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CNN Live At Daybreak

Cheney Spotlight; DeLay Dilemma; Saved by Spaniel

Aired November 04, 2005 - 05:30   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. And welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.
Coming up in the next 30 minutes.

He's been a polarizing figure for some time, but has the indictment of his right-hand man made Dick Cheney a huge liability? Even some of his friends are saying yes.

And later, forget Lassie, meet Honey, a dog who is truly one man's best friend.

And that's all ahead.

But first, these stories "Now in the News."

At the Summit of the Americas, President Bush says he is focused on promoting trade as a way to create jobs. The two-day session begins this morning in Argentina. Thousands of anti-American protesters plan to rally against the Iraq war, globalization and what they call U.S. economic imperialism.

This is day five of the Philadelphia transit strike, and a union spokesman says he doesn't expect talks anytime soon. Downtown businesses say the strike is starting to keep many customers away.

And 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 the disabled. That bill now heads to the House.

And to Jacqui Jeras at the Forecast Center who has an easy job today, right, Jacqui, lots of good news for most of us?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know this is like a piece of cake these days.

WALLACE: A piece of cake after all the hard work you have been doing.

JERAS: We win some.

WALLACE: Exactly.

JERAS: I know. Hurricane to hurricane to hurricane and all of a sudden, boom, we got nothing, almost. (WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: Enjoy it all while we have it, right, Jacqui? All right, we'll talk to you in a few minutes.

JERAS: OK.

WALLACE: Thanks so much.

And our top story this half-hour, Lewis "Scooter" Libby vows to fight the criminal charges against him in the CIA leak probe and says he wants a jury trial. But Libby may not brave the negative political spotlight alone.

As CNN's John King reports, the case will also bring a lot of attention to his former boss, Vice President Dick Cheney.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The case against Scooter Libby is a trial, of sorts, for his former boss, as well.

JAMES THURBER, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: The vice president has been very close to this president. He's been a stealthy leader behind the scenes. He's now out in front of the media, which hurts him, because that's not his style. It will hurt, therefore, the president.

KING: In the Libby indictment, special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald alleges the vice president was among the first to tell Libby administration critic Joe Wilson's wife worked at the CIA.

And on a July 12, 2003 flight with Cheney and other officials, Libby sought advice on how to deal with questions about Wilson. And that later that same day, Libby discussed Wilson and his wife with two reporters.

THURBER: I think the vice president will claim executive privilege and try not to appear in court. But if he does appear in court, it is likely to draw him even closer to this controversy.

KING: Cheney's role in this administration has always been controversial, a defender of presidential powers, whether the issue be his secretive energy task force, or resisting outside investigations into the 9/11 attacks, and Iraq war intelligence failures, the leading advocate of toppling Saddam Hussein.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because the issue is that he is pursuing nuclear weapons.

KING: Former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft says the vice president is a changed man, for the worse. "I consider Cheney a good friend. I've known for him 30 years," Scowcroft told "The New Yorker." "But Dick Cheney I don't know anymore."

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: I've known him quite well since our days in the House together in the late '70s.

KING: Senator Trent Lott scoffs at talk his friend, the vice president, has changed, and at talk Cheney is now a liability and will lose some of his unrivaled West Wing influence.

LOTT: I think the president relies on him. And I sleep better every night knowing that Dick Cheney is serving as vice president of the United States. That role will not diminish, because it's too vital a role. It's too critical.

KING: But Democrats see an opening. Criticizing Cheney, in this letter, for promoting two deputies to fill Libby's role. "Instead of cleaning house," the Democratic senators wrote, "you simply rearranged some of the furniture."

The prospect of an election-year trial focusing on the vice president's office has some in Washington whispering perhaps Cheney will step, or be nudged, aside. Not a chance, say those who know the relationship.

NICK CALIO, FORMER BUSH ADVISER: No. If you know him, and if you know the president, the answer is flat-out no. And that's, you know, one of the great secondary sports in Washington is, you know, speculation about the vice president resigning for one reason or another. It won't happen

KING: John King, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And staying in Washington, another possible scandal involving House Republican Tom DeLay has the nation's capital buzzing once again. This time everyone is talking about his alleged ties to a high-powered lobbyist.

CNN's Brian Todd explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tom DeLay was in no mood to answer our question.

QUESTION: Did your staffers improperly seek access to Gale Norton?

REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: I have no idea what you're talking about.

QUESTION: The Associated Press today, sir, did a story today.

DELAY: I don't read it every day.

TODD: We asked the Texas congressman about a report from The Associated Press that two of his former aides tried to help lobbyist Jack Abramoff gain access to Interior Secretary Gale Norton. Abramoff represents Indian tribes and is being investigated by the Senate and Justice Department for allegedly bilking them out of millions of dollars.

AP quotes e-mails from one DeLay staffer to the other in December of 2000 saying, "Do you think you could call that friend and set up a meeting?" AP reports Abramoff was able to meet with the interior secretary after some of his clients donated a quarter million dollars to an environmental group founded by Norton.

Contacted by CNN, an aide to Norton said the department refused a request for a direct face-to-face meeting between Norton and Abramoff and that the encounter reported by AP was an outside event that Norton was cleared to attend.

The interior official says he has no knowledge of any contribution to Norton's foundation. And he says the ultimate decision by the department on gaming issues involving Abramoff's clients went against Abramoff's side.

As for DeLay, his attorney says the congressman holds his aides to the highest standards of ethics. And...

RICHARD CULLEN, TOM DELAY'S ATTORNEY: It's not unusual and there is nothing improper. And it happens on Capitol Hill probably hundreds of times a month for staffers to assist people in trying to get a meeting with an executive branch agency. It's a common occurrence. It's not something that a member, a congressman or a senator, usually involves himself with.

TODD: But according to AP, federal and congressional investigators have obtained those e-mails as part of their probe of Abramoff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank god Tom DeLay is the majority leader in the House.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here, here.

TODD: The lobbyist once had close ties to DeLay. And the House Ethics Committee is expected to investigate a golfing trip DeLay took with Abramoff to Scotland, which may have violated House rules. Abramoff and DeLay have denied any wrongdoing.

For DeLay, this comes after his indictment by a Texas grand jury on charges of laundering Texas state campaign funds. DeLay has denied wrongdoing in that case, saying it's politically charged. But he's had to step down, at least temporarily, as House majority leader. And his standing in the party is in question.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: And he's continuing to act behind the scenes? What we're hearing is, among a lot of Republicans in the House, there is some discomfort with that, there is some disgruntlement. A lot of them want to put a distance between themselves, their party and DeLay.

TODD (on camera): And observers say that may complicate DeLay's efforts to win back his position as majority leader. But an aide to DeLay told me most Republicans still view him as an asset in pushing the party's agenda forward. And they are confident he can win his leadership position back.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: Leading Republican Senator John McCain says he expects Judge Samuel Alito to be confirmed. McCain made that statement on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" last night. He is a member of the so-called gang of 14 senators who meet with Judge Alito yesterday.

The Arizona senator also talked to our Larry King about his own plans for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: You going to run again?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: This is the place to make that announcement.

KING: You'll -- it happens here.

MCCAIN: It does.

KING: Why not?

MCCAIN: Everything happens here. I'm going to wait until after the '06 elections, Larry, for a whole variety of reasons, including the fact that I'd like to know what the political landscape is after that election and I'd like to see what the chances are.

Look, everybody that I -- every Senator I know would like to be president. The question is do you want to run for president and do you think you can win? That's -- it's a very tough sled, as you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Let's see after the November '06 elections if the senator goes on "LARRY KING LIVE" to make his announcement.

"LARRY KING LIVE," as you know, airs at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

And you'll recall that McCain had a somewhat successful run back in 2000 before finally having to give way to George W. Bush.

A conservative group wants an investigation into Sean "Diddy" Combs' Vote or Die movement during last year's presidential election. The group wants a Federal Election Commission probe into whether Diddy illegally supported Senator John Kerry's candidacy. It says Combs' organization, Citizen Change, should not have chosen sides and was only using the campaign to sell T-shirts. The FEC hasn't decided if it will investigate.

Coming up ahead on DAYBREAK, new concerns and a whole lot of dead birds. That's what the government of China is facing this morning. The latest on the Bird Flu crisis is next.

And later, Lassie has got nothing on Honey. We have got the story of a dog who truly proved herself as man's best friend.

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 46 minutes after the hour, and here is what is all new this morning.

Thousands of demonstrators plan to protest President Bush who is in Argentina today for a two-day Summit of the Americas. Anti-Bush protesters oppose the Iraq war and U.S.-backed free market policies that some charge have pushed millions into poverty.

A U.S. military official says it looks like hostile fire caused a recent helicopter crash in Iraq. The crash killed the two pilots.

In money, Amazon.com has announced the development of innovative digital book programs. You will 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, next month both CBS and ABC will air shows about the late Pope John Paul II. ABC will air its quietly developed drama on December 1 just three days before CBS airs its highly-publicized two- part miniseries.

In sports, Bart Bryant has the lead in the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta. He set a course record at East Lake by firing an 8 under par, 62.

To the Forecast Center and the good news from -- Jacqui.

JERAS: What beautiful weather to play golf in, too. Atlanta has just, Kelly, had unbelievable weather, 70-degree temperatures, plenty of sunshine, low humidity, very comfortable.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: Poor folks in Seattle.

OK, Jacqui, thanks so much. We'll talk to you in about 10 minutes or so.

In China there has been another outbreak of the Bird Flu. It is the country's fourth outbreak in just three weeks. Health officials are now destroying nearly 370,000 birds. The Avian Flu has infected more than 120 people in Southeast Asia and Europe and half of them have died.

A major victory to tell you about for the makers of Vioxx. A New Jersey jury finds drugmaker Merck did not mislead consumers and doctors about the dangers of the painkiller. The company's senior vice president says Merck is vindicated by the decision, but the issue is far from settled. Merck is still facing more than 6,000 lawsuits over the safety of the drug. It was pulled from the market back in September of 2004.

And we want to remind you about our e-mail "Question of the Day." What does it take to be an American? We're talking about what should be on the citizenship test to be an American. E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com. And we'll be reading some of your responses coming up very soon. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Jacqui, you getting a lot of e-mail there?

JERAS: A lot.

WALLACE: Good.

JERAS: A lot of responses, not all of them very nice. So don't send us the naughty ones, because we're not going to read them on the air.

WALLACE: We're not going to read those. Exactly. Those won't be included.

JERAS: Definitely not.

Anyway, this one from a proud American, they say. Alexandria Borax (ph) says I believe in the basic laws saying you should have to be born here or have a parent born here. I don't believe someone should be declared an American by a test. People who are born in Canada are Canadian and Mexico, Mexicans and America, they're Americans. There should be no test to declare you anything different.

Dick (ph) from Virginia Beach says to be an American requires a permanent commitment to constant revision.

And from John (ph) in Orange, Texas, to be an American means to have an ideal and to have the freedom to express it.

And this one cracks me up, Darlene Gallagher (ph) from Norcross, Georgia, says that the first question should be if you are on the highway and you are driving the speed limit or less which lane should you be in? The answer, the right lane.

And also...

WALLACE: Jacqui, I'm glad you brought that one up, because that one cracks me up.

JERAS: Yes, a lot of commuters today.

And one other funny one, you need to eat McDonald's and drink Coke at least five times a week. WALLACE: Really? I don't know what that will do to your waistline, but OK.

JERAS: You'll (ph) feel good.

WALLACE: All right, Jacqui, we'll talk to you very soon. Thanks so much.

Coming up in the next hour of DAYBREAK, President Bush may be getting an ugly wake-up call in South America this morning. Massive protests are planned against him. We'll take you there live. Don't go away, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back to DAYBREAK.

Yesterday morning we told you about a daring doggy rescue that would have made Lassie proud. Well now the man who owns -- owes his life to a Cocker Spaniel is talking from his hospital bed.

And our CNN's Ted Rowlands brings us a very heartwarming story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a northern California hospital, Michael Bosch had a very special visitor who he says saved his life.

MICHAEL BOSCH, PUPPY OWNER: Hi, Honey. Hello, Honey. Come here, baby. Come here. Come here to me.

ROWLANDS: Honey, a 5-month-old Cocker Spaniel, was with Michael Monday morning when he plunged 50 feet down his hillside driveway in an SUV.

BOSCH: When we got into the soft soil, it just started to tip. And I knew I was in trouble.

ROWLANDS: The SUV hit a tree. Michael and Honey were trapped, pinned inside, hanging upside down in a remote area on private land.

BOSCH: Well I sort of went through my mind, who is going to find me on 70 acres?

ROWLANDS: Michael, who suffered a heart attack in August, said his heart was racing. He says he took a nitroglycerin pill to calm himself down. Then he saw a hole in a smashed window big enough for Honey to get through.

BOSCH: I saw the opening. And I said, Honey, you have got to go home. And I pushed her out that and scurried her up the hill.

ROWLANDS: Michael then waited, hoping he could stay alive until someone could find him.

BOSCH: My only hope was that dog.

ROWLANDS: Six hours later, now evening, a quarter mile away, Robin Allen came home from work and found Honey in her driveway.

ROBIN ALLEN, NEIGHBOR: She wanted to get my attention. There is no question about that.

ROWLANDS: Robin had never seen Honey, but the phone number on Honey's tag was Michael's. So, she drove the puppy home. When she opened her car door, she could hear Michael yelling.

ALLEN: And then I realized he was yelling help.

ROWLANDS: It took rescue crews 45 minutes to get Michael out of the SUV and pull him up the hillside. With major injuries to his chest and legs, Michael was rushed to a waiting medical helicopter.

Michael only adopted Honey two weeks ago from this northern California pet shelter. He had been coming here looking for the right dog for more than a year and immediately spotted Honey two days after she arrived.

CAROL WILLIAMS-SKAGGS, MARIN CO. HUMANE SOCIETY: I think she was just meant to be his. I think that she worked her way here for that reason. It's a match made in heaven.

BOSCH: Yes. You're my baby, aren't you?

ROWLANDS: Despite five broken ribs and limited feeling in one of his legs, Michael says being reunited with Honey is already making him feel better.

BOSCH: She's never leaving my side again. I'll tell you that. That dog saved my life.

ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, San Rafael, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: Thanks to Ted for bringing us that fabulous story.

The next hour of DAYBREAK begins in just one minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: It is Friday, November 4.

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