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CNN Live At Daybreak

Rioting in France; Katrina Mercy Killings?; 9/11 Movie

Aired November 04, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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


KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, November 4. Fire rages in the City of Lights. The last time I saw Paris it definitely didn't look like this. Another night of riots in the streets. We'll tell you all about it.
Also, President Bush takes his show on the road, but he's getting a rude awakening in South America this morning.

And the latest on the case of alleged mercy killings in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It is a CNN investigation.

And good morning, everyone. I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.

Thanks so much for waking up with us.

We will have much more on the Paris riots in just a moment.

Also, how do you dramatize something that's already so dramatic? Hollywood's about to tackle September 11, and not everyone's happy about it.

And speaking of drama, we've got a wild rescue from the top of a moving train. That's ahead as we take a look "Across America."

But first these stories "Now in the News."

In less than two hours, President Bush kicks of meetings at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina. Representatives from the nations that are part of the Central American Free Trade Agreement are first on the agenda. President Bush plans to use the summit to promote free trade zones and regional security issues.

Six Iraqi police officers are dead following a shootout with gunmen at a checkpoint north of Baghdad. Police say at least 12 others were injured in that gun battle.

A search and rescue operation is under way off the southern coast of Pakistan this morning. At least 17 people are dead and more are feared drowned after a ferry capsized. Local media reports say the people on the ferry were on their way to a family funeral.

And to the forecast center now. Jacqui Jeras is there.

And Jacqui, isn't it great that it is Friday?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm so happy. WALLACE: I'm so happy, too.

JERAS: I'll be sleeping this weekend.

WALLACE: Catching up on the sleep you missed during the week.

JERAS: I know. I'm going to have to give some of it up, though, I think. And a lot of people at home probably are with me on this one, because the weather just phenomenal.

WALLACE: Oh, we love hearing that.

JERAS: Perfect with a capital "P." I'm telling you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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

And our top story this morning, rioting in France. The violence has spread outside the Paris suburbs for the first time since the rioting began eight days ago. Fires and fighting are now being seen in 20 mostly immigrant communities.

CNN's Chris Burns is in Paris. He joins us live on the phone.

Chris, thanks for joining us. Give us a sense of what is behind all of these riots.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, there really is a lot of frustration among these youth, and it has spread, as you said, beyond Paris. We've actually gotten reports of rioting in Dijon, in eastern France, in Huwal (ph) in Normandy, in western France, and in the Marseilles area in the south.

So really, it is a nationwide problem in these areas where youth unemployment is somewhere over 50 percent. A lot of frustration, but there's also a lot of hooliganism. And this is where the government is trying to work with community groups to try to calm these people down.

It's very, very difficult. And it is spreading. And last night we saw warehouses burned in the Paris area, another school burned, another police car shot at, molotov cocktails being thrown. Buses were stoned, others were torched.

Some more arrests. More than -- around 150 people have been arrested, a number of injuries. And it doesn't look like it's going to stop.

This was the eighth night last night. And with the weekend coming up, it could -- it possibly could get worse.

Now, the government has sent out more police, plan to deploy some 2,000 more police in the Paris area. This, as the prime minister, Dominque de Villepin, promises an iron fist against those who are rioting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I refuse to accept that organized gangs are laying down the law in certain neighborhoods. I refuse to accept that crime and drug dealing take advantage of disorder to flourish. I refuse to accept the intimidation and threat of the stronger against the weaker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: This comes after, of course, there were comments by the interior minister, who would like to become president. Nicolas Sarkozy calling some of the rioters "scum," saying he would steam clean the slums of troublemakers. That seems to have inflamed tensions and caused even more trouble.

This is where the government is now grappling with what to do. Should they send the army in? Should they try to rely on community groups to try to calm things down? We'll just have to see -- Kelly.

WALLACE: And Chris, how much is this squabbling within the French government, these political rivalries impacting the administration's ability to control the situation there?

BURNS: Well, we definitely have this rivalry between Dominique de Villepin, the prime minister, and Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister. They both want to become president in a couple of years, and so they are jockeying. And some of their strong statements, like Sarkozy's, is aimed at gaining the far right support. And this seems to have blown up in his face with these -- with these riots.

And the question is now, will they be able to put their heads together and try to come out with a coherent policy that will stop this rioting? It is not yet clear that they have arrived at that point yet.

WALLACE: All right. Chris, we'll be watching your reports throughout the day on CNN.

Chris Burns reporting for us live from Paris.

The Summit of the Americas gets under way about two hours from now in Argentina. President and Mrs. Bush arrived at dusk in the seaside resort of Mar del Plata. The president is hoping to polish the United States' tarnished image in Latin America and promote free trade to leaders of 33 nations.

It may be a tough sell, though. Many anti-Bush protesters have taken to the streets of Mar del Plata ahead of these meetings, and thousands more expected to march there today.

We will bringing you a live report from the summit in the next hour of DAYBREAK. So be sure to stay tuned for that.

Sticking to Washington now, the Senate is rejecting President Bush's request for an early hearing on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. The judge has been making the rounds on Capitol hill this week. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Republican Arlen Specter says it simply isn't possible to hold the vote on Alito before the end of the year, which is what the White House wanted. Instead, the Senate has decided to begin the hearings the second week of January.

More news "Across America" this morning.

Sheriff's deputies in southern California arrested a man on top of an Amtrak train. The man jumped 20 feet onto the train as it pulled out of the station. Police say the man broke his ankle in the jump. It is not known why he jumped in the first place.

Two teenagers were seriously injured in a bus accident near Dallas. The Royse City High School bus rolled over while carrying the junior varsity football team to their game. The bus driver says the wheels lost traction before the bus turned over. This crash is now under investigation.

And the son of Miami police chief will be in a New York courtroom today. Twenty-five-year-old Sean Timoney is being held without bail on charges he tried to buy nearly $500,000 worth of marijuana. The college student was arrested with an alleged accomplice after handing over a bag of money to an undercover agent. His father, John Timoney, was also once New York City's deputy police commissioner.

Well, coming up on this Friday morning here on DAYBREAK, the truth will come out. A CNN exclusive delves deeper into the deaths of 45 patients at New Orleans Baptist Memorial Hospital. A possible murder case with no proof.

And the indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby also puts the vice presidential on trial in the court of public opinion. Democrats accuse Dick Cheney of rearranging the furniture instead of cleaning house.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: The international markets are mixed this morning. Strong gains for Tokyo's Nikkei, up 181 points. The London FTSE is losing only two points. And the German DAX is down six.

In futures trading, after gaining nearly $2 a barrel yesterday, oil is down 42 cents this morning, at $61.36.

And welcome back to DAYBREAK.

We're looking now at the aftermath following Hurricane Katrina. Did mercy killings take place at a New Orleans hospital after the hurricane? CNN's investigative team has been digging into mysterious deaths and allegations that staff discussed performing euthanasia on some patients. In a CNN exclusive, our investigative correspondent Drew Griffin talks to a new witness who says his mother nearly died at Memorial Hospital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the first time he has been back and the first time he has ever spoken about what happened at New Orleans' Memorial Hospital. Lionel Hall's mother was a stroke patient here during the hurricane. And, in the chaos that followed, he believes, if his mother had been left alone, she would have died.

(on camera): If you did not do what you did, if you left your mother in their -- quote, unquote -- "care," you are for certain she would be dead by now?

LIONEL HALL, SON OF FORMER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PATIENT: One hundred percent, just like any of the other people that they found here dead.

GRIFFIN: And she is, today, 100 percent alive.

HALL: One hundred percent alive.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Artie Hall had a stroke weeks before Katrina and was being cared for in room 5128. As the hurricane approached, Lionel Hall says he came to the hospital determined to be with his mom. They survived the storm, but the aftermath, he says, nearly killed them both.

HALL: I believe the truth should be told, because it was a sad thing that happened here.

GRIFFIN: News spread quickly through the hospital, he said, that patients on life support were dying because there was no power. Panic crept in. Those who could get out did. But invalids, like his mother, had to stay behind. He says that, after a few days, hospital administrators said it was time for him to go.

HALL: So...

GRIFFIN (on camera): And they said specifically to you what?

HALL: We want you to leave your mother with us. And, you guys, leave.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): A spokesman for Tenet Healthcare, which owns the hospital, said the staff performed heroically. While not addressing Lionel Hall specifically, the spokesman said people were encouraged to evacuate as transport became available.

Lionel Hall met Dr. Bryant King, a contracted doctor working inside Memorial. It was Dr. Bryant King, he says, who convinced him, if his mother stayed, she would die. HALL: What he said to me was, "They are all going to burn in hell" -- his words to me. And he said, "Man, let's get your mother. Let's get her through a wall and let's get her out of here." And we proceeded to do so.

GRIFFIN: In exclusive interviews with CNN, it was Dr. Bryant King who first went public with allegations that some doctors and an administrator discussed putting patients out of their misery, performing mercy killings at Memorial in the aftermath of the storm. King says, an administrator suggested praying. And then there was this.

DR. BRYANT KING, MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER: I looked around, and one of the other physicians -- not the one who had the conversation with me, but another, had a handful of syringes. I don't know what's in the syringes. I don't know what -- and the only thing I heard her say is: I'm going to give you something to make you feel better.

I don't know what she was going -- what she was going to give them. But we hadn't been giving -- we hadn't been giving medications like that to -- to make people feel better or any sort of palliative care or anything like that. We hadn't been doing that up to this point.

GRIFFIN: Lionel Hall left New Orleans' Memorial Hospital on Thursday, September 2. He and his mother were two of the last people to leave this hospital alive, he said. He's convinced, if he hadn't been here that day, his mother would be dead.

HALL: She would not be here, as well as some of the other people that were here alive when we left, and they were not when -- let's just say when America found out there were people here dead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And that report from CNN investigative reporter Drew Griffin.

Forty-five patients were found dead at Memorial Hospital. The Louisiana attorney general has subpoenaed 73 hospital workers. And investigators are waiting on toxicology reports.

Well, your news, money, weather and sports. It's about 16 minutes after the hour, and here is what is all new this morning.

Protesters taking to the streets at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina. The fourth meeting of Latin American leaders has attracted large demonstrations. It also puts President Bush face to face with his Venezuelan nemesis, President Hugo Chavez.

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

In money, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan tells Congress, "Don't presume the deficit doesn't matter." Greenspan says there can't be bloated budget deficits, the third highest on record, and tax cuts.

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

In sports, Big Ben's bum knee will keep him off the field Sunday. Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome right knee and won't play against Green Bay. Veteran backup Charlie Batch will start in his place.

So Jacqui, what do you think that will mean for the Steelers?

JERAS: There are a lot of hurt players out there.

WALLACE: I know.

JERAS: Dante Culpepper -- yes, a lot of them.

WALLACE: You know more about football than I do.

(LAUGHTER)

JERAS: That's like the one team I know.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: All right, Jacqui. And stick around, because you're going to be helping me out with this.

We want to tell you about something. Britain is trying something different on its citizenship test. Instead of just asking about history, the British are mixing in some practical knowledge, like what number do you call for police, and do you need a dog license? They say the multiple choice test gives a better idea of what it means to be British.

And Jacqui, as you know, this is sparking a bit of debate inside England, because some people say people should know about their history, that's more important, than some of these other matters, like what number to call for the police.

JERAS: Well, right. And that number's 999, if you don't know who to call the police. I think that's important information, though, don't you?

WALLACE: It is important information.

JERAS: You better know that.

WALLACE: Yes. But it is funny. I don't know, some of the questions were also knowing how old you must be to buy a lottery ticket, what the voltage standards are in the country.

JERAS: That's a tough one. WALLACE: It's a different...

JERAS: Voltage standards?

WALLACE: I know. I don't if I would pass.

JERAS: I don't have a clue. I know it's different over there than it is over here.

WALLACE: It is.

JERAS: You know, I did also pull up on the Web, by the way, what it takes to be an American for us, and a list of 25 questions that they had. Most of them really are history related. And I bet you, Kelly, you could probably answer all of them, but I won't put you on the spot.

WALLACE: Well, I'm really glad you want, because I don't think I would.

JERAS: But they're questions like, what is the Constitution? Who elects Congress? How long do we elect each senator? There's also who was the first -- or what was the first nation to land a man on the moon?

Good question.

WALLACE: Good questions, indeed.

JERAS: Yes.

Well, we want to know what you think: What does it take to be an American? E-mail us your answers, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

WALLACE: All right, Jacqui. We'll be interested to see what our viewers are saying about that this morning. We'll talk to you in a few minutes -- few minutes.

Well, just think of him as Vanilla Twice (ph). Britney's K-Fed is entering the rap game, and the results are pretty much as you might expect, cover your ears. Ouch. Ouch. That story is next.

And coming soon to a theater near you, the darkest day in American history, bringing the touchy subject of September 11 to the big screen.

That's all coming up.

You're watching DAYBREAK for Friday, November 4. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And another reminder. We want to hear from you. Our e-mail "Question of the Day": What does it take to be an American? What do you think should be on the citizenship test -- if I can speak clearly -- to be an American?

E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com and we will read some of your thoughts later in this half-hour.

Some entertainment headlines for you now this morning.

Welcome back.

Mr. Britney Spears thinks he can rap. And one song from Kevin Federline's upcoming album leaked on to the Internet. The song called "Y'all Ain't Ready" made its way across the blogosphere. Some critics are already comparing Federline to Vanilla Ice.

Spike Lee is challenging kids to make learning cool. The filmmaker says rap lifestyles are overshadowing the value of a good education. Lee was speaking at a cultural diversity conference at Middle Tennessee State University. He's currently working on a documentary about Hurricane Katrina.

And Michael Jackson is working on a star-studded song for Hurricane Katrina relief. Jackson's spokeswoman says the charity single should come out sometime this month. Snoop Dogg and R. Kelly have already recorded their parts of the song.

Well, the American tragedy that most now call 9/11 happened four years ago, as you know. But to many, it still feels like yesterday. So there are sharply-divided opinions over whether a movie about this should be made at all.

CNN's Brooke Anderson has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an important moment: actors Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena meeting the last two survivors of the World Trade Center attacks. They'll be playing these heroic officers in director Oliver Stone's untitled movie. It just began shooting, and "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is giving you this behind the scenes look.

It's one of Hollywood's first films about the September 11 attacks. The story is about these two police officers, Sergeant John McLoughlin and Officer William Jimeno. They were rescued from the trade center rubble after being trapped for a terrifying 22 hours.

(on camera) I'm here at Ground Zero. There's no doubt this is sacred ground. That's why some families of the victims of September 11 are making extra sure that Stone treats the story with proper respect.

CHARLES WOLF, LOST WIFE IN 9/11 ATTACKS: I'm concerned about revisionist history, and I am -- I am very sure that they're not going do that.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Charles Wolf lost his wife on September 11, and he tells "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" he's been working with producers at Paramount to make sure the movie portrays the day's events accurately.

WOLF: It turns out that are -- they're being extremely sensitive about this. They're -- they're -- it's an actual depiction. It is not a - - it's not going to be -- you're not going see planes hitting the buildings. You're not going see the buildings falling. You're not going to see bodies falling.

ANDERSON: Some raised concerns about how Stone might interpret the attacks in the film, like reporter John Schumo of New York One. He covered the entire story of the two officers as it was happening.

JOHN SCHUMO, NEW YORK ONE: These stories tend to be so dramatic that the film versions and the play versions and the TV versions tend to rub some of the 9/11 victims' family members the wrong way. Why dramatize an already dramatic event?

ANDERSON: Oliver Stone's redramatization of another national tragedy was steeped in controversy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I stepped down to the curb and yelled, "Hey, Mr. President."

ANDERSON: In "JFK," Stone included conspiracy theories, which families of 9/11 victims want to make sure doesn't happen in this movie.

But the movie's producers say they will take great care to depict the day's event as it happened, without injecting politics. Nicholas Cage told "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" he understands people's concerns.

NICHOLAS CAGE, ACTOR: This is not an exploitive movie. This is not in any way an action film. This is a story with -- about a handful of cops who went into the World Trade Center. It's a true story based on fact. These are real living people.

ANDERSON (on camera): So is making a movie about September 11 ultimately a good idea? We decided to ask people for ourselves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like anything that we -- when we capitalize on someone's tragedy that -- then you're walking a thin line and especially to make money from.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess my strongest feeling is that, if it was done and it helped the victims from this somehow, I think it would be a great thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's too soon. I think they should give it a little time before they start making all these movies about what happened here. I still think about it.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Four years have passed since 9/11, and this is still a hot button issue, but producers promise a movie that is based more on truth and less on drama.

WOLF: Listen, I'm not a gushy type of person, but I will say this, that I believe that the representation that they're doing, and I will tell you this, that Oliver Stone himself is very, very keen on getting this right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And that was CNN's Brooke Anderson reporting. You can also catch Brooke on Headline News' "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."

Oliver Stone's movie about September 11 due in theaters next August.

And here is what is all new in the next half-hour here on DAYBREAK.

He is the president's right-hand man. Now his right-hand man is under indictment. What the Scooter Libby affair could mean for Dick Cheney and for George Bush.

Plus, new questions for Tom DeLay. And they're questions he doesn't necessarily want to answer.

That's all coming up. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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