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CNN Live At Daybreak

Hurricane Wilma Lashing Yucatan Peninsula; Kidnapped Lawyer of one of Saddam Hussein's Co-Defendants Killed; Tom DeLay in Court

Aired October 21, 2005 - 06:29   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson says he believes North Korea remains flexible in upcoming nuclear talks. He was in the communist nation before heading to Japan. Those six-nation nuclear talks resume next month. Richardson made the trip on his own, not at the request of the White House.
A deputy police chief in southern Afghanistan is dead following a car bomb attack. The governor of the province blamed the attack on Taliban rebels. Several community leaders in the country have been the targets of attacks over the past few weeks.

The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, says his government is preparing for an invasion from the United States. The U.S. and Venezuela have been at odds. But a State Department spokesman says there are no invasion plans.

Let's talk about Wilma and where it might invade.

Good morning, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. And good morning, everybody.

It's invading Mexico as we speak and bringing in some unbelievably heavy rainfall and some gusty winds.

The hurricane-force winds, the sustained hurricane-force winds are just starting to make the way along the island of Cozumel and along the coastline of the Yucatan peninsula.

This is a category 4 hurricane, same thing it was this time yesterday morning. But we've seen a lot of changes in the last 24 hours, and we're expecting more in the next 24 hours. And we're still not even 100 percent sure at this time if it's going to be making landfall over the Yucatan peninsula, because it has been taking so many wobbles, and the upper-level winds that have helped to steer the storm are extremely light.

So, this thing kind of has a life of its own as to where it's been going. Our best estimate is that we think it will at least brush the coastline here, and then start to take a turn on up to the north and into the east. And it will pick up a little bit of forward speed.

Right now, this thing is barely chugging along at only six miles per hour. So, a very slow-moving storm, and it's expected to continue to slow down very gradually, at least in the next 24 to 48 hours. And that's why we've pushed back the time of landfall now. We think that will happen late on Monday.

Already, though, we're starting to feel the effects of the storm. Showers and thunderstorms all across the Florida Keys, extending up towards the Miami area. Not a lot of rain expected today, not real heavy. And those gusty winds certainly have not arrived yet either -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. We'll get back to you. Thank you, Jacqui.

Mandatory evacuation orders are expected later today in some areas along Florida's western Gulf Coast. Other areas are counting on residents to heed their call for voluntary evacuations in the governor's state of emergency declaration.

CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff joins me now from Sanibel Island. That's off the coast of Fort Myers.

It looks calm there now, Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it is quite calm, although I can tell you within the past half-hour, we just started getting a little bit of a drizzle here. And you can probably see we have just a little bit of wind, but actually a very calm, nice morning thus far.

No mandatory evacuation here on Sanibel Island just yet. Last night, the city council did meet with the police chief. They decided to hold off for now.

Of course, this would be a highly vulnerable area in the event of a hurricane hitting over here. This is a barrier island just off of Fort Myers.

But so far, all they're doing is just preparing the buildings. The police staff actually paid a visit to Costco. They've got a whole bunch of supplies -- water, canned food, et cetera. And they're also just making sure that people are ready in case they do have to evacuate.

They've also set up an alternative city hall that would be in a hotel in Fort Myers.

Now, last year during Hurricane Charley, this area did get hammered pretty badly. There are Australian pine trees lining the main road, and many of them were knocked down, blocking the road over here. Also roofs were ripped off. Lots of roof damage over here.

So, again, this is a vulnerable area in the event of a hurricane hitting right over here.

But thus far, no mandatory evacuations.

We do have beginning at 12:00 noon today mandatory evacuations in portions of Collier County. That's Naples and south of Naples right along the coast of Florida, the very southern tip on the west side of Florida. So that's where people will be leaving a little later today if they haven't already -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Allan Chernoff reporting live from Sanibel Island, Florida. Thank you.

Now let's head to the Mexican resort city of Cancun, normally a vacation paradise, but this morning nobody is relaxing. In fact, the rain is coming down. You heard Jacqui say torrential rains now. And the winds have really picked up.

Susan Candiotti is on hurricane watch there. She joins us live with conditions.

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

I'm sure you can see over my shoulder. You've got some sandbags here at this hotel. It's trying to shore things up as best they can.

This is a seaside resort, one of many luxury hotels that line the Gulf of Mexico here in Cancun. Cozumel is about 60 miles or so south of here.

Of course, the local time here is about 5:30 in the morning. So, it's too dark to show you the ocean. But we can tell you obviously from seeing it overnight the waves were furiously pounding those famous sandy, white beaches here.

This hotel, along with the others, underwent and endured Hurricane Emily last July and are still trying to recover from Matt when this storm began to approach. Obviously we are feeling the outer bands well within that 80-mile or so range of Hurricane Wilma as it gets closer and closer to the shore.

The people who were staying here evacuated within the last two days, authorities busing them out either to the airports or the shelters or the hotels acting as shelters in the center of town about half-an-hour away from here. Residents are also hunkering down. Schools and businesses obviously are closed. And both businesses as well are boarded up.

We are ready to see what this storm is going to deal us. It's not going to be pretty. You can see the palm trees bending every which way as we prepare for the worst of Hurricane Wilma -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And, Susan, behind you, I would assume those are sandbags. I know that you're staying at a hotel right on the coast. But what are you protected by?

CANDIOTTI: Well, right now we're over an overhang. And as we can, will move out into the storm, trying to protect the equipment as best we can to make sure it stays up. And we will report as long as we can keep a signal going. The employees here, just a skeleton staff, are watching over things. And they are fully expecting to receive damage here. They have boarded up as much as they can, keeping as many doors locked as they can as well.

So, they know it's going to be bad, but they're ready for it as best they can.

COSTELLO: Susan Candiotti reporting live from Cancun, Mexico, this morning.

A former FEMA inspector has been arrested on bribery charges related to hurricane disaster relief. The U.S. attorney's office says the former Miami-Dade inspector faces multiple counts of receipt of bribes by a public official and making fraudulent claims for disaster relief after Hurricane Frances. Of course, Frances hit Florida's Martin County last September.

We had some breaking news to tell you about early on in our show about one of the defense lawyers involved in the Saddam Hussein trial, not his defense attorney, but one of his co-conspirators, I guess you could say.

Let's head live to Baghdad now for more. Aneesh Raman has found out more for us.

What have you found out, Aneesh?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, good morning.

The body of Sadoon Janabi, as you say, one of the lawyers for a co-defendant of Saddam Hussein, was found this morning, police tell us around 11:00 a.m. at a mosque -- outside of a mosque in the northern part of Baghdad, not far from Mr. Janabi's office, where last night at 8:30 p.m. local he was abducted by at least five armed men. They arrived with two white Nissan pickup trucks, broke into his office and took him into custody.

Police, of course, had been searching through the night. The body was found this morning.

He is the lawyer, one of 13, who were the defense lawyers in this first trial. His client, though, was specifically Awad Bandar. Bandar was the man who appeared next to Saddam Hussein in the trial proceedings on Wednesday. Bandar is the former chief judge of the Revolutionary Court under Saddam Hussein.

He also is the man who allegedly sentenced the 143 villagers of Dujail to death. That is what this case centers on, this first of perhaps of 12 trials of Saddam Hussein.

Now, Carol, the big question today is, of course, what impact this will have on the trial proceedings. We know that the court adjourned until November 28, but they were set to convene in a special session essentially on Sunday, where they were going to have witness testimony of a detainee who has cancer. They were going to do that sort of in closed session. And it's unclear whether this will delay that, or whether it could even delay the November 28 date -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman reporting live from Baghdad this morning.

Well, his mug shot was taken. The former House majority leader, Tom DeLay, is now scheduled to appear in a Texas courtroom. He's facing felony charges, along with two associates, in an alleged campaign finance scandal.

Sean Callebs is in Austin, Texas, to tell us about this.

Good morning, Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

We expect him in about, oh, three-and-a-half hours or so. The former House majority leader will make his appearance in court on these two indictments of conspiracy and money laundering.

Some filings were going on yesterday by DeLay's attorney. He wants the trial moved from Austin, Travis County here. It's really one of the last Democratic strongholds in the state.

And he also, the attorney, Dick DeGuerin, would like the judge removed, saying Bob Perkins has made financial donations to the Democratic Party over the past several years, and would like the judge removed from this case.

Now, as you mentioned, yesterday DeLay was fingerprinted. He was photographed. You'll notice there are no numbers on the bottom of this mug shot, in this smiling, beaming picture of Tom DeLay. That's because Harris County, where this mug shot was taken, no longer uses the kind of system that has numbers at the bottom of a mug shot.

As I mentioned, he's been charged with conspiracy and money laundering in connection with an alleged election code violation.

Now, DeLay's attorney...

COSTELLO: You know, Sean, let me just interrupt you, because a lot of people have been e-mailing us this morning asking about the numbers. So, you've clarified that. That little pin on his lapel, that's his House security pin, isn't it?

CALLEBS: Right. It is a congressional pin that he wears. It really looks like this photograph could be the kind of thing that shows up in a congressional yearbook or something the way he's smiling.

And you'll remember yesterday as well, the journalists were gathered in Fort Bend County as well. That's because Dick DeGuerin, DeLay's attorney, had made an arrangement with authorities there to have DeLay surrender there. So that's where it was supposed to take place yesterday.

We found out after the sheriff called DeGuerin to find out when indeed DeLay was going to show up there. And he found out about an hour later that DeLay had actually sidestepped the media and gone into Harris County, which is basically where DeGuerin's office is.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

CALLEBS: But DeLay will not have that kind of luck today, because there are cameras in the courtroom. So when that proceeding begins in about three-and-a-half hours, we fully expect DeLay to plead not guilty to the charges. We'll be able to see how that plays out.

COSTELLO: This isn't going well for him, because already on the Internet you can see Tom DeLay mug shots on t-shirts. There are coffee mugs available with his mug shot on them. And I don't know if they're selling or not, but they're already on the Internet.

So, now you're going to have this image of him in a courtroom. His approval ratings are down to, what, 18 percent?

CALLEBS: Yes. In fact, we talked to a number of people yesterday. We were in his home district. And a lot of people came up to us and said, you know, this guy, DeLay, has really drawn a great deal of negative attention towards the GOP, and it's not the kind of thing that Texas wants. Now this is what people were saying to us yesterday.

And also remember, I think on "AMERICAN MORNING," Chris Shays, a Republican, came out yesterday and said, you know, this -- basically echoing what people in Texas are saying, that the GOP doesn't need this kind of negative attention right now. If you think about what's going on in the White House, the investigation that's going on surrounding Rove, also Senator Bill Frist, some investigations going on for some stock trades that he has, some stocks that he has. So, really, it's a difficult time right now for...

COSTELLO: Well, you know what I was...

CALLEBS: ... many...

COSTELLO: You talk about Christopher Shays' interview on "AMERICAN MORNING." I mean, Miles O'Brien asked him if, you know, Tom DeLay should step aside altogether. He's already given up his majority, you know, leadership role. But you have to wonder, because you know that has to be coming.

CALLEBS: Yes. In fact, it wasn't that he voluntarily stepped down from his post. But once he was indicted, it mandates that DeLay step down. And, you know, Tom DeLay is a tough politician, and he's made some enemies over the years the way he has guided himself on Capitol Hill.

So, it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out, if indeed there is a groundswell of support for him, or if the people who may have been on defense now come out and try and distance themselves from Tom DeLay.

COSTELLO: Sean Callebs reporting live from Austin, Texas, this morning. Still ahead on DAYBREAK, if you're job hunting, we'll tell you the best way to foil the interviewers when they ask you the stupid questions. You know what I'm talking about.

And later, learning the hard way. Find out what hospitals in the hurricane zone will do differently following Katrina.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Here's something you need to know at some point in your career: how to respond during job interviews. You know, when you're asked those ridiculous questions? Well, stupid questions don't always deserve stupid answers. Or do they?

Lauren Young of "Business Week" joins us live.

LAUREN YOUNG "BUSINESS WEEK": Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm telling you, when I read this article I laughed out loud.

YOUNG: Good,

COSTELLO: Because I have been asked all of these questions but one. And, of course, let's start with the most obvious question, because I'm sure everyone has been asked this question in an interview situation. Where do you see yourself in five years?

YOUNG: I have been asked that question by somebody who I later found out ran his family's coming into the ground and was fired. So, where do you see yourself in five years? You know, everyone says the obvious, I want to be happy. I want to have a great job. I want to have good colleagues. Shake it up a little bit. Say, I want to be in your chair. I want to own this company. Just to get them on the edge of their seat.

COSTELLO: So, basically kind of lie.

YOUNG: Well...

COSTELLO: Because what is you really don't want to be there?

YOUNG: You want to own CNN in five years, Carol.

COSTELLO: I'd love to own CNN. Boy, what I would do. I'm going to get in trouble. OK, let's go to the second question, because I have never been asked this, but you say a lot of young people are being asked this question now in interviews. If you were an animal or a can of soup or some other random object, which one would you be? Like, who dreams up these questions?

YOUNG: I think HR people have a lot of time on their hands, and they just must create these questions in the middle of the night while they're trying to watch television or something. COSTELLO: Well, how could you possibly, like, if you said you were a golden retriever, that would be bad, because then you would be a follower and too laid-back.

YOUNG: And I would say soup vishishwa (ph), just because I like to say the word. But seriously, if somebody asked you a silly question like that, you've got to take control of this interview. You can laugh about it and think it's funny, but the bottom line is you want to make an impression on them so that they remember you.

So say something memorable, but try and move on quickly.

COSTELLO: Say a wacky soup, OK. So, this is the question, too: What are your weaknesses? And I've been asked this in every interview I've ever had, and I've always said, oh, I'm a workaholic.

YOUNG: And that's -- unfortunately, we've all figured out that that's the right answer to say. So, at this point, you can't say that anymore, because it's not going to distinguish you. So, you have to say something really -- maybe you say I'm addicted to reality TV, and that might get the conversation going somewhere else.

You have to be honest. You can't lie. But at the same time, you can't give pat answers. So, think about what you would say ahead of time when you're going into it. You've got to prepare.

COSTELLO: What about this answer? Because I've just thought of a great answer to that question. You would have to ask my colleagues. I'm sure that they would have a different opinion of what my weaknesses are than I would.

YOUNG: That's a great thing to say. But then you might open up the door that they might say something bad about you.

COSTELLO: Oh, man! Well, we're going to call them anyway?

OK, the next question: What in particular interested you about our company? Now, at face value, that sounds like a fairly good question.

YOUNG: It's a great question. But come on. The bottom line is, I'm here because I need a job. I need health insurance. I have kids. I've got rent to pay. So, come on. We all go on job interviews because we've got to pay the rent. Yes, we might be passionate about the industry or the career, but at the end of the day, it's a silly question.

COSTELLO: Well, you can't answer it that way, though. So what do you say?

YOUNG: Well, this is what you say. You say, I think that this sounds like a really interesting opportunity. But, of course, everyone is going to say that. You have to be really specific. I'm interested because I hear, you, Carol, are really funny, really smart, and I want to learn at your knee.

COSTELLO: You have the job, Lauren.

YOUNG: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: The last question: What would your past managers say about you? That's a tough one.

YOUNG: It's really hard. And the snoozeville (ph) answer is, I'm hard working. I'm trustworthy. I'm reliable. You can't say that. Again, think of something that's really going to distinguish you. If you're in sales, I increased sales by 50 percent in three years. It's got to be something really specific, something memorable. They're going to walk away and say, you, Carol, have the job.

COSTELLO: Oh, I love great advice this morning, Lauren. Thank you so much for coming in. It's been really enjoyable. We love that.

YOUNG: Enjoy the vishishwa (ph).

COSTELLO: I will. I'm going to go taste the vishishwa (ph). I don't think I've ever tasted it before.

You're watching DAYBREAK. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back. It's 6:52 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

President Bush is in California today. He'll attend the dedication of the Air Force One Pavilion at the Reagan Presidential Library. On display are Reagan's flying White House, a former Marine One helicopter, a presidential limousine and an Irish pub.

Your feline may be drafted to be on the front line of the battle against bird flu. Experts say using pets as sentinels is much like the canaries that once detected deadly gas in coal mines.

And a congressional watchdog is examining one of many no-bid government contracts following Hurricane Katrina. Under scrutiny is a $39 million contract for portable classrooms. There are complaints they should cost about half that price.

Local hospitals learned some painful lessons from Hurricane Katrina. So what's the prognosis now with Hurricane Wilma barreling toward Florida?

Ginger Gadsden of "USA Today" joins us live with how hospitals are preparing for Hurricane Wilma.

Have they changed the way they're dealing with that?

GINGER GADSDEN, "USA TODAY": Oh, yes, they are changing, and they had to change, Carol.

Good morning. And some forecasters are predicting this record hurricane season is just a taste of what's to come. And armed with that startling information, emergency planners are rethinking and reworking their disasters plans.

A number of experts say that the long-held assumption that help would be on the way within 24 to 48 hours of a disaster, well, Carol, that simply is no longer the case.

Now many are saying they have to plan to be self-sufficient at least four days after a disaster strikes.

And many are looking to the state with the most experience in dealing with natural disasters. That, of course, is Florida. In 2004, they were hit with four major storms, and now Wilma is looming. All eyes are on the Sunshine State.

And by now, it's like a well-oiled machine, Carol. When hurricanes approach, the state activates its emergency operation center in Tallahassee, and county emergency coordinators have briefings by phone at least two times a day.

And here is something that many states will also be looking at. Florida's hospitals and nursing homes have representatives in the state operation center before and during the storm, Carol. They've already discharged patients who were safe to go home and postpone some elective surgeries and to determine if any patients should be evacuated.

COSTELLO: Well, I was just going to ask you about that, because I remember before Katrina hit New Orleans interviewing one of the hospitals there, and asking the doctor in charge, why aren't you evacuating patients? And he said, oh, we're going to be fine. We're on higher ground. We have generators. Everything is going to be fine. And as you know, it wasn't.

GADSDEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: So, have they changed? Different from what you said about the patients able to go home. Have they changed their evacuation plans for the most critically-ill patients?

GADSDEN: Well, they have to -- it's a case by case basis, Carol, is what it boils down to. And they really have to think about, is it really worth evacuating some of the most critical patients? Because moving them and if they end up being safe, the move could actually take a toll on their health as well. So, they really have to rethink and evaluate, is this patient in great danger? And is it worth the move, risking it, to move them?

And that's what other states are looking at. Florida has really done a great job in determining that, and they don't wait until the last minute. And that's what a lot of states are now looking to Florida. They're taking a page from Florida's playbook, and they've invested money and expensive equipment to determine if these things need to happen way ahead of a storm making landfall. COSTELLO: It makes me feel a little better. Ginger Gadsden from "USA Today." And if you want to know more, the article is in today's edition of "USA Today."

Let's head back to the forecast center, because if you're traveling, Jacqui has some news for you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: You're watching DAYBREAK for Friday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A quick update on the latest headlines for you now.

The body of an attorney for one of the defendants on trial with Saddam Hussein has been found. The man, who is on trial, is the one we're seeing. Well, you saw him just a second ago. His attorney was kidnapped by gunmen from his office last night, and that man's body was found near a Baghdad mosque today.

Hurricane Wilma is taking aim at the Mexican resort cities of Cancun and Cozumel. Wind and rain from the storm's outer bands are pounding the region. Thousands of tourists who couldn't get out of the area have taken refuge in hotels.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson says he believes North Korea remains flexible enough in upcoming nuclear talks. He was in the communist nation just before heading to Japan. Those six-nation nuclear talks start again next month. Richardson made the trip on his own, not at the request of the White House.

A deputy police chief in southern Afghanistan is dead following a car bomb attack. The governor of the province blamed the attack on Taliban rebels. Several community leaders in the country have been targets of the attacks over the past few weeks.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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