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CNN Live At Daybreak

President Bush Attending Summit of the Americas; CIA Leak Investigation

Aired November 04, 2005 - 06:31   ET

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

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. Thanks so much for waking up with us. I'm Kelly Wallace in today for Carol Costello, who is enjoying a few well-deserved days off. Jacqui Jeras will have your forecast in just a moment.
Also coming up this half-hour, President Bush is talking trade today. We'll get a live report from the Summit of the Americas in Argentina.

And what's next for Karl Rove? We'll examine what effect, if any, the CIA leak investigation is having on his role at the White House.

Those stories just ahead. But first, these stories "Now in the News."

The Senate passed a measure last night that could lead to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The bill calls for oil leases to be sold on the land in the next two years. A separate vote bans the overseas export of any oil pumped from the region.

U.N. Ambassador John Bolton tells the Anti-Defamation League that Iran could set off the -- quote -- "second Holocaust." Bolton condemns as outrageous the Iranian's president recent call for Israel to be wiped off the map.

The former chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is now off the board of directors. Kenneth Tomlinson resigned from the board on Thursday. An inspector general's report on an investigation into whether Tomlinson used questionable tactics to exert political influence will be released later this month.

To Jacqui at the forecast center in Atlanta.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: Well, our top story this half-hour. We talked earlier about President Bush's trip to the Summit of the Americas in Argentina. Meetings are set to begin there just about 30 minutes from now. We want to go live there to get the latest.

Our own Elaine Quijano is in Mar del Plata, where the meeting officially opens in about half-an-hour.

Elaine, thanks so much for joining us. Give us a sense of the reception the president is receiving there.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly this is an area of the world where the president has not seen some very high approval ratings. I'll tell you more about that in just a moment, Kelly.

But the president after a 10-and-a-half-hour flight from Washington, D.C., did arrive here in Argentina last night. He had no public events. But in about 20 minutes or so, as you mentioned, this morning the president will be sitting down to meet with leaders who support the CAPTA Agreement. Of course, CAPTA is the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

Now, the official theme of this year's Summit of the Americas is creating jobs to fight poverty and strengthen democratic governance. And that is where President Bush will focus his attention.

But this morning, more bad news on the domestic front. In the wake of the Scooter Libby indictment, a new AP/Ipsos poll shows the president's approval rating at just 37 percent. That's down 2 points from last month.

And even here in Latin America, as I mentioned, the president is an unpopular figure. Thousands of demonstrators, in fact, are gathering here in Argentina. And joining them is the man who calls President Bush "Mr. Danger," Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president. Chavez is looking to confront the U.S. over free trade. The U.S., though, is largely glossing over that, insisting that the United States if focused on the issues at hand, on supporting democratic institutions and improving economic conditions -- Kelly.

WALLACE: All right, Elaine, thanks so much. Elaine Quijano reporting from Mar del Plata, Argentina. We'll be watching reports on "AMERICAN MORNING" and throughout the day on CNN.

Well, Elaine mentioned that it's Lewis Scooter Libby. The vice president's now-resigned chief of staff has been indicted on five felony charges. Libby pleaded not guilty to charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements.

Democrats are criticizing Cheney for promoting two deputies to fill Libby's shoes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: There has got to be a house cleaning top to bottom. Today, we are calling on the vice president to begin that house cleaning in his office immediately. Not just move some of the office furniture around, but bring some new personnel in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Is a top-to-bottom house cleaning needed at the White House? Still unresolved is whether the special prosecutor will seek an indictment against the president's chief political advisor, Karl Rove. "Washington Post" reporter Jim VandeHei has been covering that very aspect of the White House CIA leak case. He's actually been covering every aspect. A big story he had in "The Washington Post" yesterday, "Rove's future role is debated." And he joins us live this morning.

Jim, thanks so much for being with us.

JIM VANDEHEI, "WASHINGTON POST": It's good to be here.

WALLACE: Give me a sense, because I was struck, you know, this president is so much about loyalty. So, I was struck that you have people inside the White House and outside talking about whether Rove should go. How serious is this talk?

VANDEHEI: Well, I think what you're seeing are aides now being a little more realistic about the political assessment around President Bush. I don't think is personally about Karl Rove. It's more about, can Karl Rove, even if he's not charged with a crime, remain in the White House, given that it's clear he had some role in the leak of Valerie Plame's name, and that President Bush had vowed to fire anyone involved in that?

So, the calculation they're trying to make is, is it political tenable for him to stick around in this political atmosphere?

WALLACE: The other thing you mentioned, of course, in your story is some of the questioning about how Karl Rove possibly misled some of his own colleagues inside the White House, including White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, who we know back in 2003 said Karl Rove and Scooter Libby are not involved. And he has been pummeled, really, at the White House briefing rooms over -- briefing room over this issue.

So, how much is that a factor in decisions about Rove's political future?

VANDEHEI: Well, there is certainly some tension at the staff level, because, as you explained, Scott McClellan has been out there trying to tell reporters every day that he did not mislead them, basically suggesting he was misled. But because it's an ongoing investigation, Scott says he cannot elaborate.

And therefore, a lot of people internally feel like he's being hung out there, and that Karl and other folks who may have misled him has not come forward to defend him.

So, basically it's just another thing that adds a layer of tension inside the White House.

WALLACE: And, Jim, from your sources, both inside and outside the White House, any sense of how President Bush feels about all of this? Because, as I said at the top, he's all about loyalty, and Karl Rove has been a top political advisor for him.

VANDEHEI: No. I mean, I think that's one of the great mysteries, because at the end of the day he's going to be the one who makes that decision. And I have not gotten a clear indication of exactly where President Bush's mind is at this point.

I mean, there had been some chatter earlier that President Bush was frustrated that Karl Rove had initially told him he was not involved and clearly was. But remember, they have a very, very close relationship that goes back many, many years. So, I think it's safe to assume that if there was any tension that that it's been forgiven.

But President Bush is also a politically-savvy man. And he's going to have to sit back and think if he's trying to start anew in 2006 with a new agenda and try to get this scandal behind him. I think he's trying to game out, how do I do that, and who are the people that I need to have around me to move on?

WALLACE: Very quickly, Jim, I just want to ask you. You also report about how the special prosecutor had conversations with "TIME" magazine's Matt Cooper, his attorney, about conversations Cooper had with Rove. What does this mean in terms of Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation?

VANDEHEI: Well, it means that it's still ongoing. It seems like there is a conventional wisdom that developed that because Karl Rove was not charged when Scooter Libby was that he's probably in the clear.

In everything that we've heard, both from people close to Rove and close to the investigation, is that this is still very much alive. And that in the next couple of weeks we'll know one way or the other whether Karl Rove is going to be charged with making misleading statements during the course of the investigation. Or that he's going to be let off and that he will not be charged.

And I think at that point that where the White House strategizing really has to kick into high gear, because they can no longer say, we can't comment because it's an ongoing investigation.

WALLACE: Jim VandeHei, "Washington Post" reporter, thanks so much for getting up a little earlier with us. We really appreciate that.

Well, Pass Christian, Mississippi, was in the bull's-eye as Hurricane Katrina roared ashore. And "AMERICAN MORNING's" Miles O'Brien is there, joining us with a preview of what you'll have on "AMERICAN MORNING" today.

Miles, you just traveled from Louisiana to Mississippi. What are we going to see today?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, Kelly.

Two months since Hurricane Katrina, and what we're going to see today here is a different kind of damage than we saw all the previous days of this week when we were in the city of New Orleans.

Here, when you drive along the beach road here in Pass Christian, it looks as if it was the victim of a bombing. A different kind of damage than you see in the city of New Orleans, which, of course, the secondary effects of those breached levees is what caused so much hardship and pain and misery in the wake of it.

Today, we're going to meet a young high school senior, who goes to the school in the town next door. And she -- that high school and the high school here in Pass Christian are getting together, doing a joint homecoming this weekend. And obviously it's going to be a very emotional thing.

They've received truckloads of tuxedos and dresses from a school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, of all places, to try to cobble together some sort of normalcy for them.

We're also going to check in with three of our mayors -- the mayors of Atlanta, Baton Rouge and Houston. They'll talk to us about the flow of federal dollars, or perhaps the lack thereof, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

And Oreck. The Oreck vacuum plant is right nearby here. And it's really an amazing story, Kelly, how this company has gotten back together. They've gotten back in business and taken care of their employees all through it.

That's all coming up -- Kelly.

WALLACE: We look forward to it, Miles. And my apologies to the people of Pass Christian for mispronouncing the name of their community when I tossed to you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, around here, they just say "the Pass."

WALLACE: OK.

M. O'BRIEN: That's fine.

WALLACE: Thanks, Miles. We'll see you in about 20 minutes or so.

Still to come here on DAYBREAK, what does the color pink mean to you? Well, it's causing a heated debate on the campus of the University of Iowa. We'll explain all of that.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back. Your news, money, weather and sports. It's about 45 minutes after the hour. And here is what is all new this morning.

Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito won't begin until January 9. President Bush had wanted the judge confirmed before the end of the year, but Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter says it's simply isn't possible.

In money, Amazon.com has announced the development of innovative digital book programs. You'll be able to go online to buy access to any page, section or chapter of a book, as well as the book in its entirety.

In culture, UNICEF will honor Quincy Jones with the Spirit of Compassion award later this month. Jones founded his global children's charities, the Quincy Jones Listen-Up-Foundation, back in 1990.

In sports, Bart Bryant has the lead in the PGA tour championship in Atlanta. He set a course record at Eastlake by firing an eight under par, 62.

And, Jacqui, you're telling us it's good golfing weather in Atlanta.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: Well, does thinking pink give the home team a competitive edge? The University of Iowa might think so. But is it ultra-feminine locker room degrading to the visiting team? We'll talk about that.

First, though, a look at who is celebrating a birthday on this Friday, November 4.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.

Well, back in the 1980s, then University of Iowa football coach Hayden Fry had the visitor's locker room painted pink. It was all a tactic to get a psychological edge over other teams.

Well, now there is a whole legal and politically-correct flap over this pink locker room.

And Steve Parrott is director of university relations at the University of Iowa. He is joining us live today from Iowa City.

Thanks so much for being here. We appreciate it.

STEVE PARROTT, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

WALLACE: I first want to bring up what the associate law professor, who has started some of this criticism of the pink locker room, Professor Jill Gaulding at the University of Iowa. She says: "It represents a serious obstacle to gender equity on campus. It's a way to call rival teams girls and sissies, which reinforces sexism and homophobia."

Does she have a point? Is this reinforcing sexist attitudes?

PARROTT: Well, I think she has a point. I'm not sure everyone agrees with it. I think when Coach Fry originally painted their locker room pink it was just based on what he had learned in a college psychology class that pink had a calming effect. And so, he was hoping that that would give him a little psychological edge over the opponents.

WALLACE: But tell us what has happened on campus? Because we understand sales of pink memorable have skyrocketed. We want to even show our viewers we found t-shirts that are available on eBay as well that are being sold in protest of this professor's comments. People seem to be responding ferociously against her and buying up anything pink.

PARROTT: Well, that's true. This came out during an NCAA recertification process in which one of the things we're looking at is gender equity and how we can improve on that. But it also comes at a time when we're renovating now Kinnick Stadium, named after our one Heisman Trophy winner.

And in redoing the visitor's locker room and our locker rooms, we decided it would be an appropriate tribute to Coach Fry, who brought our football program back to national prominence, to keep it pink. Actually, I think we said the color now is actually dusty rose.

But it has ignited a little bit of a controversy on campus. And I think there are a lot of people who were upset about the allegations that the pink was sexist, because Hayden Fry is just so revered as a coach.

WALLACE: But, you know, as you said, some of this has been in fun, you know, people buying this pink memorable to say we don't want to lose this tradition.

PARROTT: Right.

WALLACE: But I understand some of it has also been mean- spirited.

PARROTT: Yes.

WALLACE: And the associate law professor has gotten some pretty nasty e-mails.

PARROTT: Yes. It was unfortunate that after this was first reported in the news that, you know, there are a lot of people who really revere Coach Fry. And they felt it was an attack on him. So that -- and some of the people lost a little perspective in responding to the law professor.

And as soon as that happened, President David Skorton of the University of Iowa issued a statement asking people that, you know, let's have an open and fair and respective and civilized debate. And that threats of violence, which was what we were particularly concerned about, just were -- had no place in the conversation.

WALLACE: Well, I don't know if I have ever heard of any other school in the country, right, with a pink locker room for the visiting teams. Very quickly, one answer, does it work?

PARROTT: Well, we had a pretty good run here recently. But Michigan seemed to get over it, at least in overtime, a couple of weekends ago. So, we'll hope to start another winning streak real soon.

WALLACE: All right. Steve Parrott, director of university relations at the University of Iowa. We appreciate you joining DAYBREAK today.

PARROTT: Thank you.

WALLACE: And when we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. This is DAYBREAK for a Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Drum roll, please. Jacqui, it's time to give away the DAYBREAK coffee mug.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. The big, big questions of the day and the big answers of the day.

Here are the answers to yesterday and who the winner is. How many regional jets are currently used in U.S. air travel? The answer, 1,600. And what nation is the Summit of the Americas being held? The answer is Argentina.

And now for the drum roll. There it is. The winner, Blair Nickle from Franklin, Tennessee. Congratulations, Blair, the big winner today. We'll get you a mug out in the mail.

And now time for today's questions. In what year did Merck introduce the drug Vioxx? And what actor is the voice of Chicken Little?

Submit your answers to CNN.com/daybreak.

WALLACE: Those are tough ones today. All right. Jacqui, give us a sense if you're traveling today. What are we going to see?

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: Here's a look now at some stories in the news.

The Summit of the Americas is about to begin. President Bush plans to promote trade as a way to create jobs. Thousands of anti- American demonstrators are rallying against the Iraq war, globalization and what they call a U.S. economic imperialism.

The Senate has narrowly approved a bill that's expected to trim $36 billion from the massive federal budget deficit. The measure includes mild cuts to health care programs for the elderly, poor and disabled. And that bill now heads to the House.

And Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, the duchess of Cornwall, are heading to New Orleans today. They'll meet with Hurricane Katrina survivors and recovery workers and visit the first school in the city to reopen since the storm.

From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace in today for Carol Costello. Have a terrific weekend. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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