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CNN Live At Daybreak
Leak Investigation; Fight for Iraq; What Went Wrong?; Obesity Costs; Mocking Miers
Aired October 28, 2005 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you - Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Sure.
COSTELLO: We may finally get some answers in the CIA leak investigation today. Are indictments on the way? Will the key people in the case be exonerated? Will the special prosecutor ask for more time?
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken takes a look at the possibilities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One thing we know, Patrick Fitzgerald can keep a secret. As the White House braces for what could be the second day in a row of terrible news, the special prosecutor has given no indication, at least publicly, what his intentions are. But more importantly, what the grand jury's intentions are, as it holds its last scheduled session on Friday.
The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedures allow for extensions. There has already been one. But announcements are expected by Friday's end, decisions made, if they haven't been already, on whether indictments will be handed up or not; and if so, against whom.
The most publicly discussed names include Karl Rove, the president's chief political adviser since the beginning of the president's political career. The grand jury has heard testimony about his conversations with reporters around the time that Valerie Plame was identified as an undercover CIA operative. Plame is the wife of administration critic Joe Wilson. And this investigation began amid charges that the leaks about her were illegal.
Another focus is the vice president's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, whose conversations with reporters have also been the subject of grand jury testimony.
Fitzgerald met with the presiding judge Wednesday, following his presentation of evidence to the grand jury, according to sources knowledgeable about the investigation.
(on camera): An announcement is expected on a case that has unhappy possibilities for an administration that certainly needs bad news even less than possible.
Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Millions of homes in south Florida still don't have electricity this morning, and many of those people near Miami and Fort Lauderdale may not have power for another month. Residents now being told to be patient.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Things don't happen instantly, but things are happening. Right here on this site people are getting fed. Soon, more and more houses will have their electricity back on and life will get back to normal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: As you could see, President Bush toured some of the damage. His brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, says there are plenty of supplies at the more than 75 distribution centers. People are still lining up for food, water, ice and gas.
American aid may soon be sent to Cuba. Parts of that country were badly damaged by high winds and severe storm surges brought on by Hurricane Wilma. It's a big change for the communist country, since leader Fidel Castro has refused disaster aid in the past. A three-man disaster assessment team will be sent in to determine how to best help Cuba. Castro went on television to tell citizens that he hadn't asked for assistance but believes that countries should help each other during disasters.
Floridians affected by Wilma are getting a break from the IRS. October, December and January filing deadlines are being pushed to the end of February. It's the same delay given to victims of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
Putting down the insurgency in Iraq is an ongoing mission for U.S. troops there. When bullets and bombs fail, the military hopes Iraqi intelligence will work.
CNN's Aneesh Raman has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In less than an hour, this outpost will get attacked. Like clockwork, every day the insurgents strike here with obvious confidence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This place has been attacked pretty much twice a day since October 15. We -- now we have the Iraqi security forces here.
RAMAN: Iraqis that still need some urging to go out on daily patrols, heading house to house, looking for intelligence on insurgents, often finding very little.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He doesn't know anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea, because I don't know where they come from, these guys.
RAMAN: For the civilians here, living on a battlefield is about survival. And so in the struggle between insurgents and coalition forces, they are unsure where to turn.
Now we suffer a lot, says this farmer, because we are caught between two fires.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're getting mortared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Hey, let's go.
RAMAN: Moments later, right on schedule, it is insurgent fire that echoes, a mortar attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, 4Delta4, make sure you are taking cover.
RAMAN: Sgt. Corella (ph) regroups his unit. And as they try to gauge where the enemy is, the crackling of small arms fire began.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which way are those guys shooting?
RAMAN (on camera): Night falls with the insurgents still out there. They know that from the mortar attacks fired earlier. And now the soldiers are going to set up on the roof of this house. The goal is to draw the insurgents out into a fight or kill them as they pass by.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell her -- tell her we're not here to hurt anybody, but what we need, we need her family to stay inside tonight.
RAMAN (voice-over): The family complies. And shielded by night, the soldiers take positions on the roof, seeking an enemy that killed over a dozen in this regiment in 45 days this past summer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have lost guys in our unit already before. It's not something you can dwell on, though. You just you know take it day by day.
RAMAN: The final sound of this day, massive artillery rounds hitting an area where mortars are being launched. Instead of forward, tomorrow will be about making sure things don't go a step back.
Aneesh Raman, CNN, northern Babil Province.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And two more American troops have been killed in Iraq. It brings the death toll to 2,007 since the war started in March of 2003. The military says the soldiers died Thursday after a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad and one in Ramadi west of the capital. She was the president's first choice, but Harriet Miers will not be on the Supreme Court. So what went so terribly wrong? We'll take a look next.
But first, here's what else is making news this Friday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is back to square one for President Bush. He's got to find another Supreme Court nominee, following the withdrawal of Harriet Miers. So what went wrong with the president's first pick?
CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns reports the list is long.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the first place, John Roberts was a hard act to follow. He had a judicial record and writings the Senate could read. Miers, as White House counsel, came up short at the start.
DAN COATS, FORMER SENATOR (R), INDIANA: Roberts had a paper trial and she didn't. She came out of private practice. Then, her five years in the White House were in positions where she couldn't create a paper trail to be released.
JOHNS: The fact is, though, the White House made more than one miscalculation. It started out by stressing intangibles, like the nominee's beliefs.
BUSH: I know her heart. I know what she believes.
JOHNS: And enlisting the support of religious leaders, like "Focus on the Family's" James Dobson.
JAMES DOBSON, "FOCUS ON THE FAMILY": Harriet Miers is an evangelical Christian, that she is from a very conservative church.
JOHNS: That actually hurt the nomination, says Manny Miranda, who was once Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's point man on judges.
MANUEL MIRANDA, JUDICIAL ACTIVIST: But the message was the incorrect one, to basically rely upon faith, rely upon personal views. That contradicts the entire conservative message for the past several years, that we should not -- that there's a difference between personal views and judicial views.
JOHNS: Miranda opposes a faith test, because he says it can be used to scuttle nominations, as well as promote them. He says conservatives want justices who strictly follow the law, not their personal inclinations, which ties into another concern, that Miers may not be as conservative as supporters claim she was, like a justice nominated by the first President Bush who rankles the right to this day.
(on camera): So, at the root of this, though, at least part of it was fear of another David Souter?
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: Well, I look at that as my responsibility, to advise and consent. And I didn't want to have someone on there, on this very important one, where those of us who are conservatives can gain ground. There's three conservatives, four liberal activists and two swing votes. This is one of the swing justices. And we needed to make ground up.
JOHNS (voice-over): Still, many in the Senate wish it hadn't gone down this way. Senator George Voinovich of Ohio, who has tried to strike a middle ground on judges, says it's a shame.
(on camera): So, you didn't say it yourself, but do you think this was unfair?
SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: Yes, I do. Yes, I do. I -- you know, it's the old story. I'm -- when you say the our father, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us. And there really isn't much forgiveness here in Washington or looking out in terms of another human being and treating them like they would like to be treated.
JOHNS: Now, the president has another chance. And both sides are already gearing up for the Supreme Court fight that hasn't happened yet. The Senate is waiting.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: There is more than just a health cost to being obese. Up next, we take a look at the financial costs of obesity and the stress it's putting on all of us.
And remember our "Question of the Morning," high energy prices. Exxon is reaping 75 percent more in third quarter profits than over last year, 75 percent. Gouging or smart business, because you know how much you are paying at the pump? Let us know what you think, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The high price of being fat in America in just a moment.
But first, your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:46 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
It is down to the wire now in the CIA leak investigation. The special prosecutor is expected to announce results of his probe today, because the grand jury's term expires today. Top White House aides could face criminal charges.
The late civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks could become the first woman to lie in honor in the Capitol rotunda. The resolution goes before House lawmakers today. Senate members have already approved it.
In money news, Microsoft first quarter earnings rose 24 percent, just about 29 cents per share. The results include a charge for a legal settlement with RealNetworks. The earnings beat Wall Street estimates by a penny.
In culture, Elizabeth Edwards survived breast cancer and now she is writing a book about it. Edwards is the former wife of the Senator John Edwards. She was John Kerry's running mate in the last presidential election.
In sports, Todd Bertuzzi played his first game in Colorado since breaking three vertebras in the neck of former Avalanche player Steve Moore. That was 19 months ago, but Avalanche fans have not forgotten. They booed Bertuzzi all during the game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TODD BERTUZZI, CANUCKS FORWARD: It is what it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it?
BERTUZZI: Read into it. You're pretty intelligent. No, it is what it is. What am I going to do about it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So let's boo him some more, shall we?
Bonnie, check of the weather, good morning.
SCHNEIDER: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Bonnie.
I'm just reading some of the e-mails coming in to us this morning, and they're pretty darn spicy.
The growing number of obese people in this country affects more than just the health of those individuals, but also the financial health of the entire country.
CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains how we all pay.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some might say that being fat in this country is becoming part of American life. After all, 30 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 and older are obese. That's 60 million people. That's almost twice the population of Canada or the entire population of the United Kingdom.
And it may not be just a matter of too many adults visiting the fast food drive-thru. Since 1980, obesity rates have tripled among children and doubled among adolescents, according to the Institute of Medicine.
But the concerns are far greater than just the number of people who need to lose weight. According to the Surgeon General, the cost of obesity in the United States in 2000 was greater than $117 billion, spent on everything from direct medical costs, such as tests and treatment, to decreased productivity and premature death, all stemming from obesity.
ART CAPLAN, UNIV. OF PENN. BIOETHICS CENTER: There's no doubt that obesity is a very expensive factor within American healthcare. Billions and billions and billions of dollars are spent because of diseases related to being overweight. So, it is expensive. It drives up premiums.
COHEN: The National Business Group on Health estimates that companies spend $13 billion per year for higher costs, such as inpatient and outpatient spending and more medication. All in all they say an obese employee costs 11 percent more in healthcare costs than a non-obese employee. So being fat in America is becoming more common and costing everyone more money in healthcare costs.
But exactly what are the specific dangers?
There are at least 15 chronic conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and some cancers, all leading to shorter lives and longer illnesses all linked to obesity.
For sure, the list is long and the detriment of obesity well proven, but Americans aren't shedding the pounds, nor, perhaps, listening to the health messages.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: OK, it's time to get right to our e-mail segment. And we're asking you about, well, gas prices and the profits that oil companies are making these days. ExxonMobil, their third quarter profits are up 75 -- 75 percent. I can't even wrap my mind around that -- Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: I know. And as we anticipated, people are upset about it.
COSTELLO: Yes, they are.
SCHNEIDER: I have an e-mail here from Kathleen Haberman (ph) who says, it is absolutely price gouging. The oil companies are taking an obscene advantage of us because we have little to no options or alternatives.
COSTELLO: Take it away. Read another one. SCHNEIDER: All right. Another one from Kirby Miles (ph) from Ball Ground, Georgia, he says greed, and greed is capitalized, and President Bush's involvement in the oil industry are the main reasons we are paying more for gas. Not one company in America has the need to make $9.9 billion in one quarter. Every American should be angry as hell. Three exclamation points there. He's pretty mad.
And I have one more here, smart business, this is from Jody Smith (ph) in Paducah, no, just old fashion greed, she says. As the late Peter Finch said on the Movie Network several years ago, someone needs to stand up and say I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.
COSTELLO: I'll do it. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.
This is my favorite one, Bonnie, it's from Elizabeth (ph). She's from Michigan. She says, the oil companies, they are robbing Americans every single day and they do it all the time. I picture them rubbing their hands together with glee every single time they have a whisper of an excuse to raise prices. Nothing will be done about it, my fellow Americans, the poor will continue to get poorer and the rich, especially the oil people, will continue to get richer.
I like your spirit, Elizabeth. And thank you for your comments this morning. We enjoyed them.
SCHNEIDER: That's true. I didn't get anything from the other side.
COSTELLO: No, nobody said it was the American way.
SCHNEIDER: No.
COSTELLO: And we love, love those oil companies.
SCHNEIDER: No.
COSTELLO: No.
Is it relief at last for south Florida? Deliveries of water and ice are now picking up, stores are reopening, but millions are still without electricity. We'll go live to Miami's famous Orange Bowl. It's been turned into a makeshift relief supply center.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: You know after you take a look at the beautiful New York skyline this morning, I have to point something out to you. Something strange is happening in the city. There's this weird smell of maple syrup hanging over the city. I'm not kidding. People are calling in to the police department, the fire department, the Coast Guard saying what is that smell?
I stepped out of the car this morning and I smelled it myself. It smells like, you know, syrup you put on your pancakes in the morning.
As far as we know, it's not harmful, but nobody knows where it's coming from. One police officer said, well, it doesn't really smell like maple syrup, it smells more like, you know, hazelnut coffee. It's just the weirdest thing. So we are going to continue to explore that. Nothing serious, but the city of New York smells pretty darn good this morning.
Let's talk about Harriet Miers now. Whether you think she was qualified or not, you've got to admit former Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was put through the wringer in the court of public opinion.
And that's got our Jeanne Moos feeling very sorry for her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president and cartoonists called her a pit bull in size six shoes. But the pit bull got eaten alive, insulted on the Web, lampooned on late-night TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for being here on "Jeopardy" -- Ms. Miers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just don't ask me any legal questions.
BILL MAHER, "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": At least when Clinton talked about tapping the woman down the hall, he was just having sex with her.
MOOS: But the jabs from the right were what knocked her out.
BAY BUCHANAN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The president has made a terrible, terrible mistake.
ANN COULTER, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: We're talking about the Supreme Court. This is not a reward for, you know, best attendance at office of legal counsel meetings.
MOOS: Her qualifications, or lack thereof, were a lightning rod for ridicule. "I've never been a judge, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."
As for the mutual admiration she and the president felt, her own words served as a self-inflicted, kill-two-birds-with-one-quote punch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dear diary, George W. Bush is the most brilliant man I have ever met.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's the most brilliant man I ever met.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
MOOS: And though we laughed, it wasn't without a tinge of guilt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel bad for her, yes. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sure she's very glad that it's over, because I feel pretty much, poor Harriet, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Capitol Hill is, you know, it's a contact sport up there. You float the balloon, and sometimes it gets shot at. And I mean that's one of the whole problems...
MOOS (on camera): She got machine-gunned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She did.
MOOS (voice-over): One minute, it was Harriet Miers' dream come true, nominated to the Supreme Court. The next minute, supreme humiliation, with Harriet Miers look-alike contests pitting her against Darrin's mom from "Bewitched," comedian Amy Sedaris and even Alice Cooper.
And who among us could withstand a hairstyle retrospective?
But not everyone was saying there, but for the grace of God, go I. Not Nancy Grace, anyway.
NANCY GRACE, CNN HEADLINE NEWS: No, I don't feel sorry for her. She'll go write a book.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no pity for her, per se, I mean.
MOOS (on camera): See, I feel bad for her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But he kicks puppies, so, you know.
MOOS (voice-over): At least they didn't accuse Harriet Miers of doing that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She likes puppies, too.
MOOS: WIP, withdraw in peace, said one Web site. It's better to have been nominated and withdrawn than never to have been nominated at all. Bet Harriet Miers doesn't agree, thinking back to her happy nomination.
HARRIET MIERS, FORMER SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I have a special note this morning for my mom. Thank you for your faith.
MOOS: Let's hope her 91-year-old mom wasn't surfing the net or watching TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This wasn't a choice based on friendship. We're not even that close.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bushy!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
MOOS: Wonder if she'll ever wear that blue suit again without feeling blue. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: You know I talked to Jeanne Moos about that story before she did it. And I don't know, I had a difference of opinion with her because I didn't really feel sorry for Harriet Miers either. But we're going to explore that issue just to find out why people were so vicious towards her.
So, Jeanne Moos, I understand now. Thank you.
We have to tell you this story before we sign off on our 5:00 a.m. Eastern Show. A Canadian football fan has won big time. Brian Diesbourg kicked a $1 million field goal from the 50-yard line. Take a look. He makes it. It happened during halftime at Toronto's game against Hamilton. Says he's never even kicked a football before this. And he had just missed attempts from 20, 30 and 40 yards, but he hit one from the 50-yard line and he's a million dollars richer this morning. Congratulations, Brian.
The next hour of DAYBREAK begins in 60 seconds.
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