before maybe what the United States wants in the case of Iran, more direct action.

He has come up against the United States recently, but they also unanimously declared that they wanted him to have a third term as director general.

And so what they were saying today is that he has stood out as someone who is trying to make sure that nuclear technology is used for peaceful means and not used as weapons. That's the reason he's been given the Nobel Peace Prize -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Paula Hancocks, reporting live for us this morning.

Thank you.

Now for a CNN "Security Watch," New York on alert this morning for possible attacks on the subway system. City officials have deemed the threat credible, but say the subway is still safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMM. RAY KELLY, NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPT.: While the information has not been fully corroborated, it has been deemed of sufficient concern for the police department to enhance this kind of terrorism coverage of the subway system and to advise the public of the threat, and to ask its assistance in reporting immediately any suspicious individual or activities to police or transit personnel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Alina Cho in New York this morning. She's at Penn Station.

Good morning.

I apologize. You can see there was a problem with the audio. We're going to try to get Alina's microphone fixed, and when we do we'll get right back to her.

But she is at Penn Station, where there is an increased security presence. In fact, they're doing random checks of bags at Penn Station. But not many people say they will not ride the subway.

In fact, as you heard the mayor say, and perhaps the governor as well of New York, "You are urged to live life as normally."

We'll get back to Alina as soon as we get those audio problems worked out.

President Bush wants you to know he is not backing off on Iraq, he is staying the course. He says Iraq has become the central front in the global war on terrorism.

Our White House Correspondent Dana Bash reports on what the White House called a major speech by the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With support for Iraq at an all-time low, the president cast his unmistakably familiar "stay the course" refrain in new stark terms.

BUSH: We're facing a radical ideology with inalterable objectives, to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world.

BASH: In his latest of several speeches billed as "major," Mr. Bush slapped back at critics calling for withdrawal.

BUSH: There's always a temptation in the middle of a long struggle to seek the quiet life.

BASH: He tried to urge patience in Iraq by saying insurgents there and attackers in Bali and London are all part of one ideological struggle, a fight against terrorism he now compares to battles against communism and fascism.

BUSH: ... enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia.

BASH: And he chided Osama bin Laden as a hypocritical son of privilege, duping less fortunate Muslims into becoming suicide bombers.

BUSH: He assures them that his -- that this is the road to paradise, though he never offers to go along for the ride.

BASH: To critics who say war in Iraq created more radical terrorism, this rebuttal.

BUSH: I would remain them that we were not in Iraq on September the 11th, 2001. And al Qaeda attacked us anyway.

BASH: But Democrats, emboldened by Mr. Bush's political struggles, hit back.

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: I think the president is wrong about that. I think what's going on in Iraq has enormously fueled the war on terrorism.

BASH: Aside from the new rhetoric, the sole new nugget of hard information about the fight against terrorism was boasting of 10 thwarted attacks, three inside U.S.

BUSH: The enemy is wounded, but the enemy is still capable of global operations.

BASH: But he did not elaborate. And it was not on this fact sheet released with the speech. Aides pointed to a 2003 plot to blow up a New York bridge and one involving Jose Padilla, accused of planning a dirty bomb attack. They were not prepared to back up the rest.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Those are two off the top of my head. I'll be glad to see what additional information we can get you.

BASH (on camera): At the end of the day, the White House did release this list of 10 plots they say backs up the president's claim, ranging from a West Coast airliner plot in 2002, to one on the East Coast in 2003, to several attacks the U.S. helped stop abroad. The list is quite vague, but the message the president tried to send was not: it's not just luck there hasn't been an attack on the U.S. in four years.

Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right. We have Alina Cho's audio problem fixed, so let's go back live to Penn Station.

New York is on high alert this morning. How are people reacting there, Alina?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, still a bit quiet here, Carol, but that will change, as you know, in the coming hours. This is, after all, New York City, and 4.5 million people ride the subways on any given workday.

I want to talk a bit about the credibility of this threat. Now, depending on who you ask, you will get a different answer about that. A Homeland Security official tells CNN the threat is specific but not credible, while New York City officials will say this is the first specific threat against the New York subways, and in a post-9/11 world, city officials do not want to take any chances.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLOOMBERG: It was more specific as to target. It was more specific as to timing. And some of the sources had more information that would lead one to believe that it was not the kind of thing that appears in the intelligence community every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: A Bush administration official tells CNN the threat involved the use of bombs possibly hidden in baby carriages, and that it was to be carried out over the next few days. A law enforcement official says 15 to 20 people were in the United States to carry it out, but so far there have been no arrests in New York.

Now, what does this mean for the average commuter in New York? Well, it means that baby carriages, briefcases, luggage, packages, things of that nature, will be searched here.

Now, remember, this is not a new procedure in New York City. City officials decided to ramp up security in the subways here in New York after the London bombings in July.

There will also be more manpower. Both uniformed and undercover cops riding on the subways and patrolling the subway stations.

Now, authorities actually knew about this threat earlier in the week but decided to hold the information so that the U.S. military could carry out a highly classified raid just south of Baghdad. Several people were arrested, but as for whether the threat has been thwarted, that is simply impossible to know at this point.

What we can tell you is that New York City's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said he has seen the information, Carol, and he says he will do what he does every day, he will ride the subway to work -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, there is that rift in the credibility here between the federal government, the Department of Homeland Security, and New York City officials. So, you know, as a citizen you're kind of confused by that, because the feds are saying we don't really think this is a credible threat, but New York City authorities are saying we're not taking any chances.

CHO: That's right. And it appears as though there are some mixed signals. It is no secret that New York City officials have gone forward with information in the past when federal officials have said, wait a minute, we might want to be a bit more cautious about the information. But nonetheless, remember, Carol, this is a post-9/11 world. City officials' first priority, of course, is to protect New York.

COSTELLO: Alina Cho, reporting live from Penn Station.

We'll get back to you. Thank you.

There is a new twist this morning in those White House spying allegations. Former Philippines national police officer Michael Aquino has now been indicted. He's charged with conspiring with a former FBI analyst to pass classified information to current and former officials in the Philippines. Aquino is now in custody. The FBI analyst who allegedly passed the information to him also in custody, and his name is Leandro Aragoncillo. He has not been indicted and is believed to be cooperating with the government. As we told you yesterday, he's a former Marine who worked in the vice president's office at the White House for three years.

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

Coming up, medical research versus cervical cancer. A study of an environmental vaccine zeroes in on two of the most dangerous strains of this deadly disease.

And the fruit of the vine, we sniff it, we sip it, some even cherish it. But believe it or not, we may soon be pumping our gas tanks full of Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

And silence, please. Do not disturb the baby both before, during and after it's born.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: International markets lower once again this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei down 78 points. The London FTSE lower by 55. The German DAX down 52.

In futures trading, oil, it's moving higher, up 55 cents to $61.91 a barrel this morning.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:20 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency and its chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, won the Nobel Peace Prize. The announcement was made just moments ago in Oslo, Norway. They won the prize for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes.

Presidential adviser Karl Rove is summoned to testify for a fourth time in the CIA leak investigation. The grand jury is considering whether to charge anyone with a crime for disclosing Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA operative.

In money news, Michael Eisner is cutting all ties with the Disney company. He has now resigned from the company's board of directors. That's after resigning as CEO last week.

In culture, November 22 is the date for Ted Koppel's last "Nightline." Koppel has been the host since the late-night news show premiered more than 25 years ago. ABC hasn't yet announced who will replace Koppel as the show's host.

In sports, the Atlanta Braves knocked around Roger Clemens on their way to a 7-1 win over the Houston Astros. The series is now tied at a game a piece. Game three Saturday in Houston. In the other National League series, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 6-2. The Cards now hold a commanding 2-0 lead in the best of five series -- Chad.

MYERS: (WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

That's a look at the latest headlines for you.

Still to come, we've all heard of that very well-known man who turned water into wine. But some might say he's got nothing on the French. Can they really turn their wine into gas? A new reason to stop knocking France, maybe, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: At the top of our show the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Mohamed ElBaradei and the IAEA.

On the phone right now we have Mr. ElBaradei's wife, Aida.

Good morning.

AIDA ELBARADEI, MOHAMED ELBARADEI'S WIFE: Good morning to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: How are you feeling at this moment?

ELBARADEI: Well, you can imagine, I'm just sort of on top of the world. It's so exciting and such an exhilarating moment. I'm just so absolutely overwhelmed and so proud of him.

COSTELLO: Oh, my goodness, you must be.

ELBARADEI: Yes.

COSTELLO: Is he with you?

ELBARADEI: Yes, he's with me, but he's not available at the moment because he has some people coming over. So you can imagine, it's a bit hectic in the house at the moment.

COSTELLO: Oh, I bet. You're in Vienna...

ELBARADEI: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... and, of course, this -- this announcement was made in Oslo. So how did -- how did you guys hear of it?

ELBARADEI: Oh, we were watching CNN.

COSTELLO: Yes.

ELBARADEI: We heard about it on TV.

COSTELLO: And when -- well, I guess when I announced his name...

ELBARADEI: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... how did he react?

ELBARADEI: Yes. It was 11:00 -- it was 11:00 our time, 11:00 in the morning, Vienna time.

COSTELLO: And when he heard his name being announced, how did he react?

ELBARADEI: Oh, well, we were both extremely emotional, as you can imagine.

COSTELLO: So were there tears, was there laughter?

ELBARADEI: Well, there was a mixture of both. It was crazy, yes. I mean, it still is quite emotional, as you can probably guess.

COSTELLO: Did this come as a surprise? Because, you know, there was a lot of talk about Bono possibly being the winner.

ELBARADEI: Yes, that's true. I mean, listen, we sort of stopped looking at all these predictions and whatever. And there was Bono, and then sometimes it was him and the agency. And it was going sort of back and forth.

So we decided, that's it, you know, whatever comes, comes. And that's it, we're not going to listen anymore.

COSTELLO: You know, I'm wondering, it's like where do you go from here? So, you know, he wins the Nobel Peace Prize, which is incredible...

ELBARADEI: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... and I know you win a million dollars as well. But where does he go from here with that in hand?

ELBARADEI: Well, the thing, Carol, is, hopefully, you know, that's not going to be the end of the road for what he's trying to do. On the contrary, that's going to sort of shed more light on the importance of working, you know, towards achieving this nuclear nonproliferation. And what it -- what it would do for him, it would be for him and the agency and for other people and any institutions who are working for the same cause, I would imagine what it -- what it would do, it would really strengthen their hands -- their hands to be able to, you know, be able to achieve more in this field.

COSTELLO: Well, he has such -- such a difficult job, going into countries and persuading them to use...

ELBARADEI: It is, yes.

COSTELLO: ... to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes.

ELBARADEI: Yes.

COSTELLO: What has his work meant to him?

ELBARADEI: Sorry?

COSTELLO: What his work meant to him?

ELBARADEI: Well, it meant -- it meant that, you know, you have to have a very good balance and a very delicate one between what you say. You know, using nuclear power for the good peaceful purposes, and between preventing it being used, you know, for making weapons, or whatever. So that -- that has been, you know, what he's trying to do. And he's still trying to do it.

COSTELLO: During the buildup to the Iraq war there was some disagreements with the United States government.

ELBARADEI: Carol, you know, it's not my place to talk about these things. And, you know...

COSTELLO: I understand.

ELBARADEI: You can understand it's -- so -- and I think I better hang up because I've got some people coming in about 15 minutes. Carol?

COSTELLO: I think that was a graceful way of saying, I can't answer those questions.

Aida ElBaradei, thank you for joining us this morning.

ELBARADEI: Thank you. Thanks, Carol, for having me.

COSTELLO: And congratulations to your husband.

ELBARADEI: Take care. Bye.

COSTELLO: Bye.

The next half-hour of DAYBREAK -- oh, no, it starts actually in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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