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CNN Live At Daybreak

Mall Shooting in Washington State; Israeli Prime Minister to Form New Political Party

Aired November 21, 2005 - 06:00   ET

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

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is Monday, November 21st.
An after of shopping turns into an urgent hostage situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was like boom, boom, boom, and it would not stop.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was horrible. It's the worst thing I've ever seen in my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Scared shoppers relive the experience. Now we're learning about what might have been a foreshadowing message from the gunman himself.

And when could American troops come home? Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld shares an assessment. We'll talk more about the politics surrounding such decisions.

Plus, the dispute over a wanted man. Is he dead or alive?

And good Monday morning, everyone.

I'm Kelly Wallace in today for Carol Costello.

Thanks so much for starting your day with us.

We'll have much more on the shopping mall shootings in just a moment.

But first, these stories now in the news.

President Bush is heading home from Asia. He took off from Mongolia about two and-a-half hours ago. It was the final stop on his eight day, four nation trip. And while in Mongolia, he thanked the country for providing troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also gave its military $11 million in aid.

A huge political gamble in Israel. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to announce today that he'll be starting his own political party. He's also calling for parliament to be dissolved and early elections held. We'll have a live report about five minutes from now. And that European Union is deciding what to do now about Iran's tough stance on its nuclear program. The E.U. has to respond to Iran's parliamentary vote to block snap United Nation checks of its nuclear sites if it is referred to the Security Council.

To the Forecast Center now and Jacqui Jeras -- I don't know, Jacqui, it was pretty wonderful on the East Coast this weekend. I guess it's not going to stay that way.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Definitely not.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: And our top story this half hour, the suspect in a Tacoma, Washington mall shooting is in jail this morning, while one of his victims is still in critical condition. Six people were injured when 20-year-old Dominick Maldonado allegedly just started firing his rifle as he walked through the crowded mall.

We get more now on the mayhem from Derek Wing of CNN affiliate KCPQ in Tacoma.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DEREK WING, KCPQ CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A single gunman on a rampage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He dropped off his jacket, pulled out a big gun with a backup and just started shooting at our kiosk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean it was just like dut-dut-dut-dut- dut-dut-jou.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was like boom, boom, boom, and it would not stop.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was horrible. It's the worst thing I've ever seen in my life.

WING: Shortly after noon, the gunman walked into this mall and opened fire at a kiosk near J.C. Penney, sending seven people to hospitals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I saw somebody fall over and hit the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shot in the stomach, the abdomen, exit wound. And then shot in the navel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't really know what to do. Just get out. That's exactly all we could do.

WING: Hundreds did. But three were taken hostage as the gunman barricaded himself inside Sam Goody record store, where this woman's daughter is a manager.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She said that they were being held hostage, that the store was hostage. And she was very upset and crying.

WING: After three hours with snipers on the roof and police dogs outside, police went inside, guns drawn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody's safe. We've got it contained.

WING: They did, without any more bloodshed and without a fight from the gunman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was so scared for you.

WING: Leaving most thankful...

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: At least we're safe.

WING: ... about a situation that could have been even more tragic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So now we know what Columbine feels like. We know what all that feels like now.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WALLACE: And that report again was from Derek Wing of CNN affiliate KCPQ in Tacoma.

Dominick Maldonado allegedly sent a very telling text message to his ex-girlfriend less than 20 minutes before the shooting began. And the message said, in part, today is the day that the world will know my anger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIFFANY ROBISON, SUSPECTS 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 weeks 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. And 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 I believe we'll be seeing an interview with the ex- girlfriend on AMERICAN MORNING on this day later this morning. Maldonado is being held on assault and kidnapping charges. He had been holding three hostages when he finally surrendered to police.

More "News Across America" now to tell you about.

One pilot is dead following the collision of two helicopters at a race track near Miami, Florida. The crash came just after the season ending NASCAR race in Homestead. The choppers collided when one was landing and the other was taking off. No one but the pilots were on board. 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, but residents did evacuate for a short time. Several oil fields and support buildings were burned in the blaze.

Some neighborhoods in New Orleans are still without power. The slow rebuilding and recovery process has some residents wondering whether the city will ever rebound. And that all led to an interesting editorial in yesterday's New Orleans' "Times-Picayune." And here is one quote from that: "Some voices in Washington are arguing against us. We were foolish, they say. We settled in a place that is lower than the sea. We should have expected to drown."

And that editorial also calling for Congress, the federal government to provide all the help it has promised.

Well, we are still years away from pandemic preparedness. And that is according to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. He says it could be five years until the United States is able to make enough vaccine to fight a virus like the bird flu. But Leavitt and other health experts agree that the federal government needs to be more proactive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE LEAVITT, HHS SECRETARY: What we all learned from Katrina is that sometimes we have to think very clearly about the unthinkable, because the unthinkable often happens. There were lessons to be learned. That's just one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: National Institutes of Health Director Anthony Fauci says it's unlikely this bird flu will be the next pandemic. But he does say pandemics aren't a matter of if, but when.

Turning overseas now, power politics. It is being played out in Israel. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is forming a new political party and we are told he will announce his next step today.

we want to get the very latest, so we're heading live to CNN's John Vause in Jerusalem -- and, John, people are describing this as a big political earthquake in Israel.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very much so, Kelly. A tsunami, an earthquake, call it what you will. It's classic Sharon, very much crash or crash through.

Now, a short time ago, Israeli radio reported that Ariel Sharon did submit his resignation to the Likud Party and said that he intends to form a new party and that he has been meeting with prospective new members of that moderate, centrist party called National Responsibility.

All of this is expected to be made official a little later today, when Ariel Sharon holds a news conference.

Earlier, Mr. Sharon went to the Israeli president, asked for the parliament, the Knesset, to be dissolved. It's a request which the president is likely to grant, if not today, then some time tomorrow. And that will send Israelis to the polls by early March.

All of this is being brought about, aides say, because the prime minister has grown increasingly frustrated by the actions of a small group of party rebels, the so-called Likud Party rebels, who opposed his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. That was the evacuation of 8,000 Jewish settlers and soldiers which we saw play out earlier this year.

It was a difficult year for Ariel Sharon. He was obstructed at every turn. He does not want a repeat of that. And there's a lot of speculation, a lot of talk today that if somehow Ariel Sharon pulls this off, if he is elected to a third term as prime minister, that will lead to more evacuations of Jewish settlements, much like what we saw in Gaza earlier this year, in particular, the isolated West Bank settlements. And that could continue at a click if he does get this new party up and running -- Kelly.

WALLACE: All right, John, we have to leave it there.

But we'll be watching your reports throughout the morning on AMERICAN MORNING and the rest of the day on CNN.

John Vause with the latest from Jerusalem.

Still to come this hour, the politics of war. A new battle line is drawn on Capitol Hill after a congresswoman's explosive remarks.

And are you traveling for Thanksgiving? What you need to know before you leave for the airport this week.

Then later, they say love is a many splendored thing. Sometimes it's sneaky, too. Hear why some hopeful romantics are suing their dating service.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMMY FAYE BAKKER: I hope that Jerry Falwell and his family never have to suffer the way that they've made our family suffer. I wake up every morning wishing that they had killed me. And Jim does, too.

MO ROCCA, COMEDIAN: Tammy Faye Bakker is painting Jerry Falwell as a Don Corleone, the televangelist as Mafioso, here.

KIM COLES, ACTRESS/COMEDIENNE: She's a tough chick and she's a survivor, you know? I like her. And she was just going through hell at that moment and she just wanted everybody to know that I wake up in the morning and I wish they would just kill me.

CATHERINE CRIER, ANCHOR, COURT TV: Tammy Faye is one of those that has made a whole new career in life for herself coming out of this.

JIM MORET, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": She was larger than life and when people are larger than life and they fall, they fall farther. And it hurts when they land.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And welcome back to DAYBREAK.

Turning to Iraq now, the fate of terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is in question this morning. There are reports he was killed in a weekend raid in Mosul. The military is now conducting tests to determine if he is among the dead. A White House spokesman, though, discounts the prospects of that, saying: "The report is highly unlikely."

We'll get the latest in a live report from Baghdad at the bottom of the hour.

Public support for the war in Iraq has been plummeting in recent weeks. The Republican-controlled House held heated debates last week. Lawmakers spurned calls for American troops to withdraw.

At one point, Republican Congresswoman Jean Schmidt drew boos when she talked about a phone call she received from Marine colonel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JEAN SCHMIDT (R), OHIO: He asked me to send Congress a message -- stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do. Danny and the rest of America and the world want the assurance...

(SCREAMS AND BOOS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gentlemen...

SCHMIDT: ... from this body that we will...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House will...

SCHMIDT: ... see this through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House will...

(SCREAMS AND BOOS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House will be in order. The House will be in order. The House will be in order.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: An incredible scene on the House floor late Friday evening. This all raising the question, has the United States reached a turning point in the war?

Joining us now to talk about all of this, John Mercurio, formerly of CNN, now the senior editor for "National Journal."

John, thanks for getting up with us.

Always appreciate it.

JOHN MERCURIO, SENIOR EDITOR, "NATIONAL JOURNAL": Good morning, Kelly.

WALLACE: John, it was really an incredible scene Friday night. I wonder, your sources, both Republican and Democrat, what are they saying about this question, with Democratic Congressman Jack Murtha's call last week for an immediate pullout of Iraq? Also, with what we saw on the House floor? Have we reached, really, a turning point in this debate over the war?

MERCURIO: I think everybody, at this point, is just happy that this is the week of Thanksgiving vacation and that everybody can go home -- I mean, you know, I'm joking but almost to the -- seriously.

WALLACE: Right.

MERCURIO: I mean everybody can sort of go back to their districts, go back to their families and sort of regroup.

I think that tensions and tempers at this point were running high, not only on the Republican side, but obviously, also, we saw on Friday night, on the Democratic side for a litany, a litany of reasons, not just the Iraq war, not just John Murtha's decision, but also, you know, the federal investigations that are going into, you know, different charges, different ethics charges on the Republican side.

Democrats obviously seeing an opening to attack the president and that just sort of raises tempers even more.

what's really interesting about this whole fight that was going on is that the president has been overseas all week, all of the past week. And usually when a president is overseas, when the commander- in-chief goes abroad, parties tend to cool it at home. And they definitely didn't do that last week.

WALLACE: They definitely didn't do that.

I want you to take a listen to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who made the rounds on some of the talk shows, talking, as well, with our very own Wolf Blitzer yesterday, talking about the issue of bringing troops home.

Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We'll be going down from 160,000 back to 138,000 after the December 15th 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, John, looking ahead to the '06 elections, how much is this issue, the question of when and how to bring the troops home, will be a factor in the elections?

MERCURIO: Yes, the timing of the elections couldn't be more, you know, sort of poignant and compelling because I think that at this point, in 2006, in November of 2006, this debate will be raising as much, if not more. I mean obviously nobody knows exactly what the situation on the ground will be in Iraq, but you see -- you've seen, over the past several weeks and months, that the debate over withdrawal has gone from being sort of a fringe issue, as it was sort of during the 2004 presidential campaign, as you remember quite well, to something that they're actually debating on the floor of the House.

So I think, to some extent, even though the Democrats were sort of forced into this vote on Friday night that we were just talking about on withdrawal, and looked at it as a political stunt, they are at least able, you know, the Democrats who support withdrawal at this point are at least able to say look, this is now a legitimate argument. This is now a legitimate item of discussion that we're having.

So this shows progress. That shows progress, at least on their part, toward making it a legitimate topic.

WALLACE: And, John, aren't there really risks, though, to both parties looking ahead to next year's elections? Republicans who could be aligned with the president and then criticized if the public is against the president's policy? But Democrats facing some risks, as well, aren't they?

MERCURIO: Oh, absolutely. I mean, you know, Democrats are tying a lot of their argument to these investigations that are going on into the vice president's chief of staff and into, you know, Jack Abramoff, you know, sort of a super lobbyist in Washington, to the House majority leader, Tom DeLay. And if these investigations turn out to bear no fruit, then they will really have very little to run on in terms of the ethics charges that they're making against the president.

And, you know, if the fortunes turn in Iraq and the elections go well, you know, then the president, of course, will receive credit. A lot -- you know, a year is forever in politics. And so it's impossible to say at this point what -- which party will be up and which party will be down in a year.

WALLACE: But we know, John, you will be watching it all so very closely.

MERCURIO: Right.

WALLACE: John Mercurio, senior editor with "National Journal."

We miss you here at CNN. Thanks for...

MERCURIO: I miss you, too.

WALLACE: Thanks for being here with us today.

And one note for u. Vice President Dick Cheney will be delivering a speech today on the war on terror in Washington. He's also expected to defend the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq. And you can catch it all live on CNN this morning, 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

Still to come here on DAYBREAK, from the living room to your pocket -- TiVo is going mobile. Carrie Lee tells us more ahead in the "Business Buzz."

But first, we want to say good morning to Detroit, where it's a steamy 38 degrees this morning. Nothing steamy about that, but it looks like the start of what could be a lovely day in Detroit. Hello to our friends out there.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And time now for a little "Business Buzz."

Microsoft releasing its new XBOX 360 tomorrow and it's doing it in style at an undisclosed location in the Mohave Desert. If you don't feel like wading through sand, just head to the nearest computer store.

In Massachusetts, there's no shopping for u. The attorney general tells Whole Foods supermarket chain to keep its doors shut on Thanksgiving Day. The chain had planned to defy the state's century old law banning most stores from being open on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Well, for all of you who can't live without your TiVo, you'll soon be able to take it just about anywhere you go.

Carrie Lee is here to explain.

I'm curious about this one -- Carrie.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is really part of the new portable trend, Kelly, the latest company to try to let people watch their favorite television shows on the road or really wherever they like.

Now, TiVo is expanding its service and they're giving users the option to transfer recorded shows onto a video iPod or a Sony PlayStation portable. According to several different reports, the new feature called TiVo To Go is expected to be announced today. Apple introduced the video iPod last month, but viewing options have been limited so far. Well, now with TiVo's cooperation, virtually any show that airs on TV will be available on your iPod.

Now, TiVo plans to begin testing the software over the next few weeks, making it widely available early next year.

And instead of per episode paying, they'll be a one time fee, most likely between $15 and $30.

However, the TiVoed shows will still have commercials. They have to make money somewhere, right?

WALLACE: They sure do. Right.

LEE: And the transfer process can take a little while. An hour long show will take an hour to transfer to the PC, then about another 10 minutes or so to synch to a portable device.

Now, some analysts are raising doubts about how successful this will be, saying most consumers still want to watch TV on a bigger screen.

I think this is a very cool option and it really shows TiVo is trying to come back after its DirecTV satellite deal. DirecTV is not pushing TiVo's product anymore, so they have to stay in the game somehow. So this is a good step for TiVo. We'll see if it's successful.

WALLACE: But you're saying there is that doubt, though, because many of us like to watch television on the screen and not necessarily in our -- on their cell phones or portable devices.

LEE: But if you can have another option, well, why not, you know?

WALLACE: Why not?

LEE: It gives you an option if you're riding on the subway in New York, maybe, or traveling in a car, something like that.

WALLACE: Exactly.

LEE: So it gives you another portable option.

WALLACE: And, Carrie, give us a sense of the futures, especially the shortened week, really, for the markets.

LEE: A shortened week for the market. Of course, Thanksgiving on Thursday.

Stocks finished at a four year high on Friday. So we've seen some nice momentum. This morning, little action. Looking pretty mixed. We'll see what happens at 9:30. WALLACE: All right, Carrie, thanks so much.

LEE: OK.

WALLACE: It was great to see you.

LEE: You, too.

Thanks.

WALLACE: Carrie Lee with the "Business Buzz" for this Wednesday morning.

And time now for a quick look at the "Weekend In Rewind."

Rapper Snoop Dogg is urging California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to grant clemency for Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Williams is co-founder of the Crips gang, which Snoop Dogg was once a member of. Williams was convicted in 1979 of four murders. He has since earned international acclaim for his children's books urging kids to stay out of gangs. He is scheduled for execution next month.

A bullet has claimed the life of a Philadelphia teen who had received high honors from the Philadelphia 76ers and "People" magazine for being an outstanding single father. Terrell Pough worked long hours to finish school and support his 2-year-old daughter. Police are searching for clues in the shooting, as well as Pough's missing car, which was given to him by someone who read that "People" magazine article.

Such a sad story there.

And remember the Egyptian twins who were born joined at the head? Well, they're back home two years after their separation surgery in Texas. Four-year-old Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrahim were wearing their protective helmets when they arrived at Cairo's airport today. Their mother says the dream of her life, to hold each of them separately, has finally come true. Good news for that family there.

Well, still to come here on DAYBREAK, finding a prince among frogs is certainly no easy task. One dating service is now in trouble for possibly offering a little too much help.

And holiday travel doesn't have to be a huge headache. We'll tell you how to take the edge off as DAYBREAK continues.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And good Monday morning, everyone.

I'm Kelly Wallace in today for Carol Costello.

Thanks so much for starting your day with us. Coming up this half hour, rumors surround al Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Is he dead or alive? We'll have a live report from Baghdad in just a few minutes.

But first, these stories now in the news.

President Bush is on his way back to Washington after wrapping up his week long Asian trip. The president made a quick stop in Mongolia this morning, the last leg of his trip. And there he thanked the country for sending troops to Iraq.

A political shocker in Israel. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to announce today that he's leaving the Likud Party to form a new political party. He's requested parliament be dissolved, paving the way for early elections next year.

And one person remains in critical condition this morning following a mall shooting in Tacoma, Washington. Twenty-year-old Dominick Maldonado has been charged with assault and kidnapping in the case. He was arrested after a three hour standoff with police.

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