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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush in Asia; Political Earthquake in Israel; Living With Cancer

Aired November 21, 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 Monday, November 21. He has a $25 million price tag on his head, and this morning many questions about whether the leading terrorist in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is alive or dead.
Also...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: They're making enormous progress. They have a constitution. Think about it. They're going to -- they voted for the constitution. They're going to have an election under that constitution in less than a month. That is an enormous accomplishment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: There are questions about whether the leading terrorist in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is alive or dead. We're talking about that.

Also, in defense of the White House. Donald Rumsfeld explains the administration's accomplishments in growing a democracy in Iraq.

And the stars are coming out in Atlanta. We'll show you the world's largest aquarium opening today in the Georgia capital.

And good Monday morning, everybody. Thanks so much for waking up with us.

I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.

We'll have much more on questions about Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in just a moment.

Also ahead, shocking images of what's believed to be a text message from the suspected mall shooter in Tacoma, Washington. Was it a grim warning of what was to come?

And is it a tale of bait and switch? Some accuse match.com of faking dates. We'll explain all that.

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

It is wheeled up on Air Force One. President Bush left Mongolia just about 90 minutes ago. He is wrapping up an eight-day trip to several Asia nations. While in Mongolia, the president thanked the country's leaders for providing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Vice President Dick Cheney heading back to the bully pulpit at 11:00 a.m. Eastern today. Last week he lashed out at critics of the White House regarding prewar intelligence. Again today, his subject expected to be Iraq. Also the war on terror.

CNN planning live coverage.

And panda fans can finally get their tickets today to see Tai Shan at the National Zoo. But the limited number of public viewing slots are available only on the zoo's Web site. And those lucky enough to get tickets still have to wait two more weeks to see the panda cub.

To the forecast center now and Jacqui Jeras.

Jacqui, good Monday morning to you. What is it looking like for us on the weather front today?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Very wet.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: All right, Jacqui. We'll be checking in with you again about 10 minutes from now. Thanks so much.

And we're starting this hour with a very big question: Dead or alive? Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, his name brings up images of beheadings, suicide bomb attacks and roadside bombings, a threat to U.S. troops, Iraqi police, and Iraqi civilians. There are reports al-Zarqawi was killed in a weekend raid on a suspected terrorist house in Mosul. The Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi is believed to be the head of al Qaeda in Iraq.

However, a spokesman for President Bush's National Security Council is discounting the prospect of his death, saying, "This report is highly unlikely."

We'll be going live to our Nic Robertson in Baghdad and ask him all about this at the half-hour.

As for President Bush, he is wrapping up his eight-day Asian trip with a quick stop in Mongolia today. During his four-hour stay, the president addressed members of parliament and thanked Mongolia for sending troops to Iraq. Before that, over the weekend, Mr. Bush was in China, discussing everything from human rights to trade.

Our White House Correspondent Dana Bash has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In China for intense talks, the president dove into the debate back in Washington over Iraq. Unsolicited, he called an influential Democrat who wants U.S. troops home from Iraq a good man, but wrong. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know the decision to call for an immediate withdrawal of our troops by Congressman Murtha was done in a careful and thoughtful way. I disagree with his position.

BASH: A noticeably toned-down response, compared to a White House statement just days earlier linking hawkish Congressman John Murtha to liberal filmmaker Michael Moore.

Growing doubts back home about Iraq have distracted Mr. Bush throughout Asia as he tries to focus on monumental issues in this region, especially in China.

The president spent Sunday morning at church in Beijing, one of five sanctioned and censored by the communist government. A move used to press Chinese leaders for more religious freedom.

BUSH: My hope is that the government of China will not fear the Christians who gather to worship openly.

BASH: Later, Mr. Bush took the call to broaden rights for China's 1.3 billion to its leader, President Hu Jintao. But with reports of a pre-Bush visit crackdown on dissidents, the secretary of state expressed dismay.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We've certainly not seen the progress that we would expect. And I think we'll have to keep working on it.

BASH: The president spent much of his talks poring over economic differences with the Chinese powerhouse that puts the U.S. at a huge disadvantage. He won no concessions from China on its undervalued currency or the expected $200 billion trade deficit.

Bush aides did report some promises from China's premier about another major issue, piracy.

(on camera): Counterfeit products sold freely at markets like this at Beijing and exported around the world are estimated to cost Americans 750,000 jobs and U.S. businesses $250 billion a year.

(voice over): Experts say China makes the bulk of pirated copyright material...

After a series of tense talks, the president shed his suit for a pair of shorts.

BUSH: How do you say "Take it easy on the old man?"

BASH: ... and met up with six Chinese Olympic hopefuls. A little time out for his favorite sport.

BUSH: Just getting warmed up.

BASH: Dana Bash, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And the debate over when to bring American troops home from Iraq is still the center of controversy this morning. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says we can expect some previously planned cutbacks after the December elections, but he says field commanders will determine when it's time to begin pulling out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUMSFELD: We'll be going down from 160,000 back to 138,000 after the December 15 election. But reductions beyond that are things that the president will decide based on the recommendations of the battlefield commanders. And my guess is we'll continue to find that the conditions permit reductions as the Iraqi security forces continue to grow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And the defense secretary also had this exchange with CNN's Wolf Blitzer regarding the administration's reason for going to war in Iraq in the first place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUMSFELD: The sanctions were obviously not working very well, which sanctions tend not to after a long period of time. You've read what's been going on with oil-for-food...

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: But based on the fact that the United States didn't find...

RUMSFELD: ... in the United Nations.

BLITZER: ... any stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction...

RUMSFELD: It's clear the intelligence was wrong.

BLITZER: And it's clear that he didn't really represent much of a threat.

RUMSFELD: If you're talking about whether or not the intelligence was correct, everyone has agreed it was not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And debate over when to bring the troops home intensified last week after Democratic hawk Congressman John Murtha called for an immediate withdrawal.

Well, another very controversial topic in the nation's capital, the issue of torture. And now CIA chief Porter Goss has come out unequivocally against it in a "USA Today" interview.

He says -- and we are quoting here -- "This agency does not do torture. Torture does not work. We use lawful capabilities to collect vital information and we do it in a variety of unique and innovative ways, all of which are legal and none of which are torture."

"USA Today" says that Goss declined to describe those interrogation methods or discuss reports that the CIA has run secret prison camps overseas. It was his first interview since this month's clash between the Bush administration and the Senate regarding banning torture.

Well, other stories making news "Across America" this Monday morning.

One person in critical condition this morning following a shooting rampage at a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington. The man suspected in the shooting, Dominick Maldonado, surrendered after a three-hour standoff with police.

Before the rampage, Maldonado allegedly sent a prophetic text message to a former girlfriend. In that message he warns that trouble is coming. He says, "Today is the day the world will know my anger. Today the world will feel my pain. Today is the day I will be heard."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIFFANY ROBISON, SUSPECT'S EX-GIRLFRIEND: He didn't sound upset. He sounded relaxed. He just said that "I'm either going to a good place, where good people go, or I'm going to a bad place, where bad people go."

And he just apologized for being rude to me in the last few week and stuff, and said that he really cared about me and he had to go. He couldn't talk anymore. And then he sent me this text message at 11:58, and the shooting started at 12:15. And I wasn't aware of that.

My friend called me and said, "Did you hear what happened at the mall?" I was like, "No." And as soon as she told me, I was like, "Dominick." I already knew.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And Maldonado is now being held on assault and kidnapping charges. He had been holding three hostages when he finally surrendered to police.

Firefighters have almost completely contained a wildfire in Ventura County, California. The blaze charred more than 3,500 acres north of Los Angeles. No homes were destroyed in the fire, but residents were forced from their homes for a short time. Several oilfields and support buildings were burned in that blaze.

And one pilot is dead following the collision of two helicopters at a racetrack near Miami, Florida. The crash came just after the season-ending NASCAR race in Homestead, Florida. The choppers collided when one was landing and the other was taking off. No one but the pilots were on board the two choppers.

Well, here's a question for you: Safe or dangerous? How would you rank your very own city? Well, an annual list is out based on crime statistics in cities with populations over 75,000. And for the second year in a row, Camden, New Jersey, is listed as the most dangerous city in the country. Detroit takes the number two spot, followed by St. Louis. Newton, Massachusetts, is named the safest city, followed by Clarkstown, New York, and Amherst, New York.

Well, shifting gears quite a bit now, have you ever considered looking for love online? This next story is enough to give Cupid a broken heart, because a top Internet dating Web site is accused of hiring people as date bait. A former match.com customer says the Web site secretly hired people to go out with some of their one million customers so they would keep paying for the service. Now this customer has filed a racketeering lawsuit in Los Angeles, hoping other customers will join and that they can turn it all into a class action suit.

Match.com denies the charge.

To my pal Jacqui Jeras in Atlanta.

Jacqui, I'm just wondering what impact this could have on people who use match.com and other online dating services.

JERAS: I don't know what kind of impact it will have them. But, you know, can I just play devil's advocate for one quick sec?

WALLACE: Absolutely.

JERAS: Is it really that bad if they don't find out about it? They have a really great date, it boosts their egos, they have a good time, it gives them hope.

WALLACE: That's a very good point. It leads to happier people, and that's always a good thing. But then, what if they think this could be the real thing, and they ultimately have to find out, sorry, I was just paid to go out with you.

JERAS: Yes, that would be bad news. But I do know that love online works, personally.

WALLACE: I hear you have -- I hear you know, though, first-hand accounts.

JERAS: For my sister.

WALLACE: Right.

JERAS: It wasn't match.com. It was one of the other big ones. I don't remember what the name of it is. But she met her fiance, and they are getting married on December 10.

So it worked out. And he's a great guy. Really, I adore him.

So we want to know what you think. Heaven or Hell: Can you find true love online? E-mail us, DAYBREAK@CNN.com. We'll read you responses on the air before the end of the hour.

WALLACE: I know, Jacqui, we're going to be getting some interesting e-mails this morning. All right, Jacqui. We'll talk to you in a few minutes.

And coming up here on DAYBREAK, the water may be gone, but something else remains. The question: how to get rid of the mold left behind by Hurricane Katrina. The details are coming up.

And later, a big fish story. Come on in, the water's fine at a new aquarium in Georgia.

We'll show you all of that coming up. But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning, November 21.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: The international markets are mixed this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei is up 57 points, while London's FTSE is slightly lower, down eight points. But the German DAX is edging higher, adding 13 points.

In futures trading, crude oil is higher, trading up 57 cents at $57.78 a barrel this morning.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's about 17 minutes after the hour, and here is what is all new this morning.

President Bush has wrapped up his eight-nation Asian trip. He left Mongolia just about two hours ago. The president will be back in the nation's capital later tonight.

We are still years away from having a bird flu vaccine. That news from Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. He says it will take the United States three to five years before we're at proper capacity to produce any adequate bird flu vaccine.

In money, you may have noticed something different at your local gas station. That's right, lower prices. A leading survey finds that prices have fallen by more than 18 cents a gallon over the past two weeks.

In culture, the so-called peace mom has written a book. Cindy Sheehan kept a journal during her month-long vigil at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas. Now those entries, along with some speeches and other thoughts, have been compiled into a book that will hit store shelves on Wednesday.

In sports, Tony Stewart is now a two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion. Stewart captured his second title with a 15th place finish at Sunday's race in Homestead, Florida. Greg Biffle won the race, but still finished second to Stewart in the championship.

And Jacqui in Atlanta with a check of the weather.

Jacqui, what's looking -- what's it looking like for us? (WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: All right, Jacqui. Thanks so much. Talk to you in a few minutes.

Now focus our attention on the Middle East. A blockbuster announcement, and the impact could reverberate all the way to Washington.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to form a new political party, and some are calling it the greatest political earthquake Israel has ever seen.

Our John Vause is live in Jerusalem this morning.

John, always great to see you.

The big question, why is Prime Minister Sharon doing this?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kelly.

Well, essentially, Ariel Sharon doesn't like playing defense. He likes playing offense, whether he is a politician or the army general. And the aides close to him say it's become increasingly obvious to Mr. Sharon that his agenda is being hampered by a small number of rebels within his own Likud Party, and that if he was to stay within the Likud, even as leader, he would not get his agenda through.

So there's a lot of talk today that if somehow Ariel Sharon manages to pull this off, if somehow he is reelected prime minister for a third term, that he will continue to withdraw, to evacuate settlements from the West Bank. Much like we saw from the Gaza Strip earlier this year when he evacuated 8,000 Jewish settlers and the soldiers from the Gaza Strip, a unilateral plan that was opposed every step of the way by this small but influential number of Likud Party rebels.

So what we're seeing today from Ariel Sharon, he hated that year. It was the year from hell for him. So he is basically changing the rules of the game.

A few hours from now, Ariel Sharon will hold a press conference where it's expected that he will announce that he is leaving the Likud party and forming a new party possibly called National Responsibility. This will be a moderate, centrist party, bringing in politicians from the Likud, his own party, and also from the Labor Party, from the left. Possibly even the former Labor leader and his old friend, Shimon Peres.

And also by doing this, Kelly, it seems Ariel Sharon is trying to cash in on his newfound support, his newfound popularity among mainstream Israelis that he won after the Gaza pullout, Israelis who would never, ever, ever vote for the Likud Party, but they might just consider voting for a centrist party led by Ariel Sharon. One political commentator, as you said, called this an earthquake. Another called it a tsunami. It's pretty big -- Kelly.

WALLACE: It is pretty big, John. And I understand the expectation is that we could see elections this spring, possibly in March. So the question is, who could Prime Minister Sharon be up against?

VAUSE: What happens now, Ariel Sharon went to the president this morning. The president is considering his request of his old parliament. We should hear from the Israeli president later today, maybe tomorrow about that request. He agrees that there should be early elections.

Now, there are a number of senior ministers lining up on the Likud side for the leadership of the Likud Party, and one of the frontrunners is former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the man who used to be finance minister up until a couple months ago when he resigned his minister -- he resigned from his portfolio out of protest over the Gaza withdrawal. He's a conservative hard-liner, but many people believe he's just a political opportunist.

But on the other side of politics, on the left, on the Labor side, is the newly-elected leader of the Labor Party, Amir Peretz, a former union leader, a fiery speaker, a man who has his roots deep within the socialist heart of this country. He's opposed to the government's economic policies which he believes has affected the poor, the immigrant population here, as well as the elderly. And he is also a man, though, who is widely believed to be more inclined to negotiate some kind of peace deal with the Palestinians if he's elected.

So that's what it's shaping up to be come the next election, which most likely will be held in March -- Kelly.

WALLACE: John, interesting times in Israel.

John Vause giving us the latest from Jerusalem. We appreciate it.

Thanks so much.

And still to come on this busy Monday morning, the water's gone, but the mold remains. Ahead, a revolutionary way for New Orleans residents to get rid of the mold left behind.

And some hopeful news for cancer patients. A diagnosis does not mean a death sentence. Up next, we'll meet a woman who is living with the disease.

You're watching DAYBREAK for Monday, November 21. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JERAS: We want to hear from you. Heaven or hell: Can you find true love online? Getting some interesting responses already. And we want to hear from you this morning.

E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com -- Kelly.

WALLACE: Thanks, Jacqui.

And we look forward to hearing what all of you have to say.

Well, 34 years ago, President Nixon declared a national war on cancer. The disease was really a virtual death sentence back in the 1970s. But today, millions are alive because of cutting-edge technologies.

CNN's Carol Lin found out that there is a whole new generation living with cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Susan King loves every second of her life because she was once told she was going to die from an incurable cancer, chronic myeloid leukemia.

(on camera): What is going through your head?

SUSAN KING, CANCER SURVIVOR: I was in complete panic, complete panic. I said, "This -- I can't. I can't. I have these two little kids."

LIN (voice-over): She fell into a deep depression and was admitted into a psychiatric ward.

KING: It's the worst feeling I've ever had in my entire life. It felt like you were going down a well, falling face first down a well with your arms tied behind your back.

LIN: But four years later, Susan is very much alive -- tan, athletic and active -- yet the killer cancer is still inside her body. She is one of a whole new generation of people living with cancer, controlled in Susan's case by a breakthrough drug. Gleevec was FDA- approved shortly after Susan's fatal diagnosis. Dr. Brian Druker developed the drug and talks about a new frontier in cancer treatment.

(on camera): So project me now, I don't know, 10, 20, 30 years down the road. What is the world of cancer to you? What is it going to be like?

DR. BRIAN DRUKER, OREGON HEALTH SCIENCE UNIV.: Cures at a higher rate, more survivors, but more survivors that are living and thriving despite their cancer.

LIN (voice-over): No painful piercing of needles, no more spending hours in the chemo lab, now Susan takes just six pills a day. But Gleevec only controls the leukemia. On average, it's 4 percent less effective every year, which means patients like Susan King are living on borrowed time.

KING: The fear -- you know, week to week, I mean, my blood work could change next week, and it could show all these blast cells and I could go into the next phase of my disease in that amount of time.

LIN (on camera): The National Institutes of Health predict that in the United States, half of all men and a third of all women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. But optimists like Dr. Druker also predict that cancer will soon be treated like any other chronic illness, like diabetes or arthritis.

(voice-over): Ellen Stovall remains cautious about breakthrough drugs and the patients taking them.

ELLEN STOVALL, NATIONAL COALITION FOR CANCER SURVIVORSHIP: What we don't know about these drugs is how long they're going to be effective. They're really the canaries in the coal mine.

LIN: She is a cancer survivor and founded the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. She's concerned that cancer patients will believe there's a magic pill for everyone. And some day, Gleevec won't help Susan King anymore, so she tells us what she tells her children.

KING: If it changes, Mummy's going to fight a new fight. And my son, Kyle (ph), just kisses me and says, "Mom, you're going to be here forever, I know it."

LIN: Carol Lin, CNN, Hartford, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: So many people affected by cancer. We thank Carol Lin for that report.

Coming up in our next half-hour here on DAYBREAK, a sneak peek at an underwater world. A new aquarium in Georgia has a big fish story for you. That's ahead.

And later, tumbling down. It took a whole lot of time to set up, but not anywhere near as long to come down. See for yourself ahead in our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."

Don't go away. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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