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CNN Live At Daybreak
Ahmed Chalabi Charged With Counterfeiting; Crisis in Sudan
Aired August 09, 2004 - 06:30 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Once a friend, now a foe. What is behind the criminal charges against Ahmad Chalabi?
It is Monday, August 9. This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news, radical Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is not backing down this morning. He says the Shiite militiamen will not drop their weapons or leave Najaf. The holy city has seen intense battles between U.S. and Iraqi forces and the militia.
Following an emergency meeting, the Arab League says the government of Sudan needs more time to end the crisis in Darfur. Arab militias there have killed thousands of villagers. And just minutes from now, we'll take you live to the Darfur region and our Christiane Amanpour.
A California family is described as devastated. After nine days, the search for 9-year-old David Gonzalez has been called off. He hasn't been seen since July 31 when he was sent on an errand to buy cookies.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: In Iraq this morning, the fighting in Najaf goes on with Muqtada al-Sadr not backing down. Some 300 militants have been killed in five days of fighting between U.S. forces and the Mehdi army. And this morning the radical cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, told a reporter, I will remain in Najaf until the last drop of blood has been spilled.
Also out of Iraq this morning, you remember Ahmad Chalabi? He used to be a Pentagon favorite, but now he's fallen out of favor. Way out of favor. The Iraqis have charged the former Governing Council member with counterfeiting.
Joining us live now from London, Professor Robert Springborg, director of the London Middle East Institute.
Good morning.
PROF. ROBERT SPRINGBORG, LONDON MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Good morning.
COSTELLO: You know, the U.S. got angry at Chalabi for slipping the Iranians classified information. He's in Iran now. Now, he's charged with counterfeiting. What is this man and his family about?
SPRINGBORG: Well, it's very possible that the prime minister, Iyad Allawi, is moving against Chalabi and his nephew, not only further to consolidate his personal control on power, but also to signal to the Iraqi people that Chalabi's time has come.
The Chalabis are not terribly popular in Iraq. And the idea that one of the Chalabis would be sitting in trial of Saddam Hussein, which indeed was the case with regard to the nephew, Salem, would be very unpalatable to large numbers of Iraqis.
So, I think Allawi is trying to use this move to suggest that no one who received American support is going to be immune from the scope of the Iraqi government, and to suggest that the man appreciates the sensitivities of Sunni Muslims in the northwest of the country, where the Chalabis are particularly unpopular.
So, from Iyad Allawi's position, it's a win-win situation.
COSTELLO: Well, as far as Chalabi is concerned, there are rumors going around there that he's in Iran, and he's actually having Iran help arm the Shiite militiamen that are now fighting within Iraq.
SPRINGBORG: Well, he has been consolidating his position with one of the Iranian groups, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution of Iraq. But that group is not particularly powerful, and the Iranian government clearly has mixed feelings about extensive cooperation with Chalabi.
So, I think the rumors to the effect that Chalabi, with the backing of Iran, is in a position to really influence events profoundly in Iraq, these rumors, I think, are largely ill-founded.
COSTELLO: Could this be bad for the new Iraqi government as far as political infighting is concerned?
SPRINGBORG: Well, not really, because Chalabi has so little support in the country and so many opponents, not only among Shia, but more importantly among Sunni.
And so, as Allawi is moving with offers of amnesties, cracking down on Muqtada al-Sadr, meeting with Sunni tribal sheikhs -- in other words, developing a political strategy to reach out to those who are willing to come into the government or this new transitional assembly on the one hand, and getting tough with the others, such as Chalabi -- it seems to me that from his perspective this makes an awful lot of sense.
The time to move against Chalabi when there are difficulties with Muqtada al-Sadr, he's an astute political operator, and I think this is part of exactly his plan.
COSTELLO: So, Chalabi says he'll come back into Iraq to face these charges. He's in Iran this morning, oddly enough. And Salem Chalabi is in Britain. We don't know if he's coming back, but Britain has decided not to extradite him. So, will these men actually face charges in Iraq, do you think?
SPRINGBORG: I think the message was sent to them, don't come back. I think that's why the indictments were handed down at the present time when they're out of the country.
I'd be a little surprised if they go back. Because the message to them is, if you come back you're going to have real trouble.
Now, the rule of law does not prevail in Iraq at the present time. So, for the Chalabis to go back into that uncertain circumstance when they're pronounced and a profound enemy is in control of the government, it would suggest that they'd be taking their life into their own hands.
So, my guess is we're hearing a lot of tough talk coming particularly from the senior Chalabi, Ahmed, for the moment. But I'd be a little surprised if he does indeed go back. And if he does, then it's going to be a sort of, if you will, the two men in the street with drawn guns at one another. It would be a real challenge.
And my guess is that Chalabi, who distanced himself from Jordan when he was indicted and ultimately convicted on a charge and never went back, my guess is that's the situation for Chalabi in the future.
COSTELLO: We'll see what happens. Professor Robert Springborg, joining us live from London this morning, thank you.
Children starving for their mother's milk, victims too young to understand how this is happening to them. Christiane Amanpour will be live in the Darfur region of Sudan. That's coming up.
And then, an update on the conjoined twins who were separated last week. Their mother now faces a new obstacle.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The worst humanitarian crisis in the world. That's how the United Nations is describing the current situation in Sudan. But will threats of sanctions bring the fighting to an end?
CNN's Christiane Amanpour takes a look at some of the victims caught up in the violence and upheaval in the Darfur region of Sudan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Dr. Jonathan Spector is at war with Darfur's biggest killer now: malnutrition.
DR. JONATHAN SPECTOR, MEDECINS SANS FRONTEIRES: Today, he's very ill.
AMANPOUR: Dr. Spector is midway through a stint for the aid group, Medecins Sans Frontieres, in al-Junaynah (ph), the capital of Western Darfur. He's a long way from his pediatric practice back in Boston.
SPECTOR: In a developed country, this child would be in an intensive care unit setting. He would be on a monitor. He would maybe even be getting -- for sure getting oxygen and maybe on a ventilator.
AMANPOUR: Here, he doesn't have simple diagnostics like blood tests. And every day he has to make a tough choice about who to treat.
SPECTOR: He's malnourished, doesn't actually meet criteria for admission to our camp because he's not severely malnourished. He's moderately malnourished.
AMANPOUR: But these children are severe cases, and every effort counts. Mothers are told to force formula into their skin-and-bones infants every three hours.
With malnutrition comes another killer: disease -- diarrhea, skin infections, septicemia. And all of these patients, like the Yaya (ph) family, have already been brutalized by the wave of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by government-backed militias over the past 18 months.
"They chased us from our home seven months ago and stole all our cattle. They killed three people in our family," says Halima (ph), as she watches over her starving daughter, Zahra (ph).
In another tent, Dr. Spector relishes a success.
SPECTOR: She's so much better. She looks marvelous.
AMANPOUR: But it's only a small success in a desperate bid to save about two million people in urgent need of food and medical relief. There's not nearly enough humanitarian aid or enough aid workers reaching the region.
And 18 months after this catastrophe began the world has coughed up less than half the funds the U.N. requested to save this part of Sudan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Carol, we're standing now in the Riyadh camp, which is one of these big camps for displaced people. It is in Junaynah (ph), still in Western Darfur. But if I get out of the way, you can see some of the way these people are having to live.
Now, again, these are amongst the million people who have been displaced by the fighting, and they have gathered in various makeshift camps around Darfur Province. And you can see that they're basically built of twigs. There's not a whole lot of shelter.
The beginning of the rainy season is upon us. And when it does rain, and it has started to rain for sometimes several hours a day, sometimes every other day, but soon it will get, as someone described it, as sheets of glass, the rain. And that's what's going to be very, very difficult for the people here. Because as you can see, they don't have enough plastic sheeting or any kind of proper physical structure to support themselves and to keep them from being inundated.
But more than that, not only is the food aid only just beginning to sort of get to these people after Colin Powell and Kofi Annan's visit at the beginning of July, but there is still not enough proper sanitation, still not enough proper clean water for people.
And the rainy season mean the onset of disease and potential epidemic. There are already problems with diarrhea, already problems with malnutrition, as we've seen in that report that we did from the hospital, and there are potential epidemics of malaria at the end of the rainy season.
In short, the need, the humanitarian need is enormous. About two million people are in desperate need of proper food, proper medical and sanitation and other relief. And the pipeline is still slow. It's taking an awful long time for the world to react. And even now that they've started to react, just getting what they need to get to these camps is taking an awfully long time.
The Sudanese government knows that it's under the international microscope, in the spotlight, and it's saying that it's trying to do its best now to facilitate humanitarian relief. But it's a very slow and difficult process.
And in the meantime, these people here are the ones that suffer, and they are the ones that are at risk -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, heartbreaking pictures. Christiane Amanpour live from the Darfur region of Sudan this morning.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Bail hearings are scheduled today for four men accused of beating and stabbing six people to death in a Florida home. Police say the suspected ringleader blamed one of the victims for taking his Xbox game and clothes.
An autopsy has failed to determine the cause of death for singer Rick James. He died Friday at his Los Angeles home. The L.A. coroner's office is awaiting toxicology test results, which could take weeks.
In money news, competition among airlines is on the rise, and that is driving air fares down. "USA Today" reports some fares are now at the lowest level in memory.
In culture, Cruise is in control. Tom Cruise's newest movie, "Collateral," did some serious damage to the competition this week. It took the top spot at the box office with more than $24 million. In sports, four more for the hall. John Elway and Barry Sanders were two of the best of their generation, and now they are the latest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Linemen Carl Eller and Bob Brown were also inducted.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
Here's a look at some of the stories we'll be following this week on DAYBREAK.
Tomorrow, the men behind the Tyco scandal. A hearing will take place in the retrial of former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski and former financial officer Michael Schwartz -- or Mark Schwartz, rather. A mistrial was declared in the first trial on corruption charges.
On Wednesday, astronomy lovers get ready for a meteor watch. Circumstances will be nearly ideal for watching the annual Perseid meteor show Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
And then on Friday, ready or not, let the Games begin. The opening ceremony of the Summer Games in Athens kicks off.
Still to come today on DAYBREAK, history at the Brickyard. The name, Gordon, will go down in the books. We've got NASCAR and more lined up on the DAYBREAK sports card.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is time -- actually, we should welcome Chris Cotter, our sports contributor, since he's sitting here.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Welcome.
CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) over here.
COSTELLO: Maybe you can help us with this. You go to CNN.com, right?
COTTER: Sure, I do, of course.
COSTELLO: Yes. Well, this is the time of the morning that we tap into CNN.com to see what people are really most interested in.
COTTER: OK.
COSTELLO: OK.
COTTER: Do that then.
COSTELLO: The most clicked-on story this morning, "U.S. leak harms Al Qaeda sting." And you probably remember the name Muhammad Khan.
COTTER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Well, U.S. officials kind of leaked that name to justify the terror alert warnings. Well, Pakistan is saying by releasing that name to the public, it's kind of messed up their sting operation within Pakistan to round up more al Qaeda members. So, that's the story people are most interested in.
COTTER: Obviously they would be.
COSTELLO: Yes. The second most clicked-on story on our Web site is the conjoined twins.
MYERS: Those twins. They're doing great.
COSTELLO: Yes, they're doing great. The Filipino boys, they're doing great. They've been separated now. And the mom is confused, because she has to choose to go see one as opposed to the other. And who is first and who is second? And she didn't have to do that before.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: The third most clicked-on story, the Florida beating death, and I'm sure you've all heard about this by now. A guy in Florida is upset that his Xbox game was stolen. So, he hires -- allegedly hires three teenagers to go out and kill the people supposedly responsible. And those six people were beaten to death with baseball bats.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Four arrests so far.
MYERS: Right. One was beaten so bad they can't be identified yet.
COSTELLO: Yes, it's just awful story.
MYERS: Oh, my gosh!
COSTELLO: So, what do you think? Do you want to see more coverage of a story? Are you piqued about something, anything? Do you think we're doing a good job on DAYBREAK?
MYERS: Oh, don't answer that one.
COSTELLO: I know. Shoot us an e-mail, let it all out. The address: Daybreak@CNN.com.
All right, now on to sports.
MYERS: Now Chris Cotter.
COSTELLO: Yes, now.
(CROSSTALK) COSTELLO: Welcome, Chris Cotter.
COTTER: Thank you.
COSTELLO: We have a lot to talk about this morning.
COTTER: We do. A lot happened over the weekend. And we'll start with the Brickyard 400 out of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. What a famous track this is and a beautiful place for auto racing.
And Jeff Gordon, who is an Indianapolis native, moved to California earlier on in his life, but always wanted to come back and race at the Brickyard. And he's done it, and done it very well.
Eleventh year for the Brickyard 400, we see a few crashes here on the front stretch. People are getting...
MYERS: That was on a restart.
COTTER: I know.
MYERS: They weren't in third gear at that point.
COTTER: But here Jeff Gordon does come into the line for his fourth win in the 11-year history of the event. He certainly does race very well at the Brickyard 400. And a big win for him as we get closer and closer toward the end of the Nextel Cup season. He is really starting to put a big push for the championship.
COSTELLO: Right. Let's talk about the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the inductions over the weekend.
COTTER: Yes, two of really a star-studded class. You know, a lot of times you get these Hall of Fame induction ceremonies...
MYERS: You go who?
COTTER: Yes, I sort of remember that guy.
COSTELLO: Which is kind of sad.
MYERS: Yes.
COTTER: It might have been before my time. But certainly John Elway and Barry Sanders, somebody I know you are so much a fan of...
COSTELLO: I love Barry Sanders.
COTTER: ... were inducted this past weekend. And Elway, of course, the king of the comeback and finally getting his two Super Bowls at the end of his career. And Barry Sanders leaving -- you know, we've been talking about Ricky Williams so much here lately.
MYERS: Yes.
COTTER: Barry Sanders left the game early as well. He could have broken the all-time rushing record and far surpassed it, but he left at such a young age. But he decided he was going to go out on his own terms.
COSTELLO: But oddly enough, in his speech he didn't care much about that. What he cared about was not going to a Super Bowl with any team. Of course, he was on the Lions for his whole career.
COTTER: Yes, because he...
COSTELLO: But that's the thing he was most disappointed with.
COTTER: He loved playing for the Lions, too. And he loved the fans up there in Detroit. As most players are, the records are there. You know, if they're there, if they get them, that's fine. But they all play to win. And Barry Sanders really did not have much success as a player, not even nearly as much success as John Elway had as a player.
COSTELLO: As far as winning games and Super Bowls, you mean.
COTTER: That's right, and that's what's important.
COSTELLO: As far as performing...
COTTER: Right.
COSTELLO: ... that's what he was most interested in, and that's what he loved doing.
COTTER: And Bob Brown going in as well, an offensive lineman for the Raiders. And Carl Eller, one of the purple people eaters for the Minnesota Vikings...
COSTELLO: Oh, yes, right.
COTTER: ... back in the day, he goes in as well.
COSTELLO: That's right. That's cool. Training camp opens soon?
COTTER: It's been going on.
MYERS: Yes.
COTTER: And, you know, the last couple of weeks a ton of stuff happening. You know, usually you get the Hall of Fame inductions and that kind of gets everybody -- whets everybody's appetite for football. But in the last two weeks since training camp started, you've got Ricky Williams retired early. You had his teammate, David Boston, go down with a season-ending knee injury.
Dave Watson and the folks at Miami can't catch a break. They're really behind the eight ball now. I don't think he makes it through the year as the head coach down there. You have Michael Vick (ph) coming up lame...
MYERS: Yes. COTTER: ... last week...
MYERS: This hamstring.
COTTER: ... with the hamstring, and everybody in Atlanta is holding their breath, and he comes out says, look, I'm not injury- prone, all right? Don't worry about it. It's just a mild injury.
COSTELLO: How could he say that? He's not injury-prone.
COTTER: Everybody who saw what happened last year is extremely worried, Michael. You can't get hurt. You know, the Falcon fans it's going to be a nightmare. So, everybody was holding their breath. Fortunately for him it's a tinge of the hamstring.
COSTELLO: Oh, and Vinny Testaverde, 40 years old, taking over.
MYERS: Nice.
COTTER: Yes, he's going to be the new guy at Dallas, all because Quincy Carter, you know, failing the drug test and getting released by the Cowboys.
COSTELLO: So, is that confirmed now? He did fail a drug test?
MYERS: Yes, is that right?
COTTER: Yes, he failed a drug test. Now it's just what was on that drug test?
MYERS: We don't know yet?
COTTER: Yes, we don't know.
COSTELLO: So, we don't know whether it was cocaine or not.
COTTER: Right. The results won't come out for a while. So, we don't know exactly what it was.
MYERS: Will they come out? Will we find out? It could be steroids, right?
COTTER: The initial report...
MYERS: It could be nothing.
COTTER: Yes, it will come out. The initial report was that it was cocaine. Then that was quickly retracted, and it's not cocaine. Apparently it's going to be something else. It could be any number of things.
MYERS: All right.
COTTER: It could steroids. It could be ecstasy. It could be anything now. COSTELLO: It's interesting -- oh, we have to go. But I'd like to talk more, but we have to go. Sorry, Chris, and thanks for coming in.
COTTER: I ran my mouth too much.
COSTELLO: Today's mug winner announced in two and a half minutes. But first this is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is that time when we reveal the DAYBREAK coffee quiz winner.
MYERS: You were off visiting your husband on Friday. And Carol Lin and I had to hold down the fort.
Here are the questions we asked. The "X-Games" have aired on ESPN for how many years now? And the answer is 10. And the writer, director and star of the movie, "Garden State," appears on what NBC comedy? We're talking about Zach Braff. And he's in "Scrubs."
And I'll tell you what, folks, we had over 750 correct answers.
COSTELLO: Wow!
MYERS: I know. You guys were going crazy on Friday. Crystal Whittenton from Westerville, Ohio.
COSTELLO: Oh, congratulations.
MYERS: Did you live in Westerville?
COSTELLO: No, Dublin.
MYERS: You were in Dublin. I was (UNINTELLIGIBLE). So, congratulations, Crystal.
And now the questions for today I'm sure you've been anxiously awaiting. What is the latest national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline? And in what state did that rocket not make it? It was that private rocket launch. It got about 1,000 feet off the ground. It didn't go very good.
COSTELLO: No, it just fell back to Earth.
MYERS: There was nobody aboard that thing, right?
COSTELLO: No, no, no.
MYERS: No one aboard.
COSTELLO: No, no, it was a test. It was a test. Don't worry, no one got hurt.
MYERS: This is only a test. COSTELLO: That's right. Daybreak@CNN.com. Daybreak@CNN.com.
"AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
MYERS: See you tomorrow.
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Aired August 9, 2004 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Once a friend, now a foe. What is behind the criminal charges against Ahmad Chalabi?
It is Monday, August 9. This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news, radical Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is not backing down this morning. He says the Shiite militiamen will not drop their weapons or leave Najaf. The holy city has seen intense battles between U.S. and Iraqi forces and the militia.
Following an emergency meeting, the Arab League says the government of Sudan needs more time to end the crisis in Darfur. Arab militias there have killed thousands of villagers. And just minutes from now, we'll take you live to the Darfur region and our Christiane Amanpour.
A California family is described as devastated. After nine days, the search for 9-year-old David Gonzalez has been called off. He hasn't been seen since July 31 when he was sent on an errand to buy cookies.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: In Iraq this morning, the fighting in Najaf goes on with Muqtada al-Sadr not backing down. Some 300 militants have been killed in five days of fighting between U.S. forces and the Mehdi army. And this morning the radical cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, told a reporter, I will remain in Najaf until the last drop of blood has been spilled.
Also out of Iraq this morning, you remember Ahmad Chalabi? He used to be a Pentagon favorite, but now he's fallen out of favor. Way out of favor. The Iraqis have charged the former Governing Council member with counterfeiting.
Joining us live now from London, Professor Robert Springborg, director of the London Middle East Institute.
Good morning.
PROF. ROBERT SPRINGBORG, LONDON MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Good morning.
COSTELLO: You know, the U.S. got angry at Chalabi for slipping the Iranians classified information. He's in Iran now. Now, he's charged with counterfeiting. What is this man and his family about?
SPRINGBORG: Well, it's very possible that the prime minister, Iyad Allawi, is moving against Chalabi and his nephew, not only further to consolidate his personal control on power, but also to signal to the Iraqi people that Chalabi's time has come.
The Chalabis are not terribly popular in Iraq. And the idea that one of the Chalabis would be sitting in trial of Saddam Hussein, which indeed was the case with regard to the nephew, Salem, would be very unpalatable to large numbers of Iraqis.
So, I think Allawi is trying to use this move to suggest that no one who received American support is going to be immune from the scope of the Iraqi government, and to suggest that the man appreciates the sensitivities of Sunni Muslims in the northwest of the country, where the Chalabis are particularly unpopular.
So, from Iyad Allawi's position, it's a win-win situation.
COSTELLO: Well, as far as Chalabi is concerned, there are rumors going around there that he's in Iran, and he's actually having Iran help arm the Shiite militiamen that are now fighting within Iraq.
SPRINGBORG: Well, he has been consolidating his position with one of the Iranian groups, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution of Iraq. But that group is not particularly powerful, and the Iranian government clearly has mixed feelings about extensive cooperation with Chalabi.
So, I think the rumors to the effect that Chalabi, with the backing of Iran, is in a position to really influence events profoundly in Iraq, these rumors, I think, are largely ill-founded.
COSTELLO: Could this be bad for the new Iraqi government as far as political infighting is concerned?
SPRINGBORG: Well, not really, because Chalabi has so little support in the country and so many opponents, not only among Shia, but more importantly among Sunni.
And so, as Allawi is moving with offers of amnesties, cracking down on Muqtada al-Sadr, meeting with Sunni tribal sheikhs -- in other words, developing a political strategy to reach out to those who are willing to come into the government or this new transitional assembly on the one hand, and getting tough with the others, such as Chalabi -- it seems to me that from his perspective this makes an awful lot of sense.
The time to move against Chalabi when there are difficulties with Muqtada al-Sadr, he's an astute political operator, and I think this is part of exactly his plan.
COSTELLO: So, Chalabi says he'll come back into Iraq to face these charges. He's in Iran this morning, oddly enough. And Salem Chalabi is in Britain. We don't know if he's coming back, but Britain has decided not to extradite him. So, will these men actually face charges in Iraq, do you think?
SPRINGBORG: I think the message was sent to them, don't come back. I think that's why the indictments were handed down at the present time when they're out of the country.
I'd be a little surprised if they go back. Because the message to them is, if you come back you're going to have real trouble.
Now, the rule of law does not prevail in Iraq at the present time. So, for the Chalabis to go back into that uncertain circumstance when they're pronounced and a profound enemy is in control of the government, it would suggest that they'd be taking their life into their own hands.
So, my guess is we're hearing a lot of tough talk coming particularly from the senior Chalabi, Ahmed, for the moment. But I'd be a little surprised if he does indeed go back. And if he does, then it's going to be a sort of, if you will, the two men in the street with drawn guns at one another. It would be a real challenge.
And my guess is that Chalabi, who distanced himself from Jordan when he was indicted and ultimately convicted on a charge and never went back, my guess is that's the situation for Chalabi in the future.
COSTELLO: We'll see what happens. Professor Robert Springborg, joining us live from London this morning, thank you.
Children starving for their mother's milk, victims too young to understand how this is happening to them. Christiane Amanpour will be live in the Darfur region of Sudan. That's coming up.
And then, an update on the conjoined twins who were separated last week. Their mother now faces a new obstacle.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The worst humanitarian crisis in the world. That's how the United Nations is describing the current situation in Sudan. But will threats of sanctions bring the fighting to an end?
CNN's Christiane Amanpour takes a look at some of the victims caught up in the violence and upheaval in the Darfur region of Sudan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Dr. Jonathan Spector is at war with Darfur's biggest killer now: malnutrition.
DR. JONATHAN SPECTOR, MEDECINS SANS FRONTEIRES: Today, he's very ill.
AMANPOUR: Dr. Spector is midway through a stint for the aid group, Medecins Sans Frontieres, in al-Junaynah (ph), the capital of Western Darfur. He's a long way from his pediatric practice back in Boston.
SPECTOR: In a developed country, this child would be in an intensive care unit setting. He would be on a monitor. He would maybe even be getting -- for sure getting oxygen and maybe on a ventilator.
AMANPOUR: Here, he doesn't have simple diagnostics like blood tests. And every day he has to make a tough choice about who to treat.
SPECTOR: He's malnourished, doesn't actually meet criteria for admission to our camp because he's not severely malnourished. He's moderately malnourished.
AMANPOUR: But these children are severe cases, and every effort counts. Mothers are told to force formula into their skin-and-bones infants every three hours.
With malnutrition comes another killer: disease -- diarrhea, skin infections, septicemia. And all of these patients, like the Yaya (ph) family, have already been brutalized by the wave of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by government-backed militias over the past 18 months.
"They chased us from our home seven months ago and stole all our cattle. They killed three people in our family," says Halima (ph), as she watches over her starving daughter, Zahra (ph).
In another tent, Dr. Spector relishes a success.
SPECTOR: She's so much better. She looks marvelous.
AMANPOUR: But it's only a small success in a desperate bid to save about two million people in urgent need of food and medical relief. There's not nearly enough humanitarian aid or enough aid workers reaching the region.
And 18 months after this catastrophe began the world has coughed up less than half the funds the U.N. requested to save this part of Sudan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Carol, we're standing now in the Riyadh camp, which is one of these big camps for displaced people. It is in Junaynah (ph), still in Western Darfur. But if I get out of the way, you can see some of the way these people are having to live.
Now, again, these are amongst the million people who have been displaced by the fighting, and they have gathered in various makeshift camps around Darfur Province. And you can see that they're basically built of twigs. There's not a whole lot of shelter.
The beginning of the rainy season is upon us. And when it does rain, and it has started to rain for sometimes several hours a day, sometimes every other day, but soon it will get, as someone described it, as sheets of glass, the rain. And that's what's going to be very, very difficult for the people here. Because as you can see, they don't have enough plastic sheeting or any kind of proper physical structure to support themselves and to keep them from being inundated.
But more than that, not only is the food aid only just beginning to sort of get to these people after Colin Powell and Kofi Annan's visit at the beginning of July, but there is still not enough proper sanitation, still not enough proper clean water for people.
And the rainy season mean the onset of disease and potential epidemic. There are already problems with diarrhea, already problems with malnutrition, as we've seen in that report that we did from the hospital, and there are potential epidemics of malaria at the end of the rainy season.
In short, the need, the humanitarian need is enormous. About two million people are in desperate need of proper food, proper medical and sanitation and other relief. And the pipeline is still slow. It's taking an awful long time for the world to react. And even now that they've started to react, just getting what they need to get to these camps is taking an awfully long time.
The Sudanese government knows that it's under the international microscope, in the spotlight, and it's saying that it's trying to do its best now to facilitate humanitarian relief. But it's a very slow and difficult process.
And in the meantime, these people here are the ones that suffer, and they are the ones that are at risk -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, heartbreaking pictures. Christiane Amanpour live from the Darfur region of Sudan this morning.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Bail hearings are scheduled today for four men accused of beating and stabbing six people to death in a Florida home. Police say the suspected ringleader blamed one of the victims for taking his Xbox game and clothes.
An autopsy has failed to determine the cause of death for singer Rick James. He died Friday at his Los Angeles home. The L.A. coroner's office is awaiting toxicology test results, which could take weeks.
In money news, competition among airlines is on the rise, and that is driving air fares down. "USA Today" reports some fares are now at the lowest level in memory.
In culture, Cruise is in control. Tom Cruise's newest movie, "Collateral," did some serious damage to the competition this week. It took the top spot at the box office with more than $24 million. In sports, four more for the hall. John Elway and Barry Sanders were two of the best of their generation, and now they are the latest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Linemen Carl Eller and Bob Brown were also inducted.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
Here's a look at some of the stories we'll be following this week on DAYBREAK.
Tomorrow, the men behind the Tyco scandal. A hearing will take place in the retrial of former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski and former financial officer Michael Schwartz -- or Mark Schwartz, rather. A mistrial was declared in the first trial on corruption charges.
On Wednesday, astronomy lovers get ready for a meteor watch. Circumstances will be nearly ideal for watching the annual Perseid meteor show Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
And then on Friday, ready or not, let the Games begin. The opening ceremony of the Summer Games in Athens kicks off.
Still to come today on DAYBREAK, history at the Brickyard. The name, Gordon, will go down in the books. We've got NASCAR and more lined up on the DAYBREAK sports card.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is time -- actually, we should welcome Chris Cotter, our sports contributor, since he's sitting here.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Welcome.
CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) over here.
COSTELLO: Maybe you can help us with this. You go to CNN.com, right?
COTTER: Sure, I do, of course.
COSTELLO: Yes. Well, this is the time of the morning that we tap into CNN.com to see what people are really most interested in.
COTTER: OK.
COSTELLO: OK.
COTTER: Do that then.
COSTELLO: The most clicked-on story this morning, "U.S. leak harms Al Qaeda sting." And you probably remember the name Muhammad Khan.
COTTER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Well, U.S. officials kind of leaked that name to justify the terror alert warnings. Well, Pakistan is saying by releasing that name to the public, it's kind of messed up their sting operation within Pakistan to round up more al Qaeda members. So, that's the story people are most interested in.
COTTER: Obviously they would be.
COSTELLO: Yes. The second most clicked-on story on our Web site is the conjoined twins.
MYERS: Those twins. They're doing great.
COSTELLO: Yes, they're doing great. The Filipino boys, they're doing great. They've been separated now. And the mom is confused, because she has to choose to go see one as opposed to the other. And who is first and who is second? And she didn't have to do that before.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: The third most clicked-on story, the Florida beating death, and I'm sure you've all heard about this by now. A guy in Florida is upset that his Xbox game was stolen. So, he hires -- allegedly hires three teenagers to go out and kill the people supposedly responsible. And those six people were beaten to death with baseball bats.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Four arrests so far.
MYERS: Right. One was beaten so bad they can't be identified yet.
COSTELLO: Yes, it's just awful story.
MYERS: Oh, my gosh!
COSTELLO: So, what do you think? Do you want to see more coverage of a story? Are you piqued about something, anything? Do you think we're doing a good job on DAYBREAK?
MYERS: Oh, don't answer that one.
COSTELLO: I know. Shoot us an e-mail, let it all out. The address: Daybreak@CNN.com.
All right, now on to sports.
MYERS: Now Chris Cotter.
COSTELLO: Yes, now.
(CROSSTALK) COSTELLO: Welcome, Chris Cotter.
COTTER: Thank you.
COSTELLO: We have a lot to talk about this morning.
COTTER: We do. A lot happened over the weekend. And we'll start with the Brickyard 400 out of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. What a famous track this is and a beautiful place for auto racing.
And Jeff Gordon, who is an Indianapolis native, moved to California earlier on in his life, but always wanted to come back and race at the Brickyard. And he's done it, and done it very well.
Eleventh year for the Brickyard 400, we see a few crashes here on the front stretch. People are getting...
MYERS: That was on a restart.
COTTER: I know.
MYERS: They weren't in third gear at that point.
COTTER: But here Jeff Gordon does come into the line for his fourth win in the 11-year history of the event. He certainly does race very well at the Brickyard 400. And a big win for him as we get closer and closer toward the end of the Nextel Cup season. He is really starting to put a big push for the championship.
COSTELLO: Right. Let's talk about the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the inductions over the weekend.
COTTER: Yes, two of really a star-studded class. You know, a lot of times you get these Hall of Fame induction ceremonies...
MYERS: You go who?
COTTER: Yes, I sort of remember that guy.
COSTELLO: Which is kind of sad.
MYERS: Yes.
COTTER: It might have been before my time. But certainly John Elway and Barry Sanders, somebody I know you are so much a fan of...
COSTELLO: I love Barry Sanders.
COTTER: ... were inducted this past weekend. And Elway, of course, the king of the comeback and finally getting his two Super Bowls at the end of his career. And Barry Sanders leaving -- you know, we've been talking about Ricky Williams so much here lately.
MYERS: Yes.
COTTER: Barry Sanders left the game early as well. He could have broken the all-time rushing record and far surpassed it, but he left at such a young age. But he decided he was going to go out on his own terms.
COSTELLO: But oddly enough, in his speech he didn't care much about that. What he cared about was not going to a Super Bowl with any team. Of course, he was on the Lions for his whole career.
COTTER: Yes, because he...
COSTELLO: But that's the thing he was most disappointed with.
COTTER: He loved playing for the Lions, too. And he loved the fans up there in Detroit. As most players are, the records are there. You know, if they're there, if they get them, that's fine. But they all play to win. And Barry Sanders really did not have much success as a player, not even nearly as much success as John Elway had as a player.
COSTELLO: As far as winning games and Super Bowls, you mean.
COTTER: That's right, and that's what's important.
COSTELLO: As far as performing...
COTTER: Right.
COSTELLO: ... that's what he was most interested in, and that's what he loved doing.
COTTER: And Bob Brown going in as well, an offensive lineman for the Raiders. And Carl Eller, one of the purple people eaters for the Minnesota Vikings...
COSTELLO: Oh, yes, right.
COTTER: ... back in the day, he goes in as well.
COSTELLO: That's right. That's cool. Training camp opens soon?
COTTER: It's been going on.
MYERS: Yes.
COTTER: And, you know, the last couple of weeks a ton of stuff happening. You know, usually you get the Hall of Fame inductions and that kind of gets everybody -- whets everybody's appetite for football. But in the last two weeks since training camp started, you've got Ricky Williams retired early. You had his teammate, David Boston, go down with a season-ending knee injury.
Dave Watson and the folks at Miami can't catch a break. They're really behind the eight ball now. I don't think he makes it through the year as the head coach down there. You have Michael Vick (ph) coming up lame...
MYERS: Yes. COTTER: ... last week...
MYERS: This hamstring.
COTTER: ... with the hamstring, and everybody in Atlanta is holding their breath, and he comes out says, look, I'm not injury- prone, all right? Don't worry about it. It's just a mild injury.
COSTELLO: How could he say that? He's not injury-prone.
COTTER: Everybody who saw what happened last year is extremely worried, Michael. You can't get hurt. You know, the Falcon fans it's going to be a nightmare. So, everybody was holding their breath. Fortunately for him it's a tinge of the hamstring.
COSTELLO: Oh, and Vinny Testaverde, 40 years old, taking over.
MYERS: Nice.
COTTER: Yes, he's going to be the new guy at Dallas, all because Quincy Carter, you know, failing the drug test and getting released by the Cowboys.
COSTELLO: So, is that confirmed now? He did fail a drug test?
MYERS: Yes, is that right?
COTTER: Yes, he failed a drug test. Now it's just what was on that drug test?
MYERS: We don't know yet?
COTTER: Yes, we don't know.
COSTELLO: So, we don't know whether it was cocaine or not.
COTTER: Right. The results won't come out for a while. So, we don't know exactly what it was.
MYERS: Will they come out? Will we find out? It could be steroids, right?
COTTER: The initial report...
MYERS: It could be nothing.
COTTER: Yes, it will come out. The initial report was that it was cocaine. Then that was quickly retracted, and it's not cocaine. Apparently it's going to be something else. It could be any number of things.
MYERS: All right.
COTTER: It could steroids. It could be ecstasy. It could be anything now. COSTELLO: It's interesting -- oh, we have to go. But I'd like to talk more, but we have to go. Sorry, Chris, and thanks for coming in.
COTTER: I ran my mouth too much.
COSTELLO: Today's mug winner announced in two and a half minutes. But first this is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is that time when we reveal the DAYBREAK coffee quiz winner.
MYERS: You were off visiting your husband on Friday. And Carol Lin and I had to hold down the fort.
Here are the questions we asked. The "X-Games" have aired on ESPN for how many years now? And the answer is 10. And the writer, director and star of the movie, "Garden State," appears on what NBC comedy? We're talking about Zach Braff. And he's in "Scrubs."
And I'll tell you what, folks, we had over 750 correct answers.
COSTELLO: Wow!
MYERS: I know. You guys were going crazy on Friday. Crystal Whittenton from Westerville, Ohio.
COSTELLO: Oh, congratulations.
MYERS: Did you live in Westerville?
COSTELLO: No, Dublin.
MYERS: You were in Dublin. I was (UNINTELLIGIBLE). So, congratulations, Crystal.
And now the questions for today I'm sure you've been anxiously awaiting. What is the latest national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline? And in what state did that rocket not make it? It was that private rocket launch. It got about 1,000 feet off the ground. It didn't go very good.
COSTELLO: No, it just fell back to Earth.
MYERS: There was nobody aboard that thing, right?
COSTELLO: No, no, no.
MYERS: No one aboard.
COSTELLO: No, no, it was a test. It was a test. Don't worry, no one got hurt.
MYERS: This is only a test. COSTELLO: That's right. Daybreak@CNN.com. Daybreak@CNN.com.
"AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
MYERS: See you tomorrow.
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