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CNN Live At Daybreak

Pushing Free Trade; Bird Flu Plan; Deadly Tornado; Renewed Spirit

Aired November 07, 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: Good Monday morning. From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK. I'm Kelly Wallace in today for Carol Costello. Thanks for waking up with us.
Coming up in the next 30 minutes, fighting the Bird Flu. It's the focus of a conference in Geneva this morning. We will take you there live.

And a day of death in the Midwest, tornadoes descend on an area of Indiana, leaving behind lost lives and shattered homes. That's all ahead.

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

Escaped Texas death row inmate Charles Thompson is back in custody this morning. Thompson was recaptured outside a Shreveport, Louisiana liquor store three days after he escaped. He'll be in a Shreveport courtroom today and could be sent back to Texas immediately if he waives extradition.

Riots spread across France for an 11th straight night with gangs torching buildings and vehicles. Thirty police officers were injured and more than 1,400 vehicles burned overnight. The violence began after the electrocution deaths of two teenagers who were running from police.

And the two astronauts at the International Space Station are preparing for a spacewalk. In about four hours from now, they'll step out of the orbiting outpost to install a huge camera and discard a probe that monitors the environment outside the station.

To Jacqui at the Forecast Center now.

Jacqui, good to see you. What's it looking like for most of us today?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well looking pretty good again across the east today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: Absolutely. People will be watching your reporting and elsewhere throughout the next couple of days.

Jacqui, thanks so much. We'll talk to you in a few minutes. Well our top story this half-hour, after meeting resistance during three days of Latin America trade talks, President Bush may finally get a more enthusiastic reception today. He is in Panama for talks with that country's president.

And CNN's Dana Bash is traveling with President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A day after failing to convince a 34-nation summit to embrace his call for a giant free trade zone, the president stood with one of his main dissenters, Brazil's leader, and acknowledged his sales pitch fell short.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's got to be convinced, just like the people of America must be convinced, that a trade arrangement in our hemisphere is good for jobs. It's good for the quality of life.

BASH: Brazil is a Latin American economic powerhouse. By joining four other nations in refusing to restart trade talks, its leaders snatched away a much need victory from the embattled Mr. Bush.

But here on President Lula da Silva's compound in Brasilia, the two men took pains to express their personal fondness for one another and common ground on a different set of trade talks.

LUIZ LULA DA SILVA, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (through translator): Our relations today are going through one of their best moments ever.

BASH: A White House goal for this trip was to strengthen America's poor standing in a region that's long felt ignored, even wronged, by U.S. policies. But even as he made his way to see the Brazilian president, Mr. Bush passed a familiar sight, protests that have become more and more personal.

The president tried to embrace the demonstrations he's encountered on this trip, even the thousands in Argentina, as democracy in action.

BUSH: I expect there to be dissent. That's what freedom is all about. People should be allowed to express themselves. And so what happened in Argentina, you know, happens in America. That's positive.

BASH: Later in the day, the president took aim, though not by name, at Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez who stirred anti-American protests in Argentina. Mr. Bush slammed his brand of democracy.

BUSH: Playing to fear, pitting neighbor against neighbor and blaming others for their own failures to provide for their people.

BASH (on camera): The White House is trying to downplay Mr. Bush's failure to return home with a victory on trade, saying it's been in trouble for awhile. But some believe because world leaders know the president is weak politically, they were more emboldened to say no.

Dana Bash, CNN, Brasilia, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: A very important Bird Flu conference getting under way today in Geneva, Switzerland. Hundreds of experts are meeting there to try and devise a global plan to contain the virus and fight off any possible mutations.

CNN's Becky Anderson is live for us in Geneva.

Becky, always great to talk to you, give us a sense of what we can expect to come out of this meeting.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Difficult to say at this point. There are some 600 officials here, global health officials, meeting at what is being billed a make or break session at this point.

And, Kelly, two major questions, can the deadly strain of Bird Flu, which has already led to the deaths of millions of birds and more than 60 humans in Southeast Asia, can that be contained? And let me just say more reports of deaths now in China and in Indonesia over the weekend. So can that deadly Bird Flu be contained? And how real is the risk of a human flu pandemic that could cost the lives of millions? Those are the questions being addressed here.

The idea is to put a plan in place which will kill this disease at source, effectively, not just contain and not just surveillance, but kill this disease at source. And let's remember where that source is, that is Southeast Asia where Avian Flu is now an endemic to the region. That is crucial.

So the plan is to get containment, surveillance in place. It's getting early warning systems in place that, we are being told here by the experts, that are most important. Early warning systems in the West, in the U.S., the Middle East, perhaps even in North Africa, where there are potential problems with Avian Flu. Not difficult, early warning systems sophisticated in areas like that, veterinary services sophisticated in regions like that.

But it's in the poorer regions in the developing world where early warning systems and surveillance systems must be put in place. They come, of course, at a high cost. And one of the agencies here, the Agriculture and Food Organization of the U.N., suggesting now not getting the money at present that is being pledged by the Western world in order to get these systems in place.

And let me just underline the importance, if I can, of the potential risk of a human pandemic, a human influenza pandemic. At the present, the WHO telling us that there is no human influenza pandemic anywhere in the world. But they say, and they have said again this morning, that that risk is great.

And just imagine this, the World Bank being reported by Reuters this morning as saying a human influenza pandemic could cost industrialized countries as much as $550 billion. Now that would suggest that between 100,000 and 200,000 human deaths in the U.S. alone. Extrapolate those figures to the costs and you get the figure of $550 billion. And that is for the developed world alone. There is no figure at this point of the cost of a human influenza pandemic elsewhere, particularly in Southeast Asia.

An extremely important conference here, as I say, 600 global health officials gathering just behind me -- Kelly.

WALLACE: Extremely important indeed, Becky. And we'll be watching to see what comes out of that meeting.

Becky Anderson, reporting live for us from Geneva, Switzerland this morning, thanks so much.

Well rescuers are getting back to work in southern Indiana this morning, a day after a powerful tornado ripped through the region. At least 22 people are dead. Most of them from a trailer park in Evansville.

And as our Ed Lavandera reports, rescuers definitely have their hands full.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Let's see if we can kind of let the door down a little bit and then we slide her up a little easier.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Using their bare hands to peel away the debris and a door as a stretcher, rescue workers pull a woman from her destroyed home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be careful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't roll off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honey, don't roll off.

LAVANDERA: A tornado drops from the darkness, unleashing a surprised trail of devastation as this city slept. At 2:00 in the morning, most people only have nightmares about scenes like this, but it was very real.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was downstairs. I heard the tree hit my window. All I could see was the opening to the sky. And I just screamed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was just glass and wood debris just flying all around my head. So I had to pull my covers over my head for about 45 seconds to a minute.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt rain in my face. And I got up, and my ceiling fell on my bed just where I got up. I'm alive. LAVANDERA: Search and rescue efforts continue for survivors and victims. Crews have brought in dogs to search through destroyed homes. Heavy machinery will move chunks of rooftops and walls.

Some people are still looking for loved ones. But the wait has ended for Steve Hale, who has just learned a friend's 6-year old granddaughter was found dead.

STEVE HALE, STORM SURVIVOR: It was terrible. You know how do you hold up in a situation like this? I think for a lot of it, you know, it hasn't sunk in.

LAVANDERA: Tornado sirens didn't fire off until 30 minutes before the twister touched down. Officials say the siren probably wasn't loud enough to wake people up anyway.

CHAD BENNETT, NEWBURG FIRE DEPT.: The thing that really hurt us the most on this is the fact that this storm happened in the middle of the night. Most people were asleep, did not have communication on. All they were awoke to was their roof being peeled off. And so that, I think, is probably what's going to make our numbers of injured and dead play a big factor in this.

LAVANDERA: The tornado's destructive path stretched across 20 miles of southern Indiana. Residents who escaped serious injury, like Casey Lockhart, are still stunned by the experience.

CASEY LOCKHART, STORM SURVIVOR: My back window blew out. And then all the debris and stuff from the back room come in on top of me. And then I was swirled around inside the house on my bed. No way I should have lived through that, absolutely no way. I can show you the spot where I was at, and if you believe a man would live through that, just no way you could do it.

LAVANDERA (on camera): And that is a sentiment many survivors are sharing. However, there are still about 200 people unaccounted for, so search and rescue teams will return again Monday morning to continue their work.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Evansville, Indiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: More news "Across America" this morning.

There is a new effort under way to get Philadelphia's trains and buses rolling again. The region's transit agency has resumed talks with striking workers at the urging of Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. The two sides have swapped contract proposals and are now reviewing them. The weeklong strike has shut down nearly all bus and subway service in the area, affecting hundreds of thousands of people.

In Tampa, Florida, a mangled sinking SUV, a 7-year-old boy trapped inside. What could have been a tragic story has a happy ending. We are so pleased to tell you. A man dove from a bridge into Tampa Bay to rescue the boy after his family's SUV blew a tire and flipped into the water. A local nurse also dove in and performed CPR. Other people pulled the boy's parents and a sibling from the water.

And finally, this story might be a bit inflated. You'll forgive us for that. Workers are testing out the balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The balloons are being floated at Giant Stadium in New Jersey. This year's parade features several new balloons, including Scooby-Doo.

Well now a follow-up to a story we told you about last week.

Jacqui, and you are there, right?

JERAS: Yes.

WALLACE: I think you are. We talked about this quite a bit. This is all about Abercrombie & Fitch. It is backing down, Jacqui. The company is saying it will stop selling some T-shirts that a group of teenage girls found offensive. The shirts sported words such as who needs brains when you have these? And I think you know what they are talking about there.

JERAS: Yikes!

WALLACE: And I had a nightmare I was a brunette.

Well a Pennsylvania girls group that promotes equity for women and girls protested by holding what they called a girlcott. The company says the shirts were intended to be funny, not offensive.

JERAS: Wow!

WALLACE: What do make of the move by the company -- Jacqui?

JERAS: I'm kind of surprised, actually. Did they get rid of all of them, do you know, Kelly, or just a few specific that were most offensive?

WALLACE: My understanding is just some. Some like the ones I mentioned, you know,...

JERAS: Yes.

WALLACE: ... who needs brains when you have these? And the other one we were joking about last week, you know, my god, I woke up and I was a brunette.

JERAS: I know.

WALLACE: But they did sort of say they took seriously this group's complaint. And that they thought these shirts, they said, were to be humorous. But they're pulling them up.

JERAS: Right.

WALLACE: I'm a little surprised, because this company has gotten into some other edgy advertising before and other...

JERAS: Right.

WALLACE: ... tactics and it hasn't kind of retreated easy.

JERAS: And they didn't do anything about it.

WALLACE: Yes.

JERAS: Exactly. Well I guess it just goes to prove, if you don't like something, you go ahead and complain about it and maybe you'll get something done.

WALLACE: Speak up, you have the power, right?

JERAS: Yes.

WALLACE: All right, Jacqui, talk to you in a few minutes.

JERAS: OK.

WALLACE: They carry your kids, but are they safe. Up next, which minivans are a smashing success in crash tests? We'll show you.

And running from the recent past. New Orleans' runners head north to the New York City Marathon. That's all coming up.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Well, for all you soccer moms and dads, listen up, ever wonder which minivan fares best in side impact crash tests? Well, wonder no more. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds the Toyota Sienna, the Nissan Quest and the Honda Odyssey at the top. The Sienna also was the best in frontal impact testing. At the bottom of the heap, the Ford Freestar and the Mazda MPV models without side airbags.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's about 50 minutes after the hour and here's what's all new this morning.

President Bush meeting with the president of Panama a little less than three hours from now. Later, he'll lay a wreath at an American cemetery and then tour the Panama Canal.

More than 3,000 U.S. troops and 550 Iraqi troops are battling insurgents near the Syrian border in western Iraq. Since Saturday, 1 Marine has been killed, along with as many as 80 insurgents.

In money, gas prices are down about 23 cents per gallon over the past two weeks. The Lundberg Survey says the average for a gallon of self-serve regular, $2.43.

In culture, beginning next year, advanced music scholars at Yale University will be admitted free, as in no tuition at all. An anonymous donation of $100 million is making that move possible. In sports, the Philadelphia Eagles are in last place. Sorry, you Eagles fans. That's in the NFC East. After losing 17 to 10 to the Washington Redskins. All pro receiver Terrell Owens didn't play. He had been suspended for comments about the Eagles and quarterback Donovan McNabb.

In sports, Bart Bryant now has his third career victory as a pro golfer. He finished the final round of the PGA Tour Championship with a 3 under par 67 on Sunday, beating Tiger Woods by 6 shots.

Jacqui, are you a big golfing fan?

JERAS: I prefer to golf than to watch other people golf.

WALLACE: I bet you are good out there.

JERAS: I'm OK. If I played a little more, I'd probably be a little better.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: All right, Jacqui, thanks so much.

And this news just in to CNN here at DAYBREAK. The Associated Press reporting that Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell announcing that there has been a tentative agreement in the current transit strike situation. The Associated Press saying that negotiators for the region's transit agency and the union representing striking workers have reached a tentative agreement on a four-year contract. This all coming, again, from the Pennsylvania governor.

If you have been following this story, it has been an ongoing striking situation affecting most bus and subway service. Hundreds of thousands of commuters have been affected for now almost a week. So this, coming from the Pennsylvania governor, that there is a tentative agreement here. Of course we will bring you more as we get it here on DAYBREAK.

Much more ahead, don't go away. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back to DAYBREAK.

As you know, the New York City Marathon draws runners from all over, including many international competitors. Among the thousands of runners yesterday, a running club from New Orleans.

Our J.J. Ramberg tells us about the renewed spirit of the Catch 22 Track Club.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On August 29, as Katrina's winds lashed New Orleans and waters flooded the city, Brandon Wingate was running for his life. BRANDON WINGATE, CATCH 22 TRACK CLUB: Seen death. Seen a -- you know, heard a lot of people just trying to get out of these houses. And so it was pretty terrifying. I mean, not knowing what was going to be the next step, not knowing what was going to be the next thing that you were going to do.

RAMBERG: Ten weeks later, Wingate and 23 of his friends from the New Orleans' Catch 22 Track Club are running a different path, the New York City Marathon. Wearing shirts sporting the phrase "Proud to Call It Home," they want to show the world they're not only tough enough to handle the 26.2 miles through New York, but also the long road that lies ahead for their own city.

WINGATE: We're just proud to be down here and represent New Orleans. And we're here to kind of make a stand and say we're just going to rebuild.

RAMBERG: Before the storm hit, the running club was training for the marathon twice a week. But after homes, like Wingate's, were destroyed and members were scattered around the country, the prospect of coming to New York seemed like a dream from another time, until organizer Andrew Lilly brought those who had returned home back together.

ANDREW LILLY, CATCH 22 TRACK CLUB: And you know, we're not sheet rockers or roofers, and so, so far, we really haven't contributed to rebuilding. And maybe this is our way. If one or two people seeing it gives them some hope, you know, then we've accomplished something.

RAMBERG: With running tracks washed away in New Orleans, their training over the past few weeks has been replaced by dinner together and swapping stories of harrowing experiences. But, they said, the prospect of crossing that finish line all together was enough to get them through the grueling race.

WINGATE: It's a great feeling to be able to just run again, just to come here and run, not only the marathon, but just get out and be alive and do normal things, get back to normalcy.

RAMBERG: J.J. Ramberg, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: Congratulations to them.

Well, we told you earlier that business correspondent Carrie Lee ran in the marathon. Here is her time, 4 hours, 24 minutes, 18 seconds. Listen to this, only 14,409 people finished ahead of our very own Carrie Lee. That's an incredible accomplishment. We are proud of her. And we are sure she's getting some rest, some much- needed rest, after the 26.2-mile race.

Well here is what is all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

Torn apart by a tornado's deadly force. We'll go live to Indiana where the search for survivors is still on a day after the storm hit. Plus, his escape from prison was a smooth operation, but his capture a bit more ordinary. We've got more details on this death row inmate who alluded police for three days.

This is DAYBREAK for a Monday. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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