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CNN Live Today
Bush Visits Canada Hoping to Mend Ties; 9/11 Families Push for Intelligence Bill; Body Recovered Presumed to be Sports Executive's Son
Aired November 30, 2004 - 10:00 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: How about you and I get started?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Let's do it. Right into it. It's all about timber, isn't it?
KAGAN: On the border.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Exactly. Here's a...
KAGAN: Don't you know?
SANCHEZ: Here's what's happening right now between Mr. President, ours, and the prime minister in Canada. We're going to be talking an awful lot about that. It's all about fence mending actually across the border. President Bush is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa this hour. It's the first state visit to Canada by a U.S. president in nearly a decade. Talks on: trade, timber, tariffs, security, all of those things to keep in mind. It's a two-day agenda. Protests against the president's Iraq policies are also expected.
The NAACP spokesman confirms that President Kwesi Mfume is, in fact, stepping down. There he is. The organization's legal counsel is going to be named interim president and a national search is going to be conducted to find Mfume's successor. Today's "Baltimore Sun" reports that Mfume is voluntarily leaving to explore other opportunities. CNN will offer up live coverage of the NAACP's news conference from Baltimore at noon Eastern.
U.S. military helicopters are searching a remote area of central Afghanistan for six Americans and their missing cargo plane. The plane, carrying three soldiers and three crewmembers, disappeared over the weekend. Snowy weather, rugged terrain has slowed thus far the rescue operation.
And Ukraine's Supreme Court today resumes hearings into election fraud allegations. The country's parliament is holding an emergency session to consider a motion of no confidence in the prime minister. Tens of thousands of opposition supporters continue to block government buildings in Kiev.
OK here we go. It's 10:00 a.m. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And good morning, everyone. I'm Daryn Kagan. President Bush heading north, not just the climate that might be chilly when he gets there, however. About a half hour from now, Mr. Bush is due to arrive in Canada. He will face anger from some Canadians toward their southern neighbor, or at least the leader. A trade dispute, a perceived diplomatic snub, and widespread opposition to the war in Iraq are hanging over the first state visit by a U.S. president. It's been about 10 years since U.S. president has made a state visit north of the border.
Now let's take a quick look at Mr. Bush's two-day visit to Canada. He right now is en route from Washington to Ottawa, the Canadian capital. He is due to arrive there at the bottom of the hour. Tomorrow he'll travel eastward to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he'll deliver a speech on the war on terrorism.
Right now we want to go live to the White House. That's where Elaine Quijano can set the stage for what Mr. Bush can expect when he lands in Ottawa.
Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. First of all, President Bush has traveled to Canada twice before for international gatherings. But this will be his first official state visit there. The president left the White House about an hour ago, and the president also making his first official state visit since his re-election.
Now, why is that significant? Because in choosing Canada, the president is sending a sign that he wants to reach out to Canadians, and move past the bad feelings over the Iraq War. Canada did not send troops to take part in the invasion. Many people stood firmly opposed to it in Canada and they still do today. The atmosphere greeting the president, tight security as always surrounding the president's trip. Officials there in Canada are expecting protesters, people expressing their anti-war sentiments.
Now on the agenda, besides the situation in Iraq, likely to come up, other issues include border security, trade disputes, and the war on terrorism. Now, on that last point, the president, as you said, will be traveling from Ottawa to Halifax, Nova Scotia to talk about the war on terrorism.
Now many Americans may not realize this, but in the immediate days after the September 11 attacks, when many flights were diverted and grounded, thousands of Americans found themselves stranded and were taken in by Canadians in that area around Halifax. President Bush tomorrow will go to Halifax to thank those Canadians there, to talk about the larger war on terrorism.
But all of this, Daryn, part of that larger effort to reach out, try to mend some fences and perhaps have this start of a new period in U.S./Canada relations -- Daryn.
Elaine Quijano at the White House, thank you. We have a lot of live coverage as that visit takes place -- Rick. SANCHEZ: And on the verge of this visit, here's a poll that gives you a sense of what the feelings are between Canadians and Americans. This is a Canadian Television poll we want to share with you. Fifty-eight percent of Canadians view President Bush's re- election as a bad thing. Only 26 percent see it as a good thing. But here's a bit of a twist to that poll now.
Pollsters were then asked to agree or disagree with this statement, "I don't like or respect anything that the United States or its people stand for." That's a direct quote. Only 15 percent of the people agreed with that, 84 percent disagree. Now, a polling executive says that explains that Canadians are being anti-Bush but not necessarily anti-American.
Now, We should tell I something else, we are making every effort at this point to cover this story for you, and bring you live reports from there, including some Q&A's, as we call them in the business, questions and answers with some correspondents that usually cover the prime minister and Canadian affairs. We're trying to set that in motion for you. And as soon as we get it we'll bring it to you.
In the meantime, here's Daryn.
KAGAN: Another big story to cover out of Washington for you today, a two-pronged push for Congress to act on the post-9/11 intelligence reforms. Members of the commission that drafted the proposals and relatives of those who died in the terrorist attacks are holding news conferences today. They are demanding action.
Our Congressional correspondent Ed Henry is live at his post on Capitol Hill with more on that.
Ed, good morning.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. In fact, you're right, some of the 9/11 families are meeting live at this hour on Capitol Hill, holding a press conference, pushing for a deal on the 9/11 intelligence reform bill.
Also CNN has learned that there will be a high level meeting this afternoon, where former 9/11 Commission Co-Chairs Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton will be meeting with the vice president here in Washington. Meeting with Vice President Cheney to try to break this deadlock on the legislation. It's been stalled, as you know, for weeks now.
Time is of the essence. Lee Hamilton told me this morning that the commission co-chairs were hoping to meet with President Bush, deal with him directly on this. But they understand, as you just reported, the president is going to be in Canada for the next couple of days. So they are more on happy to meet instead with the vice president.
Time is of the essence, because the clock is ticking on Congress. Congress coming back next week to complete this lame duck session. If they do not finish the 9/11 bill next week, it will die. And then they will have to start from scratch in January. Lee Hamilton said this morning on CNN that if the bill dies for this year, there will be dire consequences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE HAMILTON, CO-CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: You go back to the drawing board; you start all over again, in the next Congress, the 109-Congress. It will be months, six months, eight months, a year before a new bill can come forward. All the time the terrorists will be planning another attack, and we will be less secure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now this is a remarkable situation, obviously, where you have the president saying publicly he supports a deal, he wants this legislation to get through Congress. Democratic and Republican leaders up here on the Hill also say that they want a deal. But two powerful Republicans so far are stopping it.
Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin has said that he does not want a deal, if it does not include tough immigration provisions. Also, Republican House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter of California is saying that he's concerned that a new director of National Intelligence could add a layer of bureaucracy that blocks critical intelligence from getting to military troops in the field.
But a White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday that the president is confident that this can all be worked out. That in fact, the troops will not be harmed in any way. And in fact, Scott McClellan said that the president will be sending a letter later this week to Capitol Hill, informing congressional leaders once again that he supports the bill. Here's Scott McClellan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELAND, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: The president would never sign legislation that would harm our troops, or hurt our troops in any way. And the president believes that this is an important legislation that will further strengthen our intelligence operations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: In addition to the divide among some Republicans, this issue is also splitting 9/11 families. As I mentioned, there are some 9/11 families at this hour holding a press conference here on the hill, saying they want this legislation. They think it's good enough and they want a deal now. They want it passed this year.
But at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time there will be another press conference with another 9/11 families, who say that they believe the current legislation as it's drafted is not good enough. And they believe that Mr. Sensenbrenner's immigration provisions have to be in here in order for it to be the right reform -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Ed. Well, one of those families that you're talking about speaking right now on Capitol Hill. So let's go ahead and listen in. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The question now is whether or not Congress, under the leadership of the president, has the conscience, backbone and courage to overcome the influence of lobbyists and entrenched bureaucracy to pass this bill. The time to act is now.
And the next family Steering Committee member to speak is Mary Fetchit, whose son Brad, 24, was killed on 9/11.
MARY FETCHIT, SON DIED ON 9/11: Good morning. My name is Mary. My 24-year-old son Brad died on September 11. Unfortunately today, over three years and two months after the death of 3,000 people in an attack on our country, and five months after the commission released its recommendations, we remain vulnerable due to the same inertia and turf battles that contributed to those failures.
The 9/11 Commission recommendations faced the same fate of other previous commissions over the past decade. They'd be made by sacrifice due to posturing of special interest groups and collect dust on a shelf. All of us hoped that by now, we would be finished with Washington press conferences and fighting for national security legislation. We believed that by now, America would have legislation that it so desperately needs to prevent future terrorist attacks.
Today we have a broken intelligence community, riddled by chaos. We hear continued, pointed threats from the terrorists. Yet a strategic plan to make our country safer is in limbo. The time for debate is over. Legislation has been agreed upon by the majority, and it should be moved to the floor for a vote.
Last Saturday, after months of debate and political wrangling, a compromise bill was agreed upon by the four principal conferees and the speaker's office. The compromise bill had a widespread bipartisan support among the full Senate, conferees, the House Democrat conferees, and the majority of House Republican conferees. The 9/11 commissioners, and the 9/11 Steering Committee endorsed the legislation and it appeared that President Bush supported it as well. The speaker's office, who was instrumental in negotiating the compromise bill, believed that the compromise was, quote, "a good one."
KAGAN: We've been listening in to a news conference on Capitol Hill. Family members who lost loved ones on 9/11 speaking out, hoping that this intelligence reform legislation will somehow get passed by Congress. Ed Henry with us.
Ed Henry, question of the day, what happens if nothing -- if nothing happens? Where does this legislation go from here?
HENRY: This legislation, like any other bill that fails to pass, would then die. And then it has to start from scratch in January. So the new Congress, the 109-Congress, after they're sworn in at the beginning of January, they cannot pick up where this Congress left off. They would have to start all over.
And that's why the former 9/11 Commission co-chairs are demanding that there be action now, because they're concerned that the ball is so close to the goal line, they're afraid they'll have to re-kick it, if you will, in January, and they're concerned that losing that time will be a problem.
Last night, former 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean was on CNN saying that there's one of two ways that this will pass. It will either pass now, or it will pass after another terrorist attack. So he's obviously putting this in very stark terms, saying that Congress will act if they fail to act now. They will act after another attack.
But I can tell you there are a sizable number of Republicans up here, not just Jim Sensenbrenner and Duncan Hunter, who believe that passing the wrong reform could actually make the country less safe. And they feel they have to make sure that they fight to get these tough immigration provisions in there. Tighten up the borders first of all, and second of all they want to make sure that the military troops in the field are not harmed, as well.
What the people on the other side say, particularly Democrats in the Senate and the House, as well as speaker Hastert, who is a Republican speaker and is on board here what they say is that the commander in chief himself is behind this. And certainly President Bush, in their estimation, would not do anything to harm the troops in the field. So that's why they say there needs to be a deal -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Ed Henry on Capitol Hill. Ed, thank you for that.
HENRY: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: We told you that we would probably be getting you to a Canadian Television correspondent. And we're able to do that now. Mike Duffy is standing by. He's going to be following this story today of the president's visit to Canada.
Mike, I wonder if you could give us a sense here stateside of, I suppose an explanation, for the antagonism that has developed between the government there in Canada and President Bush's administration.
MIKE DUFFY, CANADIAN TELEVISION CORRESPONDENT: Well, to really understand it Rick, you have to go all the way back to the first President Bush. He and the Canadian government over a decade ago negotiated a free trade deal between Canada and the United States. And it's worked pretty well.
But in the last little while, protectionist groups in the USA have gotten very heavy. And they have put restrictions on imports of Canadian softwood lumber and they've banned live Canadian cattle from crossing the border. That has had a tremendous economic impact on Canada. It's really hurt a lot of farmers here and a lot of people in the timber business.
And the U.S. government has been reluctant to enforce the rules of NAFTA. In other words, the law, international trade law, is on Canada's side. But the American government hasn't been prepared to come across. And you add to that concern about the war in Iraq and so on, and you've got a fairly tense Canadian population when it comes to dealing with the U.S.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting. Because you read that the very first reason that most Canadians are angered at the Bush administration is because they feel that they're, as you said, softwood timber industry, what most Americans have their homes built by, or on we should say, has been...
DUFFY: Canadian softwood.
SANCHEZ: Right. Canadian softwood, it's been treated unfairly. But...
DUFFY: It's the lumber industry in Canada is the biggest single employer. More than 16,000 small communities, Rick, depend on lumber sales to the United States. They've been devastated by the protectionists in the U.S. and that's the real undercurrent...
SANCHEZ: And by the protectionists, just so our viewers understand. You mean the tariffs that the Bush administration has imposed or tried to impose that has essentially in some places shut down small communities, right?
DUFFY: Absolutely. And so there's a real bitterness here about that sort of thing. And it's we're kind of like the elephant and the mouse. You're the elephant. We're the mouse. And you decide we're not going to follow international law or our free trade deal on soft wood lumber because it's so politically sensitive. And you're the ones who get -- you get the gold mine. We get the shaft.
SANCHEZ: Just to understand the timing of this. Was this something that happened on top of the fact that 80 percent, not to mention Jean Chretien, all 80 percent of the people in Canada and Jean Chretien, decided not to support the war in Iraq? Or was this something that happened prior to it? How did those two things intermingle?
DUFFY: Well, it all came along at about the same time. And President Bush's decision to go it alone, to not make one last try at the United Nations, was seen by many Canadians as kind of a Texas cowboy sort of thing. And now, of course, that the war hasn't gone as well as many people had hoped, of course, now Canadians are saying, see, I told you so.
But the key thing is that poll you had on the broadcast earlier. And that shows that only about 15 percent of Canadians are really anti-American. Eighty-five percent of Canadians think that the Americans are a noble people; we've been good friends and our best friends and biggest trading partner. And when you look at 15 percent, what would you say, 15 percent probably believe that Elvis is still alive. So I don't think it's a large proportion. I think it relates to specific irritants.
And what we're hoping is that the meetings that take place today and tomorrow will smooth some of that over. And we'll be back as the world's best friends. SANCHEZ: Well, we thank you so much, Mike Duffy. We'll be checking back with you. We'll be certainly following this meeting throughout the course of the day right here on CNN. Mike Duffy, television correspondent with Canadian Television -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes. He's pointing out a lot of things, a lot of gripes that Canadians have with Americans. But they also do about $1 billion of trade with America every day; 80 percent of their trade coming right here.
SANCHEZ: Point well made.
KAGAN: Yes.
It is a school project that has attracted holocaust survivors from around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BOSLEY, ACTOR: I'm sending you one paper clip. It is my paper clip. In the future, I will remember your project with every paper clip I come in contact with, as it will be a symbol...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Still to come, people across America and the world relives the past to teach a valuable history lesson. And it's all in the power of paper clips.
SANCHEZ: Also, they're supposed to be ready and waiting for your call at all times. But a videotape seems to show something else in one particular emergency room.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence live in Montrose, Colorado, where the key to Sunday's plane crash could be found in the cockpit voice recorder.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Let's go ahead and start this news block off in Montrose, Colorado. That's where the investigation has moved from the site of that deadly plane crash to the laboratory. Investigators digging through the wreckage of the corporate jet have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and the body believed to be that of the little, 14-year-old son of NBC executive Dick Ebersol.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is in Montrose. He's been following the story. Joins us now with the very latest on what appears to be a very, very cold runway where you are right there, huh?
LAWRENCE: Exactly, Rick. Frigid out here today. Much as it was here a couple days ago.
Once they recovered that cockpit voice recorder that was then transported to Washington, D.C., and the headquarters of the National Transportation Safety Board. Officials there tell us they could have some new answers as early as today, possibly better explaining what exactly happened to that plane.
Some of the witnesses that we've been speaking to here at the crash site say they actually saw the plane skidding sideways, going through fence and brush, eventually colliding with a roadway that literally ripped the cockpit from the fuselage. The pilot and a flight attendant were ejected and killed.
The head of NBC sports Dick Ebersol had been with his family watching a college football game on Saturday. They were heading home. But they stopped here in Colorado to drop off the wife and mother, actress Susan St. James. And then they were taking off to take another son home to Notre Dame College. That son safely pulled his father Dick Ebersol from the wreckage. But his younger son was then trapped under the body of the plane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK YOUNG, CORONER, MONTROSE COUNTY: We recovered about 5:00 p.m. local time this afternoon, a body that matches the description of Teddy Ebersol. We are 99.9 percent sure that it is him. We are having dental records flown in overnight. We'll make positive confirmation via dental records tomorrow morning. And then he'll be released to his family. May God bless his soul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Now there is a possibility that ice may have formed on that plane. But right now, that's still just a theory. When it comes to a corporate plane, the pilot has the discretion to call for the de- icing. And in this case, he did not -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Wow. Only 14 years old. Thanks so much for bringing us the very latest, Chris, on that story.
Daryn, over to you.
KAGAN: Firefighter and a dispatcher in Lawrence, Massachusetts, have been fired for allegedly using drugs on duty. Authorities installed a hidden camera after a tipster told them the pair had been partying on the job. Take a look for yourself. Surveillance tape showing what appeared to be beer drinking and cocaine usage. Police don't anticipate bringing any charges due to the absence of physical evidence.
Although the pictures seem to tell a big story right there.
SANCHEZ: Either that or they've got some explaining to do.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: We're waiting on President Bush to arrive in Ottawa, as we've been telling you. Just a little while ago, we saw Air Force 1 taxiing down the runway. Which means the plane is there anyway. The U.S. president's state visit since 1995. This will be the first in about 10 years. We will offer up live coverage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Let's go to our report on Iraq now. Seven Iraqi civilians are dead on this day. Twenty people are hurt after insurgents launched two separate attacks in the northern city of Baiji. In one incident, a U.S. Army patrol was attacked by a car bomb. In another, insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an Army tank. Three U.S. soldiers are among those injured.
Now we take you to Baghdad. There officials are investigating a car bomb attack on a U.S. military convoy. It happened on the main road to Baghdad International Airport. No word yet on any possible or potential casualties.
Also a soldier at the center at Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal is back in the United States. There he is. The lawyer for Specialist Charles Graner says he's in Texas, and that a hearing could come in the next few days regarding his situation. Graner's court-martial is planned for early January.
KAGAN: One soldier who is serving in Iraq is trying to stay low key. Not so easy to do, because of his high profile family. You already know his Royal Airness Michael Jordan will now meet his brother, Army Command Sergeant Major James R. Jordan. He's due to leave Iraq next April, capping off a 30-year career in the Army. But the 47-year-old has asked to stay on a year longer to complete a full yearlong Iraq assignment.
As for special treatment because of the famous brother, James Jordan says he doesn't want any.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. MAJ. JAMES R. JORDAN, U.S. ARMY: I'm just like the rest of these soldiers out here. I put my DCUs on. I get my family prepared and make sure everything is straight. And I move forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: While both Jordans believe in teamwork, they probably play on different basketball teams. James stands just 5'7". His younger brother, of course, you know, well into the six feet. Like 6'6", 6'7."
SANCHEZ: Big guys.
KAGAN: Slight, slight difference. But who do you think commands around that family?
SANCHEZ: The guy with the uniforms.
KAGAN: Exactly. Exactly.
SANCHEZ: Yes. Not the shorts. KAGAN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: It's full day of events obviously for President Bush, as we've been telling you, as he seeks to improve relations with the north protecting the key-trading link between the United States and Canada as the priorities.
There's the picture. We will -- this thing was supposed to get started right about now, maybe running just a little bit late. But as soon as any events or ceremonies begin there, we'll take you to it.
KAGAN: And we're also going to tell you how efforts to improve the security on the
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Aired November 30, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: How about you and I get started?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Let's do it. Right into it. It's all about timber, isn't it?
KAGAN: On the border.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Exactly. Here's a...
KAGAN: Don't you know?
SANCHEZ: Here's what's happening right now between Mr. President, ours, and the prime minister in Canada. We're going to be talking an awful lot about that. It's all about fence mending actually across the border. President Bush is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa this hour. It's the first state visit to Canada by a U.S. president in nearly a decade. Talks on: trade, timber, tariffs, security, all of those things to keep in mind. It's a two-day agenda. Protests against the president's Iraq policies are also expected.
The NAACP spokesman confirms that President Kwesi Mfume is, in fact, stepping down. There he is. The organization's legal counsel is going to be named interim president and a national search is going to be conducted to find Mfume's successor. Today's "Baltimore Sun" reports that Mfume is voluntarily leaving to explore other opportunities. CNN will offer up live coverage of the NAACP's news conference from Baltimore at noon Eastern.
U.S. military helicopters are searching a remote area of central Afghanistan for six Americans and their missing cargo plane. The plane, carrying three soldiers and three crewmembers, disappeared over the weekend. Snowy weather, rugged terrain has slowed thus far the rescue operation.
And Ukraine's Supreme Court today resumes hearings into election fraud allegations. The country's parliament is holding an emergency session to consider a motion of no confidence in the prime minister. Tens of thousands of opposition supporters continue to block government buildings in Kiev.
OK here we go. It's 10:00 a.m. I'm Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And good morning, everyone. I'm Daryn Kagan. President Bush heading north, not just the climate that might be chilly when he gets there, however. About a half hour from now, Mr. Bush is due to arrive in Canada. He will face anger from some Canadians toward their southern neighbor, or at least the leader. A trade dispute, a perceived diplomatic snub, and widespread opposition to the war in Iraq are hanging over the first state visit by a U.S. president. It's been about 10 years since U.S. president has made a state visit north of the border.
Now let's take a quick look at Mr. Bush's two-day visit to Canada. He right now is en route from Washington to Ottawa, the Canadian capital. He is due to arrive there at the bottom of the hour. Tomorrow he'll travel eastward to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he'll deliver a speech on the war on terrorism.
Right now we want to go live to the White House. That's where Elaine Quijano can set the stage for what Mr. Bush can expect when he lands in Ottawa.
Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn. First of all, President Bush has traveled to Canada twice before for international gatherings. But this will be his first official state visit there. The president left the White House about an hour ago, and the president also making his first official state visit since his re-election.
Now, why is that significant? Because in choosing Canada, the president is sending a sign that he wants to reach out to Canadians, and move past the bad feelings over the Iraq War. Canada did not send troops to take part in the invasion. Many people stood firmly opposed to it in Canada and they still do today. The atmosphere greeting the president, tight security as always surrounding the president's trip. Officials there in Canada are expecting protesters, people expressing their anti-war sentiments.
Now on the agenda, besides the situation in Iraq, likely to come up, other issues include border security, trade disputes, and the war on terrorism. Now, on that last point, the president, as you said, will be traveling from Ottawa to Halifax, Nova Scotia to talk about the war on terrorism.
Now many Americans may not realize this, but in the immediate days after the September 11 attacks, when many flights were diverted and grounded, thousands of Americans found themselves stranded and were taken in by Canadians in that area around Halifax. President Bush tomorrow will go to Halifax to thank those Canadians there, to talk about the larger war on terrorism.
But all of this, Daryn, part of that larger effort to reach out, try to mend some fences and perhaps have this start of a new period in U.S./Canada relations -- Daryn.
Elaine Quijano at the White House, thank you. We have a lot of live coverage as that visit takes place -- Rick. SANCHEZ: And on the verge of this visit, here's a poll that gives you a sense of what the feelings are between Canadians and Americans. This is a Canadian Television poll we want to share with you. Fifty-eight percent of Canadians view President Bush's re- election as a bad thing. Only 26 percent see it as a good thing. But here's a bit of a twist to that poll now.
Pollsters were then asked to agree or disagree with this statement, "I don't like or respect anything that the United States or its people stand for." That's a direct quote. Only 15 percent of the people agreed with that, 84 percent disagree. Now, a polling executive says that explains that Canadians are being anti-Bush but not necessarily anti-American.
Now, We should tell I something else, we are making every effort at this point to cover this story for you, and bring you live reports from there, including some Q&A's, as we call them in the business, questions and answers with some correspondents that usually cover the prime minister and Canadian affairs. We're trying to set that in motion for you. And as soon as we get it we'll bring it to you.
In the meantime, here's Daryn.
KAGAN: Another big story to cover out of Washington for you today, a two-pronged push for Congress to act on the post-9/11 intelligence reforms. Members of the commission that drafted the proposals and relatives of those who died in the terrorist attacks are holding news conferences today. They are demanding action.
Our Congressional correspondent Ed Henry is live at his post on Capitol Hill with more on that.
Ed, good morning.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. In fact, you're right, some of the 9/11 families are meeting live at this hour on Capitol Hill, holding a press conference, pushing for a deal on the 9/11 intelligence reform bill.
Also CNN has learned that there will be a high level meeting this afternoon, where former 9/11 Commission Co-Chairs Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton will be meeting with the vice president here in Washington. Meeting with Vice President Cheney to try to break this deadlock on the legislation. It's been stalled, as you know, for weeks now.
Time is of the essence. Lee Hamilton told me this morning that the commission co-chairs were hoping to meet with President Bush, deal with him directly on this. But they understand, as you just reported, the president is going to be in Canada for the next couple of days. So they are more on happy to meet instead with the vice president.
Time is of the essence, because the clock is ticking on Congress. Congress coming back next week to complete this lame duck session. If they do not finish the 9/11 bill next week, it will die. And then they will have to start from scratch in January. Lee Hamilton said this morning on CNN that if the bill dies for this year, there will be dire consequences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE HAMILTON, CO-CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: You go back to the drawing board; you start all over again, in the next Congress, the 109-Congress. It will be months, six months, eight months, a year before a new bill can come forward. All the time the terrorists will be planning another attack, and we will be less secure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now this is a remarkable situation, obviously, where you have the president saying publicly he supports a deal, he wants this legislation to get through Congress. Democratic and Republican leaders up here on the Hill also say that they want a deal. But two powerful Republicans so far are stopping it.
Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin has said that he does not want a deal, if it does not include tough immigration provisions. Also, Republican House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter of California is saying that he's concerned that a new director of National Intelligence could add a layer of bureaucracy that blocks critical intelligence from getting to military troops in the field.
But a White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday that the president is confident that this can all be worked out. That in fact, the troops will not be harmed in any way. And in fact, Scott McClellan said that the president will be sending a letter later this week to Capitol Hill, informing congressional leaders once again that he supports the bill. Here's Scott McClellan.
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SCOTT MCCLELAND, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: The president would never sign legislation that would harm our troops, or hurt our troops in any way. And the president believes that this is an important legislation that will further strengthen our intelligence operations.
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HENRY: In addition to the divide among some Republicans, this issue is also splitting 9/11 families. As I mentioned, there are some 9/11 families at this hour holding a press conference here on the hill, saying they want this legislation. They think it's good enough and they want a deal now. They want it passed this year.
But at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time there will be another press conference with another 9/11 families, who say that they believe the current legislation as it's drafted is not good enough. And they believe that Mr. Sensenbrenner's immigration provisions have to be in here in order for it to be the right reform -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Ed. Well, one of those families that you're talking about speaking right now on Capitol Hill. So let's go ahead and listen in. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The question now is whether or not Congress, under the leadership of the president, has the conscience, backbone and courage to overcome the influence of lobbyists and entrenched bureaucracy to pass this bill. The time to act is now.
And the next family Steering Committee member to speak is Mary Fetchit, whose son Brad, 24, was killed on 9/11.
MARY FETCHIT, SON DIED ON 9/11: Good morning. My name is Mary. My 24-year-old son Brad died on September 11. Unfortunately today, over three years and two months after the death of 3,000 people in an attack on our country, and five months after the commission released its recommendations, we remain vulnerable due to the same inertia and turf battles that contributed to those failures.
The 9/11 Commission recommendations faced the same fate of other previous commissions over the past decade. They'd be made by sacrifice due to posturing of special interest groups and collect dust on a shelf. All of us hoped that by now, we would be finished with Washington press conferences and fighting for national security legislation. We believed that by now, America would have legislation that it so desperately needs to prevent future terrorist attacks.
Today we have a broken intelligence community, riddled by chaos. We hear continued, pointed threats from the terrorists. Yet a strategic plan to make our country safer is in limbo. The time for debate is over. Legislation has been agreed upon by the majority, and it should be moved to the floor for a vote.
Last Saturday, after months of debate and political wrangling, a compromise bill was agreed upon by the four principal conferees and the speaker's office. The compromise bill had a widespread bipartisan support among the full Senate, conferees, the House Democrat conferees, and the majority of House Republican conferees. The 9/11 commissioners, and the 9/11 Steering Committee endorsed the legislation and it appeared that President Bush supported it as well. The speaker's office, who was instrumental in negotiating the compromise bill, believed that the compromise was, quote, "a good one."
KAGAN: We've been listening in to a news conference on Capitol Hill. Family members who lost loved ones on 9/11 speaking out, hoping that this intelligence reform legislation will somehow get passed by Congress. Ed Henry with us.
Ed Henry, question of the day, what happens if nothing -- if nothing happens? Where does this legislation go from here?
HENRY: This legislation, like any other bill that fails to pass, would then die. And then it has to start from scratch in January. So the new Congress, the 109-Congress, after they're sworn in at the beginning of January, they cannot pick up where this Congress left off. They would have to start all over.
And that's why the former 9/11 Commission co-chairs are demanding that there be action now, because they're concerned that the ball is so close to the goal line, they're afraid they'll have to re-kick it, if you will, in January, and they're concerned that losing that time will be a problem.
Last night, former 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean was on CNN saying that there's one of two ways that this will pass. It will either pass now, or it will pass after another terrorist attack. So he's obviously putting this in very stark terms, saying that Congress will act if they fail to act now. They will act after another attack.
But I can tell you there are a sizable number of Republicans up here, not just Jim Sensenbrenner and Duncan Hunter, who believe that passing the wrong reform could actually make the country less safe. And they feel they have to make sure that they fight to get these tough immigration provisions in there. Tighten up the borders first of all, and second of all they want to make sure that the military troops in the field are not harmed, as well.
What the people on the other side say, particularly Democrats in the Senate and the House, as well as speaker Hastert, who is a Republican speaker and is on board here what they say is that the commander in chief himself is behind this. And certainly President Bush, in their estimation, would not do anything to harm the troops in the field. So that's why they say there needs to be a deal -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Ed Henry on Capitol Hill. Ed, thank you for that.
HENRY: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: We told you that we would probably be getting you to a Canadian Television correspondent. And we're able to do that now. Mike Duffy is standing by. He's going to be following this story today of the president's visit to Canada.
Mike, I wonder if you could give us a sense here stateside of, I suppose an explanation, for the antagonism that has developed between the government there in Canada and President Bush's administration.
MIKE DUFFY, CANADIAN TELEVISION CORRESPONDENT: Well, to really understand it Rick, you have to go all the way back to the first President Bush. He and the Canadian government over a decade ago negotiated a free trade deal between Canada and the United States. And it's worked pretty well.
But in the last little while, protectionist groups in the USA have gotten very heavy. And they have put restrictions on imports of Canadian softwood lumber and they've banned live Canadian cattle from crossing the border. That has had a tremendous economic impact on Canada. It's really hurt a lot of farmers here and a lot of people in the timber business.
And the U.S. government has been reluctant to enforce the rules of NAFTA. In other words, the law, international trade law, is on Canada's side. But the American government hasn't been prepared to come across. And you add to that concern about the war in Iraq and so on, and you've got a fairly tense Canadian population when it comes to dealing with the U.S.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting. Because you read that the very first reason that most Canadians are angered at the Bush administration is because they feel that they're, as you said, softwood timber industry, what most Americans have their homes built by, or on we should say, has been...
DUFFY: Canadian softwood.
SANCHEZ: Right. Canadian softwood, it's been treated unfairly. But...
DUFFY: It's the lumber industry in Canada is the biggest single employer. More than 16,000 small communities, Rick, depend on lumber sales to the United States. They've been devastated by the protectionists in the U.S. and that's the real undercurrent...
SANCHEZ: And by the protectionists, just so our viewers understand. You mean the tariffs that the Bush administration has imposed or tried to impose that has essentially in some places shut down small communities, right?
DUFFY: Absolutely. And so there's a real bitterness here about that sort of thing. And it's we're kind of like the elephant and the mouse. You're the elephant. We're the mouse. And you decide we're not going to follow international law or our free trade deal on soft wood lumber because it's so politically sensitive. And you're the ones who get -- you get the gold mine. We get the shaft.
SANCHEZ: Just to understand the timing of this. Was this something that happened on top of the fact that 80 percent, not to mention Jean Chretien, all 80 percent of the people in Canada and Jean Chretien, decided not to support the war in Iraq? Or was this something that happened prior to it? How did those two things intermingle?
DUFFY: Well, it all came along at about the same time. And President Bush's decision to go it alone, to not make one last try at the United Nations, was seen by many Canadians as kind of a Texas cowboy sort of thing. And now, of course, that the war hasn't gone as well as many people had hoped, of course, now Canadians are saying, see, I told you so.
But the key thing is that poll you had on the broadcast earlier. And that shows that only about 15 percent of Canadians are really anti-American. Eighty-five percent of Canadians think that the Americans are a noble people; we've been good friends and our best friends and biggest trading partner. And when you look at 15 percent, what would you say, 15 percent probably believe that Elvis is still alive. So I don't think it's a large proportion. I think it relates to specific irritants.
And what we're hoping is that the meetings that take place today and tomorrow will smooth some of that over. And we'll be back as the world's best friends. SANCHEZ: Well, we thank you so much, Mike Duffy. We'll be checking back with you. We'll be certainly following this meeting throughout the course of the day right here on CNN. Mike Duffy, television correspondent with Canadian Television -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes. He's pointing out a lot of things, a lot of gripes that Canadians have with Americans. But they also do about $1 billion of trade with America every day; 80 percent of their trade coming right here.
SANCHEZ: Point well made.
KAGAN: Yes.
It is a school project that has attracted holocaust survivors from around the world.
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TOM BOSLEY, ACTOR: I'm sending you one paper clip. It is my paper clip. In the future, I will remember your project with every paper clip I come in contact with, as it will be a symbol...
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KAGAN: Still to come, people across America and the world relives the past to teach a valuable history lesson. And it's all in the power of paper clips.
SANCHEZ: Also, they're supposed to be ready and waiting for your call at all times. But a videotape seems to show something else in one particular emergency room.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence live in Montrose, Colorado, where the key to Sunday's plane crash could be found in the cockpit voice recorder.
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SANCHEZ: Let's go ahead and start this news block off in Montrose, Colorado. That's where the investigation has moved from the site of that deadly plane crash to the laboratory. Investigators digging through the wreckage of the corporate jet have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and the body believed to be that of the little, 14-year-old son of NBC executive Dick Ebersol.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is in Montrose. He's been following the story. Joins us now with the very latest on what appears to be a very, very cold runway where you are right there, huh?
LAWRENCE: Exactly, Rick. Frigid out here today. Much as it was here a couple days ago.
Once they recovered that cockpit voice recorder that was then transported to Washington, D.C., and the headquarters of the National Transportation Safety Board. Officials there tell us they could have some new answers as early as today, possibly better explaining what exactly happened to that plane.
Some of the witnesses that we've been speaking to here at the crash site say they actually saw the plane skidding sideways, going through fence and brush, eventually colliding with a roadway that literally ripped the cockpit from the fuselage. The pilot and a flight attendant were ejected and killed.
The head of NBC sports Dick Ebersol had been with his family watching a college football game on Saturday. They were heading home. But they stopped here in Colorado to drop off the wife and mother, actress Susan St. James. And then they were taking off to take another son home to Notre Dame College. That son safely pulled his father Dick Ebersol from the wreckage. But his younger son was then trapped under the body of the plane.
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MARK YOUNG, CORONER, MONTROSE COUNTY: We recovered about 5:00 p.m. local time this afternoon, a body that matches the description of Teddy Ebersol. We are 99.9 percent sure that it is him. We are having dental records flown in overnight. We'll make positive confirmation via dental records tomorrow morning. And then he'll be released to his family. May God bless his soul.
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LAWRENCE: Now there is a possibility that ice may have formed on that plane. But right now, that's still just a theory. When it comes to a corporate plane, the pilot has the discretion to call for the de- icing. And in this case, he did not -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Wow. Only 14 years old. Thanks so much for bringing us the very latest, Chris, on that story.
Daryn, over to you.
KAGAN: Firefighter and a dispatcher in Lawrence, Massachusetts, have been fired for allegedly using drugs on duty. Authorities installed a hidden camera after a tipster told them the pair had been partying on the job. Take a look for yourself. Surveillance tape showing what appeared to be beer drinking and cocaine usage. Police don't anticipate bringing any charges due to the absence of physical evidence.
Although the pictures seem to tell a big story right there.
SANCHEZ: Either that or they've got some explaining to do.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: We're waiting on President Bush to arrive in Ottawa, as we've been telling you. Just a little while ago, we saw Air Force 1 taxiing down the runway. Which means the plane is there anyway. The U.S. president's state visit since 1995. This will be the first in about 10 years. We will offer up live coverage.
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SANCHEZ: Let's go to our report on Iraq now. Seven Iraqi civilians are dead on this day. Twenty people are hurt after insurgents launched two separate attacks in the northern city of Baiji. In one incident, a U.S. Army patrol was attacked by a car bomb. In another, insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an Army tank. Three U.S. soldiers are among those injured.
Now we take you to Baghdad. There officials are investigating a car bomb attack on a U.S. military convoy. It happened on the main road to Baghdad International Airport. No word yet on any possible or potential casualties.
Also a soldier at the center at Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal is back in the United States. There he is. The lawyer for Specialist Charles Graner says he's in Texas, and that a hearing could come in the next few days regarding his situation. Graner's court-martial is planned for early January.
KAGAN: One soldier who is serving in Iraq is trying to stay low key. Not so easy to do, because of his high profile family. You already know his Royal Airness Michael Jordan will now meet his brother, Army Command Sergeant Major James R. Jordan. He's due to leave Iraq next April, capping off a 30-year career in the Army. But the 47-year-old has asked to stay on a year longer to complete a full yearlong Iraq assignment.
As for special treatment because of the famous brother, James Jordan says he doesn't want any.
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SGT. MAJ. JAMES R. JORDAN, U.S. ARMY: I'm just like the rest of these soldiers out here. I put my DCUs on. I get my family prepared and make sure everything is straight. And I move forward.
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KAGAN: While both Jordans believe in teamwork, they probably play on different basketball teams. James stands just 5'7". His younger brother, of course, you know, well into the six feet. Like 6'6", 6'7."
SANCHEZ: Big guys.
KAGAN: Slight, slight difference. But who do you think commands around that family?
SANCHEZ: The guy with the uniforms.
KAGAN: Exactly. Exactly.
SANCHEZ: Yes. Not the shorts. KAGAN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: It's full day of events obviously for President Bush, as we've been telling you, as he seeks to improve relations with the north protecting the key-trading link between the United States and Canada as the priorities.
There's the picture. We will -- this thing was supposed to get started right about now, maybe running just a little bit late. But as soon as any events or ceremonies begin there, we'll take you to it.
KAGAN: And we're also going to tell you how efforts to improve the security on the
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