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CNN Live At Daybreak

Hurricane Wilma Now a Category 4; CIA Leak Investigation; Bush and Abbas

Aired October 20, 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 Thursday, October 20. Here we go again. The race against the wind is on in Florida.
A swirling fury in the Caribbean has Key West and other southern Florida cities on edge. Wilma is about to rumble.

Also, a tragedy in San Francisco Bay. The victims are children. And maybe you won't believe who police have in custody.

Plus, it's a case of who said what to whom and when. The architect and the aide, and the CIA operative leak, it's the topic at the White House no one wants to talk about.

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

COSTELLO: And good morning to you. Jacqui Jeras will be along with the latest on Hurricane Wilma in just a minute.

Also ahead, we'll revisit Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana. Seven weeks after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore we'll take a look at what was lost and what residents hope to salvage.

And a lack of answers prompts more questions to President Bush's Supreme Court nominee.

But first, let's get straight to the weather center for the latest on Wilma. Jacqui in for Chad this morning.

Good morning, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

Good morning, everybody.

Wilma has been weakening some through the overnight hours. Good news. No longer a Category 5 hurricane. It's a Category 4, winds at 150 miles per hour.

It's about 195 miles to the south and east of Cozumel, and it's really been taking a very wobbly path. But the overall motion has been bringing it up to the north and to the west.

It's moving at eight miles per hour, so it's a relatively slow- moving storm. And the forecast, in case you haven't been paying attention since this time yesterday has really slowed down very significantly.

Check out the timing now on this storm. We're expecting to move towards the Yucatan peninsula, possibly making landfall here late Thursday night, into Friday morning. And then taking a sharp right- hand hook and heading towards Florida's peninsula.

We were initially thinking this could be happening on Saturday, and now it looks like it will be closer to Sunday, maybe even late Sunday before landfall could happen. Also, the computer models had been showing a great consensus on where this storm is going, and now they're starting to move all over the place a little bit. So a lot of uncertainty still in the path of this storm and exactly where it's going.

Some of them are still bringing it very confidently into Florida, but a few of them are kind of hanging it up here across the Yucatan peninsula, which would be good news for the U.S. but very bad news for Mexico.

We want to show you are in-house computer model forecast. And this shows you the winds and where they're going to be going.

There you can see it brushing up just to the south of Cozumel, near the Tulum area. And check out the worst of the winds. They're going to be offshore. And you can see that this computer model does bring it over land. That will weaken the storm some, but we still need to prepare for a major hurricane making landfall in Florida late this weekend -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, OK. I know you'll keep us posted.

JERAS: I know. You don't want to wake up to that, do you? But you've got to prepare.

COSTELLO: No, and there's still six weeks left in the hurricane season.

JERAS: Yes, absolutely. A record storm here. We've had a record month almost already. We're more than half over where we should be.

We usually have about four storms. Or we usually have two storms, rather, in October, and we've already had four.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Jacqui.

Let's take a look at how people are preparing for Wilma now. Resort areas along the coast of Mexico are asking tourists to pack up and go, or at least get ready to leave in a hurry. The evacuation of tourists from the Florida Keys already under way, and a mandatory evacuation order for full-time residents could come as early as noon today.

People are boarding up and stocking up in other parts of Florida as well. FEMA says they have emergency supplies set up in three cities. And those cities would be Jacksonville, Lakeland and Homestead.

Communities all along Florida's southern gulf coast are bracing for the worst. After all, they've seen it before. Just last year, three major storms cut through the state, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape and the people.

CNN's Susan Candiotti takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Florida, 2005 has already been a tough hurricane season, starting with a blast from Dennis. Then Katrina made lives miserable before it headed to the Gulf Coast. And Rita blasted the Florida keys.

Flashback to 2004, when four storms ripped through the Sunshine State, Jeanne and Ivan, Frances, and the one that started it all, Charley, a year ago August. It sucker-punched Punta Gorda, hitting farther south than first expected. And more than a year later, FEMA Village is one of its most visible legacies. Nearly 500 trailers remain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The nerves that were frazzled before have now frayed and broken. I mean, it's -- you're on your end.

CANDIOTTI: Jerry and Sue Sawyer and their three children lost everything to Charley and remain homeless. With Wilma on the way, they appear shell-shocked.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm petrified. I'm panicked. I'm petrified. I don't know what to do. People in this park can't prepare. There's really no way for us to prepare.

CANDIOTTI: FEMA says it's telling residents to find somewhere else to go. There are no shelters in Charlotte County, only bare- bones sites of last resort.

The Sawyers may head south -- yes, south -- to a relative's home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounds funny to head into the storm, but at least it's not sitting around in a -- basically a cardboard box.

CANDIOTTI: One thing Sue Sawyer will not leave without, her father's ashes. He died just before Charley.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's going with me. He's going with me.

CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Punta Gorda, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Other news we're following this morning, a roadside bomb near the Iraqi city of Balad has killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded a fourth. The soldiers with Task Force Liberty were on a combat patrol when the bomb went off. Former House majority leader Tom DeLay is expected to be booked today on state conspiracy and money laundering charges. His first court appearance is set for tomorrow in Austin.

Check your Powerball lottery tickets. If you bought yours in Oregon, you could be filthy rich this morning. Someone matched all six numbers for the $340 million jackpot. That is the second largest in U.S. history. The winning numbers: 7, 21, 43, 44, 49. The Powerball number is 29.

New revelations in the CIA leak investigation. President Bush's top adviser, Karl Rove, reportedly told a grand jury that he and vice presidential aide Scooter Libby discussed their contacts with reporters about CIA operative Valerie Plame before she was outed. Rove also said Libby may have been the one who told him of Plame's identity.

That's all according to The Associated Press and "The Washington Post." Both cite people familiar with Rove's grand jury testimony. A special prosecutor is trying to determine if the discussions were part of an illegal effort to undercut Plame's husband for criticizing the Iraq war.

The Bush administration had insisted earlier that neither man outed Plame. CNN White House Correspondent Dana Bash reports on how the administration is handling the scandal now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Education, that's what the president invited reporters in to talk about.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) that Karl Rove...

BASH: Reporters wanted to ask about Karl Rove. No answer, as cameras were escorted out. The question this day is about this article, saying the president rebuked Rove two years ago for his role in the Valerie Plame affair.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I've seen a lot of conflicting reports, and we're just not going to comment any further...

(CROSSTALK)

MCCLELLAN: ... on an ongoing investigation.

BASH: Behind the scenes, senior Bush aides worked to squash the story. One called it total baloney. But a source familiar with internal White House political discussions tells CNN, there's no question the president made clear to Rove he's disappointed in what became a bungled attempt to shape a press story about Iraq WMD.

It's the nature of their relationship and the Bush style. This is a president who gets upset when there's a typo in a memo, the source said. Over the summer, the White House choreographed pictures of Bush and Rove together, a show of support -- not recently. Rove's been largely out of public view, even canceling some events.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The architect, Karl Rove.

BASH: Senior Bush aides say there's no question Rove and other key subjects in the leak investigation are preparing for the possibility of stepping aside, if indicted. One top official said of Rove; "He's a planner. It's his nature."

Aides deny having strategy sessions on who would replace Rove or anyone else, if need be, but one source close to the White House says they're likely happening at the highest levels.

How does all this affect the mood here? One veteran of White House scandals calls it torture.

LANNY DAVIS, FORMER CLINTON WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: It's a scary sensation to know that there's an unaccountable, unmanageable power that can literally destroy lives, political fortunes. And that's the sensation, total lack of control or ability to manage.

BASH: Democrats watching from afar call all this ironic, since Mr. Bush was elected after eight years of Clinton, promising to change the culture in Washington.

BUSH: Finally, a leader must uphold the honor and the dignity of the office to which he had been elected.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BASH (on camera): This criminal investigation has been going on for two years, but it is the only one involving the White House since Mr. Bush has been in office. Democrats say that's because, for the most part, Republicans have controlled Congress and may have brushed aside other questionable issues.

Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Searchers have now pulled one body from the San Francisco Bay. It's the first sign of what may be three children allegedly thrown into the water by their mother. Police and the Coast Guard still searching for signs of anyone else in the bay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF HEATHER FONG, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE: Officers from a police district responded here to the land side, and they detained an individual who has now been taken into one of our facilities. Because of the nature of the injuries, the possible fatalities at this time, this case is now assigned to our homicide unit, and the investigators there and at our crime scene unit will continue the investigation to follow up and determine what happened. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Officials say the rescue mission quickly turned into a recovery operation due to the cold temperatures in the waters of the bay.

In other news "Across America" this morning, a California man under arrest in the deaths of a brother and sister who died near their elementary school. Police say the suspect's vehicle hit a parked car and careened into a group of children. Ten other kids were injured in the crash. That happened near Sacramento.

Jason Collier's Atlanta Hawk's teammates and friends say they're still stunned by his death. Members of his high school team in Springfield, Ohio, also attended the funeral. The veteran basketball player died over the weekend. His agent says Collier may have had an enlarged heart.

One of the Wal-Mart heirs is no longer a college graduate. Elizabeth Paige-Laurie gave up her bachelors degree from the University of Southern California. The diploma dump comes nearly a year after a former college roommate says she did most of Laurie's homework for her. Laurie is the granddaughter of Wal-Mart cofounder Bud Walton.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, a second White House visit for the new Palestinian president. President Bush welcomes Mahmoud Abbas this morning. We'll have a live report on what both sides are hoping to get out of the meeting.

Top senators are not happy with the answers they got from Harriet Miers. So they're giving the Supreme Court nominee a makeup exam.

And many weeks after Katrina, the first Louisiana parish hit by the hurricane may be the last to recover.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time to take a look at the international markets. They're all higher this morning.

Tokyo's Nikkei is up, finally, 60 points. The London FTSE gaining 41. The German DAX higher by 56 points.

In futures trading, time to take a look at the price of oil. It's down 22 cents, at $62.19 a barrel this morning. Good news.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:14 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Clearing out ahead of Hurricane Wilma. Tourists are being evacuated from the Florida Keys this morning. And authorities say they may order mandatory evacuations for all residents in the area by noon today if the storm continues to head their way.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he's concerned about China's nuclear strike capability and its military buildup. Rumsfeld wrapped up a three-day visit to China this morning. He's now heading to South Korea.

In money news, the third quarter proves good for eBay. The company showed a 40 percent increase in profits -- 40 percent. Most of that growth came from sales in Asia and Europe. International sales rose 43 percent.

In culture -- pop culture, I should say -- Antonio Banderas is the latest entertainer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The honor coincides with the opening of his latest movie, "The Legend of Zorro." Banderas is the 2,294th person to get one of those stars.

In sports, the Astros heading to their first world series. Houston beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 to capture the National League pennant. Game one of the World Series between the Astros and the Chicago White Sox set for Saturday in Chicago.

Who knew at the beginning of the season, Jacqui, that those two teams would be in the World Series.

JERAS: I know. Not necessarily my favorites picks -- yours?

COSTELLO: Well, actually...

JERAS: Not going to go there?

COSTELLO: ... I'm rooting for Chicago, just because they're underdogs and it's time.

JERAS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Although, this is the first time Houston has ever made it to a World Series.

JERAS: Good for Houston. And they took all those Katrina evacuees, too. So you've kind of got to root for them a little bit, don't you?

COSTELLO: That's true.

JERAS: At least that's my weather philosophy.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Jacqui.

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

President Bush is expected to push Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to end militant attacks on Israelis. The two meet later this morning at the White House. Let's go live to our Guy Raz. He's in Jerusalem to see what the feelings -- what feelings are there about the chances that something positive could come out of this.

So, what do you say, Guy?

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it's -- Carol, it's the second time Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is visiting the White House this year. A sign perhaps of the esteem in which he is held by the Bush administration.

But President Bush is very likely to send his Palestinian counterpart a firm message. Mr. Bush wants Mahmoud Abbas to restore law and order in the Gaza Strip. Now, it's been about a month since Israel completed its withdraw from Gaza, ending its 38-year presence in that area. And the situation in Gaza has spiraled further down the abyss, with competing Palestinian militias patrolling various neighborhoods, kidnappings now happening almost weekly there, and no real sense of who is in control of Gaza.

Now, that said, Mahmoud Abbas also has his own issues to raise with the president. And topping his agenda is the issue of Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank.

Mr. Abbas wants President Bush to call on Israel to halt that settlement expansion. And Mr. Abbas believes a pledge or a statement from the White House could help strengthen him at home.

Now, finally, the two leaders are likely to discuss the upcoming January Palestinian parliamentary elections. This is the first time Palestinians will vote in a new parliament since 1996. And among the candidates taking part in that election will be members of Hamas, the militant Palestinian group.

Now, the United States and Israel consider Hamas a terrorist organization. And Israel doesn't want Hamas members to take part in that election because at least formally Hamas is still committed to Israel's destruction. But Mahmoud Abbas will argue that ultimately it's in the best interest of Palestinian democracy for all of these various political groups, militias and factions to take part in those upcoming elections -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Guy Raz reporting live from Jerusalem today.

President Bush and the Palestinian Authority president plan a White House Rose Garden news conference, by the way. And that will happen just about 10:50 Eastern. That's in the morning, 7:50 Pacific Time.

Where do you even begin when there's nothing left? One town practically obliterated by Hurricane Katrina is now pondering that question. We'll have that story next.

And gas costs too much, public transportation isn't convenient. So what's left? Tom Foreman puts his best foot forward and takes a look at commuting by bike.

You're watching DAYBREAK for Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: While forecasters watch Hurricane Wilma, let's look at what's going on in the aftermath of Katrina. There is an administrative roadblock in East Baton Rouge Parish. The sheriff's department wants to check a list of residents in FEMA trailers for possible felons or sex offenders, but FEMA is refusing, says that would be an invasion of privacy.

One of the many symbols of New Orleans, Cafe Du Monde. It has reopened. Now serving those famous beignets and chicory coffee.

And there has been an update on the number of deaths in Louisiana. It's now risen to 1,053. That's 18 more than the last death toll numbers released earlier this week.

Residents of one Louisiana parish have an important meeting to attend this morning. State legislators are coming to town to discuss efforts to rebuild and repair. But as CNN's Gary Tuchman reports, it's hard to tell where to begin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a painful part of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is heartbreaking. I just can't believe.

TUCHMAN: In remote Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, caskets have separated from graves in above-ground tombs. At this cemetery in the town Nairn, the caskets of families have disappeared.

This woman is mourning the loss of her uncle's body.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The coffins have floated away. And lord knows where.

TUCHMAN: When we first visited Plaquemines Parish, days after Katrina, most of it was under water. Today, it's mostly dry. But it's clearly revealed what's happened here.

BENNY ROUSSELLE, PLAQUEMINES PARISH RESIDENT: Annihilated, destroyed, whatever you want to characterize it as.

TUCHMAN: Plaquemines Parish is 67 miles long and sits at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The southernmost half was hardest hit. Katrina's eye made its initial landfall in the parish town of Buras, which was devastated. Out of thousands of houses, it's estimated there are no more than 10 in the southern part of the parish that are even salvageable.

Byron Marinovich (ph) was born and raised here. He and his wife Kelly (ph) evacuated and came back when the floodwaters were still six feet deep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I first got off the boat I cried. When I looked and I had seen, I knew everybody I knew, all of my friends, all my neighbors, everybody lost everything. There's nothing left down here.

TUCHMAN: They hope to rebuild.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a house. This was a gun shop next door. Across the street we had the Black Velvet Lounge. The bar's been here since the '40s.

TUCHMAN (on camera): Plaquemines Parish is full of families who have lived here for generations. Undoubtedly, many of them will not be coming back. The damage is immense. But perhaps not as immense as the heartache.

(voice over): Trying to ease heartache is the hope of a parish- wide effort to match up displaced caskets with their gravesites. The president of the parish says, in one case...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The casket was opened. And the skeletal remains there, and the gentleman was buried in a nice suit. And he had a fishing rod in the casket with him. And so when they were looking around the cemetery to find out or try to place where the casket went, they noticed on the tomb it said, "Gone fishing one more time."

TUCHMAN: More than seven weeks after this disaster, Plaquemines is not much closer to normalcy.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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

The president's Supreme Court nominee gets an incomplete on her Senate Judiciary Committee exam, and she also gets a redo on the test.

Plus, before you grab that cup of coffee for your morning drive, you'll want to check out Tom Foreman's later quest to find a cheaper commute.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

COSTELLO: And good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us. Welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK.

Coming up in the next 30 minutes, packing up and moving out again. Storm-wary Floridians prepare for Hurricane Wilma. We'll have a live report for you from Key West.

And the post-Katrina finger-pointing on Capitol Hill continues. This time, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff offers a mea culpa, sort of.

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