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American Morning
CIA Leak Watch; Hurricane Wilma's Aftermath; White House Blues
Aired October 26, 2005 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Some of the most powerful men in the White House, their jobs possibly on the line. Speculation that indictments in the CIA leak probe could be revealed as early as today. We're live in Washington.
A milestone of the worst kind in Iraq. Two thousand U.S. troops killed, and now that tragic toll climbing higher still.
And trying to cope in the disaster zone. Wilma wrecks homes, wipes out power lines and puts tempers on edge on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien. Soledad is off. Zain Verjee is here. And Patrick Fitzgerald is at the office.
The special prosecutor has walked up the steps to the D.C. courthouse, where we are watching all day long about the possibility of, at long last, a grand jury being forthcoming with some indictments, or not
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Nobody knows what Patrick Fitzgerald is going to do. He has been keeping the cards really, really close to his chest, no media leaks at all. I guess we'll find out definitely before Friday, or by Friday, at least.
O'BRIEN: By all accounts, not a creature of the beltway scene, and thus there aren't many leaks. And it is very secret. But nonetheless, we are doing our best to tell you what we know this morning.
AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken is outside the federal courthouse in Washington.
Bob, give us -- give us the signs that we -- that there possibly could be an indictment this morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all,, we saw one just three minutes when Patrick Fitzgerald, as you pointed out, went into the courthouse to meet before the grand jury. This is a grand jury that is considering, among other things, this investigation which is nearly two years old now into the leaks disclosing Valerie Plame to be an undercover CIA operative. Plame, the wife of Joseph Wilson, who was a major critic of the administration. Fitzgerald is now considering, the best we know, whether to seek indictments and whether to seek indictments against top White House operatives like Karl Rove. Karl Rove is the deputy chief of staff. More importantly, the president's chief political adviser.
Rove left his house this morning, going to the White House, where we're told he, as always, attended the senior staff meeting, along with Scooter Libby. Libby is the vice president's chief of staff. Also, he's been, we've been able to discern from the variety of sources during the course of this, a focus of the investigation into whether the law was broken when Valerie Plame's identity was disclosed.
We also know that the special prosecutor has asked about the role of the vice president in all this, without suggesting whether he believes that the vice president is culpable.
The range of laws that are being investigated, we're told by sources, include the violation of that espionage act which would make the disclosure of Valerie Plame illegal, or ancillary laws like the ones of obstruction of justice, perjury, false statements and the like, during the course of the investigation. And, as we've heard, the conspiracy statutes.
Now, the polls show that the White House is already suffering politically from this. A new CNN "USA-Today"-Gallup poll, the question was asked, what about Bush administration and their role in all of this? And 39 percent said they believed, the respondents did, that there were some illegal acts by White House officials. Another 39 percent said there were unethical acts. Ten percent said nothing wrong had been done.
And I suppose, Miles, that the rest of them said, "What investigation?"
O'BRIEN: There is that as well. Well, we hope they're paying attention today.
Bob Franken at the district courthouse. Thank you very much -- Zain.
VERJEE: Miles, two days after Hurricane Wilma slashed across Florida, millions of people remain without power this morning. And frustrations are mounting as residents wait in long lines for supplies.
Allan Chernoff is live at a distribution center in Oakland Park, Florida.
Allan, what's going on there?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Zain.
Behind me you see an 18-wheeler. And this truck arrived driven by a FEMA official, arrived before dawn packed with ice. And as you see, they're taking the ice out right now. People are getting two bags each.
And over here, we've got a walkup line, as you see, moving very smoothly. Far many more bags, though, being given out over here, drive-bys. People just driving their cars up, getting the ice.
The distribution started about 35 minutes ago, and it's been going very smoothly. They've already given ice out to more than 200 cars.
We had a long line when we got here, about 20 minutes ago. At this moment, as you can see, there is no line whatsoever. And the folks from the National Guard, volunteers, as well, just waiting to hand out those two bags per person.
This is a very dramatic difference from what happened yesterday not only here in Broward County, but also in Miami-Dade County. Long lines, lots of anger, lots of waiting.
At this particular situation -- and the situation was repeated all over the place -- but right here in Oakland Park, the people here had heard from the local media that the ice was going to be given out at 11:00. City officials thought it was 2:00. The truck didn't arrive until 4:00 here, and tempers here in Oakland Park started flaring.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUIS KENDRIK, OAKLAND PARK RESIDENT: It was really bad. It was getting to the point where people were losing their tempers. And people was very patient and being told where to go. And the next thing they tell you, one hour, two hours, and the next minute they didn't know.
You know, people get angry because nobody would know what was going on. They were confused what they're doing. And today is a little more organized.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: Now, keep in mind this is not a one-shot deal. The longer that we're without power here, the longer people are going to keep on needing ice.
And the power company has said it could take weeks for everyone to get their power back on. In fact, only a few blocks away from here, there are power lines down.
One other important note. While we may not have lines here for ice today, the lines for gasoline at stations that are open are just awful.
Earlier today, we saw lines of 80 cars and then another line of 90 cars. People just waiting, waiting. And the line didn't even seem to be moving. So there are long lines for gasoline today -- Zain.
VERJEE: Allan Chernoff reporting. Thanks so much. Let's check back on the weather now, and back with Jacqui Jeras at CNN Center with the latest weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
VERJEE: Let's check in now with Carol Costello with the news headlines -- Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to all of you.
Military sources say an American soldier has been killed in southern Iraq within the past 24 hours. The death brings the toll in Iraq to 2,001 since the Iraqi war began 31 months ago.
In Washington, the Senate paused in silence to honor all Americans who died in Iraq. Officials praised all troops in the country saying, "We owe them a deep debt of gratitude for their courage, valor and strength."
The bird flu has apparently made it to Croatia. The European commission confirms some wild swans tested positive for a deadly strain of the avian flu. Slovenia, Hungary and France also testing some birds for signs of the avian flu.
More controversy surrounding former FEMA chief Michael Brown. According to e-mail cited by "The Washington Post," Brown was planning to resign just days before Hurricane Katrina hit.
The top Republican senator investigating FEMA's response to the hurricane says that could help explain an apparent gap between Brown and the agency's response. Brown officially resigned on September 12 but does remain on the Homeland Security's payroll still. He is still serving as a consultant.
It is redo day for Harriet Miers. Today is the deadline for her to turn in a re-written questionnaire.
Some Senate leaders had called her first response inadequate. The Senate Judiciary Committee also asking for internal documents she wrote while working at the White House. And so far, President Bush has refused, citing confidentiality.
Miers' confirmation hearings are set to begin on November 7.
And the Air Force Academy's longtime football coach is raising some eyebrows over some racially-tinged comments. Fisher DeBerry told reporters there's a reason for the Falcons' slumping performance. He says it's partly because his school does not have as many Africa- American players as rival schools do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FISHER DEBERRY, AIR FORCE ACADEMY COACH: Afro-American kids can run very, very well. That doesn't mean that Caucasian kids and other descents can't run. But it's very obvious to me that they run extremely well. And I just want to recruit speed. We need to -- we need to find speed as much as anything. But the black athlete seems to have -- you know, statistically program, program, program, you know, seems to have an edge as far as the speed is concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Academy officials say they're aware of the coach's remarks and they are investigating. However, I've been looking at our e-mail box, and most people writing into us don't see anything wrong with the coach's comments.
O'BRIEN: Very interesting. I wonder if that's reflective of -- it's not a scientific poll. Put it that way.
COSTELLO: No, but I was surprised. They're really not shocked by it.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: And they say that he was actually being complimentary. I just found it interesting.
O'BRIEN: Well, that's...
COSTELLO: Because others find the comments not so complimentary.
O'BRIEN: The late Jimmy the Greek thought he was being complimentary as well, and that led to his dismissal.
VERJEE: How good a coach is he viewed at? He's had something like 17 winning seasons, or something, right? I did a quick Google...
COSTELLO: Well, he's not doing well this season.
VERJEE: Yes. They're struggling, right?
COSTELLO: Yes.
VERJEE: OK.
O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, nobody has been indicted yet in the CIA leak investigation, but the news is already bad for President Bush. We'll take a look at some of the poll numbers. Bob Franken just mentioned those a few moments ago.
VERJEE: Plus, more on those nutrition labels at McDonald's. Will they really help customers? We're going to ask a nutritionist.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Well, it's a big day in Washington. We're focused there. And while there may or may not be indictments that are handed up by that grand jury looking into the CIA leak investigation, we do have some poll numbers out. And the CIA leak case, among other stories, is impacting how people feel about the Bush administration. CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider is our man who deciphers numbers for us. A professor of pollology (ph), you might say.
Let's start with the first -- the first slate of numbers, shall we?
Once again, CNN "USA-Today"-Gallup poll, and here's -- the question is -- starting with Miers -- "Should the Senate confirm Harriet Miers?" You look a week ago, 44 percent said yes, 36 percent said no. And now, the latest stuff, October 21 to the 23 is the timeframe, yes, 42 percent, no, 43 percent.
It appears the effort on the far right to derail this nomination may be working.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, Harriet Miers is losing ground, which is not the direction this nomination should be going as people learn more about her. Opposition has grown seven points in a little over a week.
Conservatives are crying not just that they are unhappy, they're crying betrayal. They say that President Bush has betrayed them with this nomination, which is an especially harsh judgment.
O'BRIEN: Well, I should say. That must surprise you a little bit to see the right wing of the party, the real solid base, the people who really put Mr. Bush over the edge in the election, breaking ranks.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, it is. I was shocked by that because they were with Bush. They delivered Bush.
He's always been very careful to cultivate his base there. The reason why he got reelected in 2004. The Democrats rallied their base, and the Republicans did a better job of rallying their base. It's really quite surprising.
A politician once said, "Your base are the people who are with you when you're wrong." Now, maybe conservatives believe Bush made the wrong choice with Harriet Miers, but the surprising thing is they're not with him.
O'BRIEN: Apparently the bill has come due for the election here.
Let's talk about this next round of numbers. And this is what presages the midterm elections. And this is what people in Washington are really focusing on, of course, because being reelected is what it's all about, right?
Thirty-nine percent of registered voters polled say they would be more likely to vote for a congressional candidate who supports President Bush, while 55 percent say they are more likely to vote for someone who opposes him. I'll say that last line again. Fifty-five percent say they're more likely to vote for someone who opposes President Bush. Let's -- it's still a little early, to say the least. But what do you make of those numbers?
SCHNEIDER: I make of those numbers that President Bush is becoming a bit of a burden. And you can see the evidence right near where I am in Virginia, where there's an election for governor just in a couple of weeks.
President Bush is going to Virginia on Friday to give a speech about terrorism. A very tight race for governor. And guess what? The Republican candidate won't be there. And President Bush is, at the moment, not scheduled to make any kind of political speeches, political rallies or anything.
But Rudy Giuliani is campaigning with the Republican candidate today, and John McCain will be there next week. It suggests that President Bush is no longer seen as an advantage, even to his fellow Republicans.
O'BRIEN: That's an amazing statement. Putting a little distance between them and the president as those midterm elections approach.
Tell me something. Is there any -- any good news for Republicans in all of these numbers? We just shared a few polls with you. We've got a lot more.
SCHNEIDER: There was. We don't know if it will last.
What we found was that after the Iraqi vote on the new constitution, which was just approved, it was announced, and after the trial began of Saddam Hussein, Americans took a little better view of the war in Iraq. Fifty-nine percent about two weeks ago had said they thought the war was a mistake. That dropped by 10 points to 49 percent. And President Bush's job rating actually lifted by a few points, from 39 to 42, which suggests a little bit of greater optimism about the Iraq war.
Why do I say it might be short-lived? Because yesterday, of course, the terrible news came out that 2,000 American lives have been lost, military lives have been lost in that conflict. And that could put an end to that very slightly increasing optimism.
O'BRIEN: And a quick final thought here. The CIA leak probe, is that resonating with voters?
SCHNEIDER: Well, at this point, no, because no result has been announced. And they're not too familiar with the characters involved.
But all of Washington is in a state of very high anxiety. This story is likely to be very explosive when it comes out, because it creates -- it gives the Democrats an issue, the culture of corruption that they have been talking about.
CIA leak investigations of leading Republican members of Congress, investigation of a Republican lobbyist, all of this smells very bad. O'BRIEN: Bill Schneider, you've got a long day ahead. Thank you for spending a little time with us this morning.
SCHNEIDER: Sure, Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN senior political analyst, Bill Schneider -- Zain.
VERJEE: Miles, still to come, I'll have a Big Mac, a large fries and a strawberry milkshake. McDonald's plans to put nutrition labels on its food, but at least one expert thinks it might be a little tricky. We're going to take a look for ourselves ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: You know, the way it's going, pretty soon there will be a surgeon general's warning on the McDonald's hamburger.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: You know? It's headed that way, yes.
VERJEE: It's good, McDonald's.
O'BRIEN: Yes. They've got nutritional labels on there. And basically, what it tells you is what you kind of already knew, that it's not the best thing in the world for you.
Heidi Skolnik, nutritionist and columnist for "Men's Health" magazine, joining us to talk about the new labels that you'll see on your Big Mac and other assorted McDonald's treats.
Heidi, good to have you with us.
HEIDI SKOLNIK, COLUMNIST, "MEN'S HEALTH" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: First of all, let's take a look at the label, if we can. We'll put the label up here. And this is what you'll see I guess on the cheeseburger wrapper, right?
SKOLNIK: Yes.
O'BRIEN: All right.
And let's look right here. First of all, calories, 310. This is for just a regular cheeseburger, right?
SKOLNIK: Right.
O'BRIEN: A regular cheeseburger, 310 calories. No big deal, right?
SKOLNIK: Well...
VERJEE: No.
SKOLNIK: ... it depends who you are and how much else you're having with that.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
SKOLNIK: So we're going to see that if you put together a meal, like a cheeseburger, fries, a Coke, which is more typical of what people buy...
O'BRIEN: Right?
SKOLNIK: ... it becomes way significant.
O'BRIEN: You know, we've got protein at 15. Is that good or bad? Or I don't even know how to measure -- how do you measure protein?
SKOLNIK: See, and that's exactly the point.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
SKOLNIK: People will read labels, but it doesn't know -- it doesn't mean they know what they're reading...
O'BRIEN: Right.
SKOLNIK: ... and how to put it into the context of their day. And additionally, although it's great to have nutrition information at point of purchase, which is what this is about, what they're not going to do is tell you the type of fat. And that's what's really important. From an obesity issue, calories count. But from a health issue, the type of fat counts.
O'BRIEN: Twelve grams of fat in one cheeseburger. And that is supposedly, what, 19 percent of your daily amount of fat that you should take?
SKOLNIK: Right.
O'BRIEN: OK.
SKOLNIK: Now, 19 percent for one meal, that's not so bad. But that's not the only thing you're going to eat in that meal.
O'BRIEN: Yes. That's the other thing.
Let's move on to the next graphic. We can talk about what else is on...
SKOLNIK: On the menu.
O'BRIEN: At McDonald's. And we've got the cheeseburger. This is -- we've got the Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese...
VERJEE: I'm hungry.
O'BRIEN: ... 730 -- look at this thing,
VERJEE: The power of suggestion.
O'BRIEN: All right. Those are some big numbers we're stacking up there. With a grand total of 1,400, you're done for the day when you eat that, right?
SKOLNIK: Exactly. And that's the point. Sixty-five grams of fat, that's 100 percent of your fat for the day in that one meal.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
SKOLNIK: That's actually 117 percent of your saturated fat, which you can't tell from that.
O'BRIEN: One hundred and 17 percent?
SKOLNIK: And it doesn't -- 117 percent.
O'BRIEN: So you've got to give some back at the end of the day?
SKOLNIK: And it doesn't tell you how much transfat, which we hear so much in the news about how detrimental that is to your health.
O'BRIEN: All right.
So next graphic, this shows what happens with perhaps some things you may not be thinking of. Let's say -- you know, you do the Chicken Salad Sandwich. We'll do that. That's...
VERJEE: Who would go to McDonald's for a salad?
O'BRIEN: This is supposedly the leaner version, right?
SKOLNIK: Well, the whole idea is it's expanding its choices. It's allowing people who may not otherwise come in because they are thinking only Big Mac.
VERJEE: Right.
O'BRIEN: But this is -- this is much more, right?
SKOLNIK: And now there's some more choices. There's some healthier choices. The whole family can eat. Somebody who is more health conscious, and somebody who may not be quite so conscientious about what they're putting into their...
O'BRIEN: All right. That's 11 grams of fat for that whole thing. That's good.
But here is the catch. The next graphic here, and these are the hidden items like, for example, you don't think about the dressing, which has 18 grams of fat. The same as the burger, right?
SKOLNIK: Right. So if you don't get the low-fat dressing, and you go with the classic Caesar, that's going to be 18 grams of fat, the same amount in a Quarter Pounder or in medium fries. But if you choose a low-fat dressing, it's only three grams of fat. Big difference both calorically and, of course, for health and the well-being.
O'BRIEN: So if you do the salad, the fries and the burger, you're in bad shape?
SKOLNIK: You're in bad shape.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you don't want to do that.
VERJEE: I'm just wondering...
COSTELLO: But can't we just cut through this? Because you're not going to go to McDonald's for a salad only. You're not going to go to McDonald's if you want a healthy meal. When you go to McDonald's, you want something big and juicy and fattening...
O'BRIEN: There you go.
COSTELLO: ... so you can satisfy your craving.
VERJEE: Anybody walking through the door, yes, is going to want that.
SKOLNIK: It's still there. Nobody is taking it away. But...
COSTELLO: But why is McDonald's doing this? Isn't it just doing this to stem the tide of lawsuits being filed against it?
O'BRIEN: Could be.
SKOLNIK: Well, I think there are several reasons. I think you're right maybe. Maybe this is just a PR. But it also, I think -- you know, Ronald McDonald is recognized second only to Santa Claus by children.
O'BRIEN: Ah, yes. Well, it's good you mentioned that, because let's talk about Ronald McDonald for a minute.
The new logo has him jogging. And his -- the slogan that they've added on is, "It's what I eat and what I do," whatever that means.
It made us think of some of our favorite McDonald's slogans over the years. Let's show you -- we're going to run through a few of them, some of our favorites.
McDonald's going from the '60s, a bunch of stuff in the '60s you don't remember. "The closest thing to home," maybe some people remember.
Next page is one of the biggies, "You deserve a break today." Remember that one?
COSTELLO: I remember that one. That was a good one.
O'BRIEN (SINGING): You deserve a -- you remember that one?
All right. Next -- next one we've got, in the '80s, they did a reprise of "You deserve a break today." "Nobody makes your day like McDonald's can."
Keep going to the next page.
SKOLNIK: Are you going to start singing and dancing here?
O'BRIEN: No, I'm not going to do anymore of that.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: And then finally, this last page, you know, we've been seeing this "I'm lovin' it" thing. And "We love to see you smile."
So, the question is, which is your favorite slogan of all of them?
SKOLNIK: Ooh, I wasn't paying attention. Do I get points off?
VERJEE: "We love to see you smile."
O'BRIEN: "Love to see you smile."
COSTELLO: I can't remember the one from 1971, "You deserve a break today."
O'BRIEN: "You deserve a break today."
All right. So we have some new slogans that we've thought of.
Have you thought of any?
VERJEE: Yes, we have. Here. I've got me one. "We love to see you slim."
O'BRIEN: Ooh, that's good. Zain, "We love to see you slim." Excellent.
Carol?
VERJEE: I worked very hard on this.
O'BRIEN: That's good.
COSTELLO: I am so bad at this.
O'BRIEN: What's yours?
COSTELLO: Mine is, "Come on, hamburglerize us."
O'BRIEN: Oh, I like that. That's good, too.
VERJEE: That's good.
O'BRIEN: I hope they're watching.
And here's mine. I had a different version which we decided not to put on TV. But go ahead. "Big Macs don't kill people, but big waistlines do."
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Wow.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: You could insert another big item there if you wanted.
COSTELLO: Oh, I'm not going there.
VERJEE: The whole anchoring thing doesn't work out.
O'BRIEN: I think we've all got a future here.
Heidi, thanks for dropping by.
SKOLNIK: A pleasure.
VERJEE: We'll be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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