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CNN Live At Daybreak

London Terror; Lebanon Bombing; Dennis: The Aftermath

Aired July 12, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: It is Tuesday, July 12. Movement this morning in the investigation of last week's London train bombing. The hunt for the killers. Police in England are on the move right now. We are live with the latest.
And after the storm for Gulf Coast residents now comes the muscle work: picking up after Dennis.

Plus, the president's top political adviser gets connected to the scandal surrounding the blown cover of a CIA agent. But the question this morning, did Karl Rove break the law?

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.

WALLACE: Good morning, everyone. Happy Tuesday morning. I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.

We will have a live report from 10 Downing Street in London just ahead.

Also, it has been 10 years since the brutal massacre of nearly 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica. Now the world looks back at what went wrong.

And we'll tell you one place you definitely won't be getting cell phone service. The reason why may surprise you.

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

In Lebanon, a powerful blast in a Beirut suburb leaves two people dead and another 12 injured, including the Lebanese defense minister, Elias el Murr. Today's explosion is the latest in a string of bombings and assassinations following the fatal car bombing of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Seoul, South Korea, this morning, trying to solidify the next round of nuclear disarmament talks to the region. Here we see her at her last stop in Japan. Rice's visit coincides with South Korea's pledge of 500,000 tons of food aid for North Korea.

Idaho prosecutors say Joseph Edward Duncan will be charged with three counts of first-degree murder today. Duncan is suspected of killing Shasta Groene's mother, older brother, and her mother's boyfriend before abducting Shasta and her now deceased brother Dylan. Arizona police have an Amber Alert out for two young children after discovering their uncle and grandparents dead. Authorities are looking for 18-month-old Bryan Cervantes and his 3-year-old sister Jennifer. Police call the children's father "an investigative lead."

To the forecast center now. Rob Marciano sitting in for Chad Myers.

Rob, you have been very busy over the past few days. Good morning to you.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kelly. Yes, we've all been busy. A little bit of a breather today, although they're still working hard along the Florida Panhandle. Chad working on a report for later on today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: OK, Rob. We'll be checking in with you in about 15 minutes. Thanks so much.

MARCIANO: OK. You bet.

WALLACE: Now to the London terror attacks last week. Several homes in northeast England are being raided this morning as part of the probe into last week's bombings. Prime Minister Tony Blair has promised to vigorously hunt down those responsible for the attacks. He also repeated that he thinks Islamic extremists are to blame.

For more, we are joined live by CNN's Robyn Curnow from 10 Downing Street.

Good morning to you, Robyn. What is the latest from there?

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. Good morning to you, Kelly.

Well, it does seem like there has been a significant lead in this investigation. We're hearing from Scotland Yard that five residential properties were raided this morning in Yorkshire, which is in north England. They say this -- these searches were directly related to the blasts on Thursday.

No arrests have been made so far, but they say that the operation is ongoing. And this, of course, is the first time that we've heard of some major breakthroughs as such in this investigation. Police until now have been pretty tight-lipped about the state of the investigation. And, of course, it is a massive, massive task what the British police are having to sift through.

They say that they're going through about 2,500 tapes of security footage. They're still combing through those four blast sites. And, of course, still trying to get together eyewitness accounts.

So, all in all, as Tony Blair has said, this is one of the largest and most vigorous investigations in British history. WALLACE: And Robyn, I didn't know, I thought you might be talking to a sound bite from the prime minister. I wanted to ask you about this that we're hearing: about U.S. Air Force troops being told to stay out of London?

CURNOW: Absolutely. It's been a bit of source of controversy this morning in the British press. Essentially, U.S. Air Force troops -- and there are 12,000 of them stationed here in England -- have been banned from coming into central London ever since Friday. Their families have also been urged not to come into the city center here.

Now, U.S. personnel saying this was to ensure the troops' safety. But, of course, that message directly contradicts the message coming from London police and, of course, from Londoners themselves, which has been the message all along since the attacks, is that London is open for business, people have been getting on the subway and riding the public transport system. And, of course, this U.S. policy is contradicting that.

Now, the British defense minister here, John Reid, has defended the U.S. policy, but he does say that it is being reviewed at the moment.

I don't know if you -- I don't know if you can hear me, but, Kelly, so essentially this is a massive investigation, and London, of course, remains on high alert. And that U.S. policy is being reviewed according to the British defense minister.

Back to you.

WALLACE: OK, Robyn. We have to leave it there. We'll check in with you in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

Robyn Curnow reporting from 10 Downing Street in London. We appreciate it.

To Lebanon now, where a massive bomb targeting the defense minister. This bombing happened just an hour ago north of Beirut. Journalist Anthony Mills is at the scene and joins us live on the phone.

Anthony, thanks for joining us. First, give us a sense of what you're seeing right now.

ANTHONY MILLS, JOURNALIST: Well, certainly signs of a massive explosion here on this small, quiet residential road that comes down the hillside in between two big villas. Certainly signs of a massive explosion that blew in the windows of these villas here, that blew in the windows of shop buildings and office buildings and other houses within at least several hundred meters of the site.

It ripped off a massive iron gate from the front of this villa here where I'm standing. And debris strewn over a wide area.

The hulks, the blackened hulks of twisted metal that was once cars in the road still smoking. The fire teams, ambulances, of course, were here, have left, sirens wailing. But certainly signs of a very powerful bomb.

WALLACE: And Anthony, tell us a little bit about the defense minister, because we understand he's the outgoing defense minister and that he is an ally of Syria. What do we know about him?

MILLS: Well, certainly, that's right. The explosions which have taken place over the last few months here in Lebanon have targeted until now anti-Syrian figures, anti-Syrian politicians and anti-Syrian journalists. This is the first to target a figure who is unquestionably pro-Syrian.

He's a former interior minister. He's a very powerful man. And he is very close to the current Lebanese president, Emile Lahoud, who, of course, is staunchly pro-Syrian.

So this is certainly a change in the pattern that we've seen until now. And, of course, I imagine that different explanations will be offered by both the opposition and government spokespeople as to who may or may not have been behind this.

WALLACE: And, of course, too early, of course, to see who may be behind this. But give us a sense. Have we been seeing anything leading up to this point since this is a change in the pattern? Anything to indicate that any pro-Syrian politicians could be targeted in the country?

MILLS: Nothing. No hard evidence, certainly, that there were going to be any pro-Syrian politicians targeted.

But I can tell you that in recent weeks I have been hearing suggestions here that pro-Syrian politicians were going to be targeted simply because this would create, A, strife, it would make it look as though the -- the people being targeted were not only anti-Syrian opposition members. And, of course, an explanation put forward by the anti-Syrian opposition would be that this would serve, if you will, as something as a defense strategy for the pro-Syrian members here in Lebanon, that they would be able to say, "You see, we're being targeted as well."

Of course, I stress that's something that the -- that the anti- Syrian opposition may very well put forward. Certainly the government side has in recent days, in recent weeks, in fact, been making very clear that they believe -- they say that they believe there is an Islamic fundamentalist threat here in Lebanon. They point to what they say were foiled bombing attempts, including one against the Italian embassy here in downtown Beirut only a few months ago.

And they say the Islamic fundamentalist threat is very real. So we may well see that put forward as an explanation by some people.

WALLACE: Anthony, we appreciate you giving us the latest. Anthony Mills, freelance journalist, giving us the latest about that explosion in Beirut, in the suburb of Beirut. And it appears to be targeting the Lebanese defense minister. More on this DAYBREAK as we get it. Turning now to Washington. Four top senators from both sides of the aisle will get some face time with President Bush this morning to talk about filling the Supreme Court vacancy. The White House says the president will hear their views over breakfast on replacing retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Democratic leader Harry Reid says several senators have suggested names to the White House. And he says it's important for the president to share names, too.

Want some visible proof that Hurricane Dennis left a lot of water in its wake? Just take a look at this.

This is the roller coaster at the Six Flags over Georgia Amusement Park in Atlanta. Well, it's more like Six Flags underwater. The storm dumped a deluge of nearly 10 inches of rain onto the theme park. The roller coaster, again, looks a little more like a flume ride.

Well, one death in Georgia is being attributed to Dennis. A suburban Atlanta man was killed when a huge poplar tree crashed through his home. He was killed instantly. The man's wife and two children escaped unharmed.

High water is still part of the landscape for much of Georgia. Just west of Atlanta, some residents saw water as high as their rooftops. Look at that. And they had to be rescued by boat. Damage estimates could crest at $3 million.

Well, Dennis came ashore about 50 miles from where Hurricane Ivan struck just 10 months ago. Our Kareen Wynter tells us about new damage on top of old.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The day after Dennis struck, many residents, as well as business owners, here in Navarre, Florida, spent the day surveying the damage, damage such as what you're seeing over my shoulder here at this gas station, a partially collapsed structure that was hard hit by Hurricane Dennis. Now, despite all this, many people here still feel that the storm wasn't as bad as forecasters predicted.

(voice-over): Hurricane Dennis ruined 10 months of cleanup work by citizens of Navarre Beach after the damage caused by Ivan. Now many here say they're starting all over again. The Category 3 Dennis came ashore Sunday afternoon between this location and Pensacola Beah, with 120-mile-per-hour winds and 10 feet of storm surge.

Today, the U.S. Coast Guard surveyed the damage by air.

LT. MIKE MARKS, U.S. COAST GUARD: There's still damage from Ivan, so we have to distinguish what the difference was between the one that just came in and Ivan. But there doesn't seem to be as much damage. A little beach erosion, but basically it's -- you know, it's not as bad. WYNTER: Dennis landed less than 50 miles east of where Ivan, also a Category 3 hurricane, caused the most damage last September. President Bush declared federal disaster areas in parts of the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and Mississippi, where hundreds of thousands are without power.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says, while the damage isn't as widespread as anticipated, recovery teams have their hands full.

MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: We've sent in our rapid needs assessment teams, our preliminary damage assessment teams, the medical teams. They're all now on the ground.

WYNTER (on camera): While the storm has passed, many here say there's no time to relax with another tropical depression brewing in the Atlantic, the fifth of the season, now making its way toward the Caribbean islands.

Kareen Wynter, CNN, Navarre, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: Still to come on this Tuesday edition of DAYBREAK, cell phones in tunnels, a necessary lifeline or a tool of terrorists? Law enforcement officials way the pros and cons. We'll explain.

Also, a presidential adviser and a leak of confidential information. What's the political fallout for Karl Rove? Details later this hour.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Time now to check the international markets.

Trading is mixed. Japan's Nikkei closing up 17 points. Britain's FTSE is trading down 10 points. And the German DAX is down nearly 17 points.

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

A powerful explosion in Lebanon this morning targets the motorcade of Lebanon's defense minister. Police say he was wounded and two others were killed. It happened in a suburb just north of Beirut.

The military has found the body of the fourth and final Navy SEAL missing while conducting a counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan. The Pentagon says he died in a shootout with enemy terrorists, adding he had not been abducted as the Taliban claimed.

In money, another jump in the price of gas. In fact, prices went up more than a dime over the past week. That's another new record. The average price for a gallon of unleaded stands at $2.33.

In culture, the new "Harry Potter" books are arriving at stores all over the country, but don't even think about getting your hands on one yet. Booksellers have been warned not to release any of the books until midnight Friday.

In sports, the all-star Home Run Derby turned into the Bobby Abreu show. The Philadelphia Phillies outfielder broke all the previous records for the event. He hit 24 homers in the first round and ended up with 41 for the whole thing. The all-star game is tonight.

Rob Marciano, 41 home runs. You can do that.

MARCIANO: Yes, right. In my dreams.

That was fun to watch. Always a good time. Sometimes the Home Run Derby is more fun than the actual games.

WALLACE: That is true.

MARCIANO: Here's what's going on with our forecast weather map today, Kelly.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: All right, Rob. We'll talk to you then. Thanks so much.

Still to come here on DAYBREAK, one woman's personal story about the Srebrenica massacre and how she's turning grief into hope.

You're watching DAYBREAK for Tuesday, July 12.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back to DAYBREAK.

It has been 10 years now since the worst massacre in Europe since World War II. Nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys were massacred in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Hercegovina. The nation paused to remember the victims Monday.

World leaders at the 10th anniversary ceremonies expressed and sorrow, the west's failure to stop the killings. As part of the ceremonies, 610 newly-identified remains were buried after a religious ceremony at the site of the slaughter. The caskets were passed from hand to hand toward the graves. The sound of Muslim widows weeping as they mourn their husbands and sons, mingling with a voice reading the names of the victims.

Amid all the tributes there were calls for the quick arrests of the top Bosnian-Serb war crimes fugitives. In all, 250,000 people were killed in the war among Bosnian Serbs, Catholic Croats and Orthodox Serbs. The war lasting from 1992 to 1995. It ended when NATO bombings forced the Serbs to seek peace. Well, a 20-year-old student at Georgia Tech University remembers the Srebrenica massacre all too well. Her father is among those Muslims believed killed by Bosnian-Serb troops.

CNN's Morgan Neill has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Sejdefa Dozic, July the 11th is a date charged with powerful memories, memories of a home lost and a father last seen 10 years ago.

Sejdefa, a Bosnian Muslim, grew up in Srebrenica. She was 10 years old in 1985 when Serbian forces overran the town. When the Serbs came, her father, along with thousands of Muslim men, decided to separate from the women and children and strike out through the woods, in hopes of reaching safety.

For five days, Bosnian Serb soldiers systematically killed some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in and around Srebrenica.

Sejdefa, along with her mother and younger brother, walked to Pocachadi (ph) and eventually on to Tusla (ph). There, they greeted buses filled with surviving men from Srebrenica in desperate hope.

SEJDEFA DOZIC, BOSNIAN MUSLIM: I remember every time they would come, I would run and search through the crowds, trying to find the face of my father, but unfortunately, I never did.

NEILL: With no way of knowing what happened to her father, Sejdefa tried to concentrate on her studies. She did so well she drew the attention of a Bosnian American society, as well as a nonprofit program called Art Reach that uses art therapy to help trauma victims.

(on camera): The two groups offered to help Sejdefa come study in the United States, and after passing all her tests, she received a full scholarship here at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

(voice-over): Now she's studying biochemical engineering, but Sejdefa says what happened at Srebrenica 10 years ago is never far from her mind.

DOZIC: It's hard for me to put my father in any of the stories that I heard. It's been 10 years after the genocide, and there is a part of me that still -- I still cherish the hope that he's alive.

NEILL: To mark the anniversary, she'll speak at the United Nations to try to ensure Srebrenica is not forgotten. At for her own memories...

DOZIC: I keep a journal. I've had this journal for awhile. The reason I started it is because I thought if my father shows up one time, I can tell him everything that happened and I wouldn't miss anything.

NEILL: Morgan Neill, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: One woman's story of the massacre there 10 years ago.

All new in the next half-hour of DAYBREAK, the president's deputy chief of staff and a leak of CIA confidential information. But were any laws broken? A closer look coming up.

Plus, is allowing cell phone service in tunnels a public service or a tool for terrorists? Law enforcement officials must weigh the risk.

We're back with more of this DAYBREAK right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.

WALLACE: Good morning, everyone. Thanks for waking up with us. I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.

Coming up in the next 30 minutes, just who did leak the identity of a CIA operative to the press? Some think it's this man, Karl Rove.

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