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CNN Live At Daybreak

Eye on the World; Israelis-Palestinians; Presidential Snub; Battle Over Abortion

Aired July 12, 2004 - 05:30   ET

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

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


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee say the country needs a new CIA director and now. There has been talk of waiting until after the election to nominate a replacement for George Tenet, but the senators say given the current terrorism threat, the U.S. needs more than an acting director.
His brother expects Marine Corporal Wassef Hassoun to return to the U.S. today or tomorrow. Hassoun was missing in Iraq, believed to be a hostage before he turned up in Lebanon. He's been undergoing debriefings at a military hospital in Germany.

In the U.S. Senate today, the debate resumes on a constitutional amendment effectively banning same-sex marriages. President Bush spoke in favor of the amendment during his Saturday radio address. A Senate vote could come as early as Wednesday.

Lea Fastow has just about nine-and-a-half hours of freedom left. The wife of former Enron Finance Chief Andrew Fastow is due to surrender in Houston at 3:00 Eastern to begin serving a one-year prison sentence. She pleaded guilty to helping her husband hide money.

Well this morning you may not be able to hide from the rain out there, Mother Nature is going to be sending some showers down.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a lot of them, actually. Good morning, Betty.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: A lot of rain -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes.

NGUYEN: OK, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

NGUYEN: In Iraq, two U.S. soldiers have been killed in two separate incidents involving roadside bombs. Three other soldiers with the Army's 13th Corps Support Command were injured Sunday when an improvised explosive device hit their convoy near Samarra. Their injuries are not life threatening.

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair soon could be answering yet more questions about the intelligence used to justify the Iraq war. A report on prewar intelligence about weapons is due out on Wednesday. Just last week, Mr. Blair said weapons of mass destruction may never be found.

There are conflicting reports swirling around a Filipino truck driver taken hostage in Iraq. A Filipino diplomat says the Filipino government has been given a Tuesday deadline to withdraw its troops or the hostage will be killed. But Manila's secretary of foreign affairs says her government will not comply with the demand.

The U.S. military is still trying to unravel the mystery of Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun. Hassoun may be returned home tomorrow or Wednesday. He's recovering at a U.S. military hospital in Germany. The 24-year-old translator vanished from his Marine base in Iraq on June 19. He later appeared blindfolded in a video supposedly made by Islamic militants. Then he turned up at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut three weeks later.

For more in our 'Eye on the World,' we want to turn now to senior international editor David Clinch who joins us.

Good morning to you.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning.

Well we are building up our coverage plan for that Tony Blair report you were talking about there. A big report coming out.

NGUYEN: Could be very damaging.

CLINCH: Could be very interesting. Damaging, we'll see -- we'll wait and see. One of the interesting things about this use of prewar intelligence to justify the war in Iraq, the report is coming out on Wednesday.

Last night on the British Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC in London, they were busy interviewing two former intelligence chiefs who were basically damning the Blair administration's use of prewar intelligence and saying that it had been very much overstated by the government. That they, the intelligence community, at the time had no information about massive stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.

Well in the midst of these interviews, the BBC also mentioned that they are being told that a very key part of the intelligence, of course they didn't tell us which part,...

NGUYEN: Which.

CLINCH: ... but a very key part of the intelligence used by their Blair to justify the war has now been basically taken off the table or retracted by British intelligence. And that's interesting, because it creates a very interesting parallel to what we're hearing in the U.S. process here in Washington. Of course the report that came out on the CIA gathering of intelligence last week indicated that the intelligence had been gathered in a way that couldn't be justified. NGUYEN: They seem to go hand in hand perhaps.

CLINCH: Well now we're hearing over the weekend from senators that a key part of the intelligence that was used by President Bush has also subsequently been retracted or taken off the table by U.S. intelligence. But we don't get to see that part of the report yet because the parallel ends there. Basically the British are at the stage now of looking at how the intelligence was used by the politicians.

NGUYEN: And Blair is being criticized because a lot of folks are saying if this is true, then why didn't he come clean about it?

CLINCH: Right. It's not clear to us at this point when this key piece of intelligence was taken off the table. But what -- you're exactly right. What people will be looking at on Wednesday is if at any point since the war, until now, he has become aware that a key piece of intelligence that he used to justify the war has been dismissed by the intelligence community, why has he not come public with that, why has he not stated that publicly? Now of course this, at the moment, is in the arena of the BBC versus Tony Blair, and it may be best to just wait until Wednesday and know absolutely what this report says, so...

NGUYEN: Let that play out.

CLINCH: ... what came out.

NGUYEN: Now we want to go to the land down under and talk about something totally different.

CLINCH: Yes, well,...

NGUYEN: A shark attack.

CLINCH: ... a shark attack. At first sight this is "Jaws" all over. We're watching this story in Australia, a very unfortunate incident over the weekend, which we were aware of, a surfer in Australia killed by a shark. Now that has happened before. But in this instance, we were told a massive shark, possibly a great white shark.

Well as usual with fish tales, now we're not quite so sure how big that shark is. But perhaps more interestingly, they are out there hunting for this shark in the sea that killed the surfer. But the family of the surfer now appealing to local fisherman and authorities to leave the sharks alone. They are saying the surfers take their chances, it's part of nature, leave the sharks alone. No need to kill the shark.

NGUYEN: It was a brutal attack, though.

CLINCH: The shark apparently ripped the surfer in two.

NGUYEN: Yes. CLINCH: This blonde, you know, typical Australian, who had surfed all his life, was out there, died over the weekend; but his brother, also a surfer, saying not the shark's fault, leave it alone.

NGUYEN: You're in his territory, the shark's territory.

CLINCH: Yes.

NGUYEN: All right, David Clinch, thank you.

CLINCH: OK.

NGUYEN: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is defiant regarding the world court's ruling against his barrier. At the same time, the Israeli leader is showing his conciliatory side in talks with opposition party leaders.

Want to go live now to Alessio Vinci in Jerusalem with the latest.

Hello.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Betty.

Well, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon needs the opposition in order to carry out a controversial plan to withdraw from all of Gaza and some settlements of the West Bank. And therefore having lost his support among some of his coalition members, Mr. Sharon has invited this morning the leader of the opposition, Shimon Peres, in order to ask him to open up negotiations. So it was possibly forming a unity government with the Likud.

Now we do know that that meeting has taken place at the residence of the prime minister. It lasted about an hour. Officials attending that meeting saying that it was a cordial meeting, but nothing really came out other than the fact that the two promised that they will open up negotiations towards forming this unity government. Now the two leaders we do know have had long-standing issues against each other, but they have said they are ready to work them out.

Now both of course face opposition from within their own political parties. On the one side, on the Likud side, Mr. Sharon can not -- is facing opposition from his finance minister, from his foreign minister who lost his job to Mr. Sharon -- to Mr. Peres himself should Mr. Sharon open up to the Labor Party, as well as Mr. -- the Labor himself, the Mr. Peres who does not want to be seen in the coalition government as a junior partner. But the two leaders have said to be able to work out those differences.

And indeed we do expect in a -- in a -- in a matter of -- in a matter of days that those negotiations could eventually open up. It's not a done-deal yet, but those negotiations will eventually open and could eventually, in a few weeks' time, lead into a unity government.

NGUYEN: Alessio, while that's going on, there's been more violence in Gaza overnight. Tell us a little bit about that. VINCI: That is correct. We do understand from Palestinian medical sources that a 70-year-old wheelchair man has been killed while he was inside his home tonight. A home that Israeli military forces said was used by militants to carry out attacks against the IDF forces, and therefore the Israeli forces began destroying areas and buildings that they said were not inhabited.

The Israeli forces are telling us the day before the destruction of those homes began, they did -- they did try to search those homes, make sure there was nothing there. However, they could not search all of them because they were afraid that some of them could have been booby-trapped or even could hide some militants. And therefore, while the destruction of the homes from where the Israeli forces say militants are carrying out attacks, one man was killed as -- crushed under the rubble as one of the Israeli bulldozers was destroying that apartment.

NGUYEN: Alessio Vinci in Jerusalem this morning. Thank you very much.

The White House is being urged to name a new CIA director and quickly. Sunday was George Tenet's last day on the job. His final weeks were marred by a Senate report revealing serious breakdowns in U.S. intelligence gathering and analysis. Tenet's deputy, John McLaughlin, is acting CIA director until a new appointment is made. Leading senators say the county can not wait given the current terrorist threat. But a White House spokeswoman would only say the president will decide on a new CIA director in due course.

White House officials have discussed the idea of postponing this year's presidential election in the event of a terrorist attack, but implementing such a delay would be a logistical nightmare. Officials have concluded it would require amending the U.S. Constitution and possibly all 50 state constitutions. It would also require making thousands of rule changes at the local level.

The chairman of the NAACP is urging high voter turn out to oust President Bush from office. The civil rights group is upset that Mr. Bush is refusing to attend their convention this week.

Reporter Allison Harmelin of our CNN affiliate WPHL in Philadelphia has reaction from the convention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON HARMELIN, WPHL-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amidst the photo-ops, applause, networking and entertainment, there's an undercurrent of controversy at 95-annual convention of the NAACP.

JOHN STREET, PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA MAYOR: I think it's very unfortunate that President Bush chose to ignore this convention.

KWEISI MFUME, NAACP PRESIDENT: I've written and written and written, requesting a meeting or an opportunity to talk about pertinent issues. We've written, inviting him to come and address us and we've gotten no response. It's been absolute silence. HARMELIN: For the fourth year in a row, President Bush has declined the NAACP's invitation to address the group. In spite of 30 visits to battleground state of Pennsylvania, the president turned down this visit, citing scheduling problems.

MFUME: I think the larger picture is in an election that's going to be as close as this one, no party can afford slippage or to write off an entire group of voters, because you may not agree with them on one issue or another.

HARMELIN: But the president has said his issues are with the NAACP's leadership.

Quote, "I will describe my relationship with the current leadership as basically nonexistent. You've heard the rhetoric and the names they've called me."

But at years-largest gathering of African-American community leaders, Philadelphia's mayor believes the president's absence sends a message that will be heard around the country.

STREET: People here will go back to their respective cities. And the president will have to answer for -- answer the question, why didn't you come to the NAACP convention?

HARMELIN: And while George Bush got just 9 percent of the black vote back in November 2000, many here feel this is a slight that will further reduce those numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are a lot of the things I don't agree with what he's doing. So. And this is something he should be a part of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For him not to take time out of his schedule. That to me, that shows me what kind of president he is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The one vote that he may have gotten black -- from the black community, he's not going to get now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: From Allison Harmelin of CNN affiliate WPHL in Philadelphia.

Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry will speak at the NAACP Convention on Thursday.

Well here are some stories making news 'Across America' this Monday.

The final fumigation is under way for the building that was the first target for an anthrax attack back in 2001. At the time, the America media building housed the "National Inquirer." The clean up is being carried out by a company run by former New York Mayor Rudi Giuliana. No arrests have been made in the series of anthrax attacks that killed five people. Bobby Brown just beat the deadline. The singer is facing battery charges after allegedly hitting his wife, Whitney Houston, last May. The singer turned himself in to police less than four hours before the midnight deadline. Brown was released after posting $2,000 bond.

Smoke from this wildfire in southern Florida caused the closure of a major highway near Miami. The fire has burned more than 7,000 acres on the edge of the Everglades. Check it out. Firefighters are hoping wind conditions will help them get the fire under control a little bit later today. No homes are being threatened by that fire.

In the next hour of DAYBREAK, the point of political conventions, do they really make a difference with the outcome of the election? We'll take a closer look.

And straight ahead, the abortion debate heats up in the U.K., why it's really striking a chord on both sides now.

This is DAYBREAK for Monday, July 12.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Your news, money, weather and sports. The time right now is coming up on 5:46 Eastern Time. And here is what's all new this morning.

Day two of the International AIDS Conference is under way in Thailand. U.N. Chief Kofi Annan is challenging world leaders to do more to combat the global epidemic. CNN will bring you extensive reports from that conference throughout the week, so you want to stay tuned.

Also, the commission investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks could finish its final report by the end of this week. The bipartisan group has already begun the process of having the document declassified for release later this month.

In money, most of the nation's airlines had a higher percentage of filled seats in June than any other month ever. Among the reasons, more discount airfares and smaller planes. Still though, the industry is expected to lose about $3 billion this year.

In culture, a new document called "Out Foxed" takes a critical look at Fox News. It includes media experts who discuss the impact on society when a large chunk of media is controlled by one person and former Fox employees who say they were forced to push a right wing point of view.

In sports, swimming sensation Brendan Hansen set another world record at the U.S. Olympic trials. He won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:9.04. That's nearly four-tenths of a second ahead of the old world mark, and it becomes -- or it comes just three days after he smashed the 100-meter breaststroke record.

Want to check in with Chad Myers today to see if Mother Nature is going to be breaking any records -- Chad? MYERS: Yes, look out Mark Spitz. Man, this kid is on your tail.

NGUYEN: On fire.

MYERS: Wow!

Hey, good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Thanks, Chad.

New technology is fueling the abortion debate in Britain. Lawmakers there could soon introduce new restrictions on the procedure when a parliamentary inquiry revisits the issue this week.

CNN's Guy Raz has all the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The unmistakable features of a human, tiny, fully formed nose and lips, appearing to climb the walls of the womb. But this is a fetus just 12 weeks old, an image magnified many times, the product of cutting edge technology pioneered in Britain earlier this year.

These images have been shown in major newspapers and on television. And now Britain's leading politicians are reconsidering the question of when life begins.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If the scientific evidence has shifted, then it's obviously sensible for us to take that into account.

RAZ: Abortion rights advocates say the images are manipulative.

ANNE WEYMAN, FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION: These pictures that have been shown are very emotive and they also -- they are enlarged. They haven't added anything to the knowledge that doctors have about the development of the fetus. And they don't really add to the debate. They are being used as a -- as a tool to bring up this question and to put pressure on to reduce the time limit.

RAZ: Polls show overwhelming public support for abortion rights. Groups here opposing abortion have been on the periphery, but that's starting to change.

JULIA MILLINGTON, U.K. PRO-LIFE PARTY: I think we're being perceived as less outlandish as people join with us and say too many abortions. Everybody is saying too many abortions. People are expressing concern that these abortions are being carried out for trivial reasons.

RAZ: Britain has among the least restrictive abortion laws in Europe. In Belgium, abortions are only allowed within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. France has similar restrictions. So does Germany. But in Ireland, abortions are banned unless the life of the mother is in danger.

(on camera): British politicians may now consider whether to reduce the window allowing abortions by up to two weeks. Now that may not sound like much, but abortion opponents are already hailing that prospect.

MILLINGTON: We campaign for total abolition and we continue to campaign for total abolition. However, we do -- we would welcome a reduction in the upper time limit as a step in the right direction.

RAZ (voice-over): Abortion rights groups oppose any changes in the law, saying fewer than 1 percent of abortions here have been after 20 weeks of pregnancy anyway. What they are now pushing for is better access to earlier abortions.

Guy Raz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Some 'Health Headlines' for you this morning.

A double bonus from a vaccine designed to prevent bacterial pneumonia. A report in the "Journal Nature Medicine" says the vaccine not only prevented bacterial pneumonia but it also reduced the number of virus related cases of the disease.

Another new case of West Nile virus, this time it's a 15-year-old boy in San Bernardino. He is the 17th person in southern California to be infected with the virus. The boy was hospitalized in late June after showing symptoms of extreme exhaustion and fever.

In the effort to fight Mad Cow disease, consumer groups say the federal government is dragging its feet in putting livestock feed restrictions in place. The FDA is considering rules that would keep the infectious agent for the disease from getting into cattle feed.

And for more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.

So what do American teens know about money? Ahead in our next hour of DAYBREAK, what's being done to make sure kids are financially savvy before it's too late. Stick around to hear about this beneficial program.

And the story of this little kitten in the Gulf of Mexico in a dramatic rescue. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time for our DAYBREAK 'Eye Opener' and time for a little music. Well if you want to call it music. The 20th annual Undersea Symphony completed another stellar performance in the Florida Keys with specially made instruments like the trombone fish and the harmonicrab. The so-called musicians pretended to play, but some of the locals thought they were a little out of tuna. Take a look at the rare Alabama tree iguana. Actually, there is really no such thing, but this reptile decided it wanted to be like the house cat. So it climbed up a tall tree and refused to come down. A crew was called in to go up and get it. And afterward, they all went for a little swim.

Someone found Nemo. This little kitten was found paddling furiously about three miles off the Florida coast. Its meows for help or those were answered when a boat passed by and plucked little Nemo out of the Gulf of Mexico. No one is really sure how the kitten got there. But after that high seas adventure, everything seems just, well, a little dry.

The changing face of skateboarders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Been kind of obsessed with skateboarding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Hear from this mom who is having fun in changing stereotypes of this extreme sport. That story all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Could terrorists cause a delay in the elections? The government works to prevent a disruption in democracy.

It is Monday, July 12.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired July 12, 2004 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee say the country needs a new CIA director and now. There has been talk of waiting until after the election to nominate a replacement for George Tenet, but the senators say given the current terrorism threat, the U.S. needs more than an acting director.
His brother expects Marine Corporal Wassef Hassoun to return to the U.S. today or tomorrow. Hassoun was missing in Iraq, believed to be a hostage before he turned up in Lebanon. He's been undergoing debriefings at a military hospital in Germany.

In the U.S. Senate today, the debate resumes on a constitutional amendment effectively banning same-sex marriages. President Bush spoke in favor of the amendment during his Saturday radio address. A Senate vote could come as early as Wednesday.

Lea Fastow has just about nine-and-a-half hours of freedom left. The wife of former Enron Finance Chief Andrew Fastow is due to surrender in Houston at 3:00 Eastern to begin serving a one-year prison sentence. She pleaded guilty to helping her husband hide money.

Well this morning you may not be able to hide from the rain out there, Mother Nature is going to be sending some showers down.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a lot of them, actually. Good morning, Betty.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: A lot of rain -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes.

NGUYEN: OK, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

NGUYEN: In Iraq, two U.S. soldiers have been killed in two separate incidents involving roadside bombs. Three other soldiers with the Army's 13th Corps Support Command were injured Sunday when an improvised explosive device hit their convoy near Samarra. Their injuries are not life threatening.

In London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair soon could be answering yet more questions about the intelligence used to justify the Iraq war. A report on prewar intelligence about weapons is due out on Wednesday. Just last week, Mr. Blair said weapons of mass destruction may never be found.

There are conflicting reports swirling around a Filipino truck driver taken hostage in Iraq. A Filipino diplomat says the Filipino government has been given a Tuesday deadline to withdraw its troops or the hostage will be killed. But Manila's secretary of foreign affairs says her government will not comply with the demand.

The U.S. military is still trying to unravel the mystery of Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun. Hassoun may be returned home tomorrow or Wednesday. He's recovering at a U.S. military hospital in Germany. The 24-year-old translator vanished from his Marine base in Iraq on June 19. He later appeared blindfolded in a video supposedly made by Islamic militants. Then he turned up at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut three weeks later.

For more in our 'Eye on the World,' we want to turn now to senior international editor David Clinch who joins us.

Good morning to you.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning.

Well we are building up our coverage plan for that Tony Blair report you were talking about there. A big report coming out.

NGUYEN: Could be very damaging.

CLINCH: Could be very interesting. Damaging, we'll see -- we'll wait and see. One of the interesting things about this use of prewar intelligence to justify the war in Iraq, the report is coming out on Wednesday.

Last night on the British Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC in London, they were busy interviewing two former intelligence chiefs who were basically damning the Blair administration's use of prewar intelligence and saying that it had been very much overstated by the government. That they, the intelligence community, at the time had no information about massive stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.

Well in the midst of these interviews, the BBC also mentioned that they are being told that a very key part of the intelligence, of course they didn't tell us which part,...

NGUYEN: Which.

CLINCH: ... but a very key part of the intelligence used by their Blair to justify the war has now been basically taken off the table or retracted by British intelligence. And that's interesting, because it creates a very interesting parallel to what we're hearing in the U.S. process here in Washington. Of course the report that came out on the CIA gathering of intelligence last week indicated that the intelligence had been gathered in a way that couldn't be justified. NGUYEN: They seem to go hand in hand perhaps.

CLINCH: Well now we're hearing over the weekend from senators that a key part of the intelligence that was used by President Bush has also subsequently been retracted or taken off the table by U.S. intelligence. But we don't get to see that part of the report yet because the parallel ends there. Basically the British are at the stage now of looking at how the intelligence was used by the politicians.

NGUYEN: And Blair is being criticized because a lot of folks are saying if this is true, then why didn't he come clean about it?

CLINCH: Right. It's not clear to us at this point when this key piece of intelligence was taken off the table. But what -- you're exactly right. What people will be looking at on Wednesday is if at any point since the war, until now, he has become aware that a key piece of intelligence that he used to justify the war has been dismissed by the intelligence community, why has he not come public with that, why has he not stated that publicly? Now of course this, at the moment, is in the arena of the BBC versus Tony Blair, and it may be best to just wait until Wednesday and know absolutely what this report says, so...

NGUYEN: Let that play out.

CLINCH: ... what came out.

NGUYEN: Now we want to go to the land down under and talk about something totally different.

CLINCH: Yes, well,...

NGUYEN: A shark attack.

CLINCH: ... a shark attack. At first sight this is "Jaws" all over. We're watching this story in Australia, a very unfortunate incident over the weekend, which we were aware of, a surfer in Australia killed by a shark. Now that has happened before. But in this instance, we were told a massive shark, possibly a great white shark.

Well as usual with fish tales, now we're not quite so sure how big that shark is. But perhaps more interestingly, they are out there hunting for this shark in the sea that killed the surfer. But the family of the surfer now appealing to local fisherman and authorities to leave the sharks alone. They are saying the surfers take their chances, it's part of nature, leave the sharks alone. No need to kill the shark.

NGUYEN: It was a brutal attack, though.

CLINCH: The shark apparently ripped the surfer in two.

NGUYEN: Yes. CLINCH: This blonde, you know, typical Australian, who had surfed all his life, was out there, died over the weekend; but his brother, also a surfer, saying not the shark's fault, leave it alone.

NGUYEN: You're in his territory, the shark's territory.

CLINCH: Yes.

NGUYEN: All right, David Clinch, thank you.

CLINCH: OK.

NGUYEN: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is defiant regarding the world court's ruling against his barrier. At the same time, the Israeli leader is showing his conciliatory side in talks with opposition party leaders.

Want to go live now to Alessio Vinci in Jerusalem with the latest.

Hello.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Betty.

Well, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon needs the opposition in order to carry out a controversial plan to withdraw from all of Gaza and some settlements of the West Bank. And therefore having lost his support among some of his coalition members, Mr. Sharon has invited this morning the leader of the opposition, Shimon Peres, in order to ask him to open up negotiations. So it was possibly forming a unity government with the Likud.

Now we do know that that meeting has taken place at the residence of the prime minister. It lasted about an hour. Officials attending that meeting saying that it was a cordial meeting, but nothing really came out other than the fact that the two promised that they will open up negotiations towards forming this unity government. Now the two leaders we do know have had long-standing issues against each other, but they have said they are ready to work them out.

Now both of course face opposition from within their own political parties. On the one side, on the Likud side, Mr. Sharon can not -- is facing opposition from his finance minister, from his foreign minister who lost his job to Mr. Sharon -- to Mr. Peres himself should Mr. Sharon open up to the Labor Party, as well as Mr. -- the Labor himself, the Mr. Peres who does not want to be seen in the coalition government as a junior partner. But the two leaders have said to be able to work out those differences.

And indeed we do expect in a -- in a -- in a matter of -- in a matter of days that those negotiations could eventually open up. It's not a done-deal yet, but those negotiations will eventually open and could eventually, in a few weeks' time, lead into a unity government.

NGUYEN: Alessio, while that's going on, there's been more violence in Gaza overnight. Tell us a little bit about that. VINCI: That is correct. We do understand from Palestinian medical sources that a 70-year-old wheelchair man has been killed while he was inside his home tonight. A home that Israeli military forces said was used by militants to carry out attacks against the IDF forces, and therefore the Israeli forces began destroying areas and buildings that they said were not inhabited.

The Israeli forces are telling us the day before the destruction of those homes began, they did -- they did try to search those homes, make sure there was nothing there. However, they could not search all of them because they were afraid that some of them could have been booby-trapped or even could hide some militants. And therefore, while the destruction of the homes from where the Israeli forces say militants are carrying out attacks, one man was killed as -- crushed under the rubble as one of the Israeli bulldozers was destroying that apartment.

NGUYEN: Alessio Vinci in Jerusalem this morning. Thank you very much.

The White House is being urged to name a new CIA director and quickly. Sunday was George Tenet's last day on the job. His final weeks were marred by a Senate report revealing serious breakdowns in U.S. intelligence gathering and analysis. Tenet's deputy, John McLaughlin, is acting CIA director until a new appointment is made. Leading senators say the county can not wait given the current terrorist threat. But a White House spokeswoman would only say the president will decide on a new CIA director in due course.

White House officials have discussed the idea of postponing this year's presidential election in the event of a terrorist attack, but implementing such a delay would be a logistical nightmare. Officials have concluded it would require amending the U.S. Constitution and possibly all 50 state constitutions. It would also require making thousands of rule changes at the local level.

The chairman of the NAACP is urging high voter turn out to oust President Bush from office. The civil rights group is upset that Mr. Bush is refusing to attend their convention this week.

Reporter Allison Harmelin of our CNN affiliate WPHL in Philadelphia has reaction from the convention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON HARMELIN, WPHL-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amidst the photo-ops, applause, networking and entertainment, there's an undercurrent of controversy at 95-annual convention of the NAACP.

JOHN STREET, PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA MAYOR: I think it's very unfortunate that President Bush chose to ignore this convention.

KWEISI MFUME, NAACP PRESIDENT: I've written and written and written, requesting a meeting or an opportunity to talk about pertinent issues. We've written, inviting him to come and address us and we've gotten no response. It's been absolute silence. HARMELIN: For the fourth year in a row, President Bush has declined the NAACP's invitation to address the group. In spite of 30 visits to battleground state of Pennsylvania, the president turned down this visit, citing scheduling problems.

MFUME: I think the larger picture is in an election that's going to be as close as this one, no party can afford slippage or to write off an entire group of voters, because you may not agree with them on one issue or another.

HARMELIN: But the president has said his issues are with the NAACP's leadership.

Quote, "I will describe my relationship with the current leadership as basically nonexistent. You've heard the rhetoric and the names they've called me."

But at years-largest gathering of African-American community leaders, Philadelphia's mayor believes the president's absence sends a message that will be heard around the country.

STREET: People here will go back to their respective cities. And the president will have to answer for -- answer the question, why didn't you come to the NAACP convention?

HARMELIN: And while George Bush got just 9 percent of the black vote back in November 2000, many here feel this is a slight that will further reduce those numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are a lot of the things I don't agree with what he's doing. So. And this is something he should be a part of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For him not to take time out of his schedule. That to me, that shows me what kind of president he is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The one vote that he may have gotten black -- from the black community, he's not going to get now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: From Allison Harmelin of CNN affiliate WPHL in Philadelphia.

Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry will speak at the NAACP Convention on Thursday.

Well here are some stories making news 'Across America' this Monday.

The final fumigation is under way for the building that was the first target for an anthrax attack back in 2001. At the time, the America media building housed the "National Inquirer." The clean up is being carried out by a company run by former New York Mayor Rudi Giuliana. No arrests have been made in the series of anthrax attacks that killed five people. Bobby Brown just beat the deadline. The singer is facing battery charges after allegedly hitting his wife, Whitney Houston, last May. The singer turned himself in to police less than four hours before the midnight deadline. Brown was released after posting $2,000 bond.

Smoke from this wildfire in southern Florida caused the closure of a major highway near Miami. The fire has burned more than 7,000 acres on the edge of the Everglades. Check it out. Firefighters are hoping wind conditions will help them get the fire under control a little bit later today. No homes are being threatened by that fire.

In the next hour of DAYBREAK, the point of political conventions, do they really make a difference with the outcome of the election? We'll take a closer look.

And straight ahead, the abortion debate heats up in the U.K., why it's really striking a chord on both sides now.

This is DAYBREAK for Monday, July 12.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Your news, money, weather and sports. The time right now is coming up on 5:46 Eastern Time. And here is what's all new this morning.

Day two of the International AIDS Conference is under way in Thailand. U.N. Chief Kofi Annan is challenging world leaders to do more to combat the global epidemic. CNN will bring you extensive reports from that conference throughout the week, so you want to stay tuned.

Also, the commission investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks could finish its final report by the end of this week. The bipartisan group has already begun the process of having the document declassified for release later this month.

In money, most of the nation's airlines had a higher percentage of filled seats in June than any other month ever. Among the reasons, more discount airfares and smaller planes. Still though, the industry is expected to lose about $3 billion this year.

In culture, a new document called "Out Foxed" takes a critical look at Fox News. It includes media experts who discuss the impact on society when a large chunk of media is controlled by one person and former Fox employees who say they were forced to push a right wing point of view.

In sports, swimming sensation Brendan Hansen set another world record at the U.S. Olympic trials. He won the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:9.04. That's nearly four-tenths of a second ahead of the old world mark, and it becomes -- or it comes just three days after he smashed the 100-meter breaststroke record.

Want to check in with Chad Myers today to see if Mother Nature is going to be breaking any records -- Chad? MYERS: Yes, look out Mark Spitz. Man, this kid is on your tail.

NGUYEN: On fire.

MYERS: Wow!

Hey, good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Thanks, Chad.

New technology is fueling the abortion debate in Britain. Lawmakers there could soon introduce new restrictions on the procedure when a parliamentary inquiry revisits the issue this week.

CNN's Guy Raz has all the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The unmistakable features of a human, tiny, fully formed nose and lips, appearing to climb the walls of the womb. But this is a fetus just 12 weeks old, an image magnified many times, the product of cutting edge technology pioneered in Britain earlier this year.

These images have been shown in major newspapers and on television. And now Britain's leading politicians are reconsidering the question of when life begins.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If the scientific evidence has shifted, then it's obviously sensible for us to take that into account.

RAZ: Abortion rights advocates say the images are manipulative.

ANNE WEYMAN, FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION: These pictures that have been shown are very emotive and they also -- they are enlarged. They haven't added anything to the knowledge that doctors have about the development of the fetus. And they don't really add to the debate. They are being used as a -- as a tool to bring up this question and to put pressure on to reduce the time limit.

RAZ: Polls show overwhelming public support for abortion rights. Groups here opposing abortion have been on the periphery, but that's starting to change.

JULIA MILLINGTON, U.K. PRO-LIFE PARTY: I think we're being perceived as less outlandish as people join with us and say too many abortions. Everybody is saying too many abortions. People are expressing concern that these abortions are being carried out for trivial reasons.

RAZ: Britain has among the least restrictive abortion laws in Europe. In Belgium, abortions are only allowed within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. France has similar restrictions. So does Germany. But in Ireland, abortions are banned unless the life of the mother is in danger.

(on camera): British politicians may now consider whether to reduce the window allowing abortions by up to two weeks. Now that may not sound like much, but abortion opponents are already hailing that prospect.

MILLINGTON: We campaign for total abolition and we continue to campaign for total abolition. However, we do -- we would welcome a reduction in the upper time limit as a step in the right direction.

RAZ (voice-over): Abortion rights groups oppose any changes in the law, saying fewer than 1 percent of abortions here have been after 20 weeks of pregnancy anyway. What they are now pushing for is better access to earlier abortions.

Guy Raz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Some 'Health Headlines' for you this morning.

A double bonus from a vaccine designed to prevent bacterial pneumonia. A report in the "Journal Nature Medicine" says the vaccine not only prevented bacterial pneumonia but it also reduced the number of virus related cases of the disease.

Another new case of West Nile virus, this time it's a 15-year-old boy in San Bernardino. He is the 17th person in southern California to be infected with the virus. The boy was hospitalized in late June after showing symptoms of extreme exhaustion and fever.

In the effort to fight Mad Cow disease, consumer groups say the federal government is dragging its feet in putting livestock feed restrictions in place. The FDA is considering rules that would keep the infectious agent for the disease from getting into cattle feed.

And for more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.

So what do American teens know about money? Ahead in our next hour of DAYBREAK, what's being done to make sure kids are financially savvy before it's too late. Stick around to hear about this beneficial program.

And the story of this little kitten in the Gulf of Mexico in a dramatic rescue. That's next.

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NGUYEN: Time for our DAYBREAK 'Eye Opener' and time for a little music. Well if you want to call it music. The 20th annual Undersea Symphony completed another stellar performance in the Florida Keys with specially made instruments like the trombone fish and the harmonicrab. The so-called musicians pretended to play, but some of the locals thought they were a little out of tuna. Take a look at the rare Alabama tree iguana. Actually, there is really no such thing, but this reptile decided it wanted to be like the house cat. So it climbed up a tall tree and refused to come down. A crew was called in to go up and get it. And afterward, they all went for a little swim.

Someone found Nemo. This little kitten was found paddling furiously about three miles off the Florida coast. Its meows for help or those were answered when a boat passed by and plucked little Nemo out of the Gulf of Mexico. No one is really sure how the kitten got there. But after that high seas adventure, everything seems just, well, a little dry.

The changing face of skateboarders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Been kind of obsessed with skateboarding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Hear from this mom who is having fun in changing stereotypes of this extreme sport. That story all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Could terrorists cause a delay in the elections? The government works to prevent a disruption in democracy.

It is Monday, July 12.

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