Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

In Europe, Bush Calls for Unity; Secretly Taped Bush Conversation Released; Rainstorm in California Kills 3 People

Aired February 21, 2005 - 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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: We're out of time here. Let's go down to Daryn and Rick at the CNN Center, they're going to take you through the next few hours.
Good morning, guys.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good morning to you. People in California wishing they could probably shovel rain.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Yes.

KAGAN: Which they cannot.

SANCHEZ: Among other things they're having problems with. We're going to be telling you about that plus a whole lot of other news right here. In fact, here's what's happening right now in the news.

President Bush goes to Brussels, Belgium to address European leaders and somehow try and find common ground. This is a major speech he delivered about two hours ago. In it, he called for democratic reform in Russia and a two-state future for the Middle East.

For more on how the president was received we're going to CNN's Robin Oakley who was there. We're going to do that for you in about a minute. But let's go through some of the other stories that are making news right now.

First of all, eight Southern California counties are under a landslide advisory, as residents there prepare for another soaking. The incessant storms have already spawned tornadoes, waterspouts, rock slides and sinkholes. And at least two people have died in bizarre weather-related accidents. CNN's Miguel Marquez is going to be joining us live with the details from that story, and share some unbelievable pictures with us as well. We'll have that for you in just moments.

Sixties icon gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson is dead. Family members say that he shot himself Sunday at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado. Thompson is known for his books including "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." He was also the reluctant inspiration behind the "Doonesbury" character Uncle Duke. Thompson was 67 years old.

A contentious right-to-die battle heads back to a Florida courtroom today. The parents of Terri Schiavo are expected to ask a judge to delay removing their -- pardon me -- their daughter's feeding tube. Schiavo is brain damaged and has been dependent on a feeding tube since 1990. Her husband could have it removed tomorrow.

A little scratchy throated, but no worse for the wear. We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: Thanks for playing hurt.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: We appreciate it. Good morning. I'm Daryn Kagan.

President Bush is trying to mend fences in Europe. And the president is stressing the ongoing importance of the U.S./European alliance on the first overseas trip of his second term. He is in Brussels today and will to Germany on Wednesday. The president will end his trip Thursday in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava.

CNN's European political editor Robin Oakley joins us now Brussels with a look at the presidents' day.

Robin, hello.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN'S EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, Daryn. Well, President Bush's aides have been billing this as a fence-mending visit to Europe. And today, he certainly came up with a speech, which accentuated the positive in every way that he could, calling for a new era of transatlantic unity. And he said that no passing disagreement between governments, no temporary debate, no power on earth, could ever divide Europe and the United States and their firm alliance. He said that when Europe and America stand together no problem can stand against us.

And there were a lot of points that he touched on which really satisfied the Europeans. He said he wanted to see a strong, integrated Europe because that would be a strong ally for the United States. The firmest commitment we've had from a U.S. president on that issue.

He talked a lot about the Middle East, and E.U. leaders are very concerned about the Middle East. He said that was the strongest possible goal, great opportunity and immediate goal was peace in the Middle East. Words that they all wanted to hear. And on the part of the Europeans, President Bush made it quite clear that he was looking for support for them in other ways. He does want them to do more on Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All nations now have an interest in the success of a free and democratic Iraq. Which will fight terror. Which will be a beacon of freedom. And which will be a true -- a source of true stability in the region.

Coming much, Iraq's newly elected assembly will carry out important work of establishing a government, providing security, enhancing basic services in writing a democratic constitution. Now is the time for established democracies to give tangible, political, economic, and security assistance to the world's newest democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OAKLEY: He called for Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon. That one got applause in Europe. On Iran, where Europeans have been worried that he might be contemplating military action, the president said he was backing the European diplomatic efforts for the moment, though nothing was ever going to be taken off the table. So there is still the threat of possible military action at some stage there -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Robin Oakley live from Brussels, thank you.

SANCHEZ: So as the president focuses on the future ties with Europe, words from his past are being revealed as well. And in one of those conversations from his past with a friend, now selling a book, the president appears to acknowledge using marijuana.

CNN's Elaine Quijano has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the secretly taped conversations first reported in "The New York Times," then-Texas Governor George W. Bush candidly discusses his reasons for not answering a question, did he ever use drugs.

BUSH: Well, Doug, but it's not -- it just doesn't matter, cocaine. It'd be the same with marijuana. I wouldn't answer the marijuana question. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I'd tried."

DOUG WEAD, BUSH FRIEND: Yes, and it never stops.

BUSH: But you got to understand, I want to be president, I want to lead. I want to set -- do you want your little kid to say, "Hey, Daddy, President Bush tried marijuana. I think I will."

QUIJANO: Mr. Bush also discusses his religious faith and his dealings with Christian conservatives. At one point he bluntly states he will not give in to pressure to criticize gay people.

WEAD: You promised you would not appoint gays to office.

BUSH: No. What I said was I wouldn't fire gays. I'm not going to discriminate against people.

QUIJANO: CNN did not independently authenticate the tapes, a process that can take days. But Tom Owens, the expert that authenticated the tapes for "The New York Times," says he spent eight days analyzing excerpts before reaching his conclusion.

TOM OWENS, AUDIO VOICE AUTHENTICATOR: In listening to the tapes over and over, and listening to various samples of George W. Bush's voice at that time and later, I've concluded that it is the president's voice. QUIJANO: The man who recorded the tapes, Doug Wead, has a book coming out. We could not reach Wead on Sunday, but he told "The New York Times" the recordings were carried out in states where it was legal. CNN could not independently verify his claim. Wead told ABC's "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" he made the recordings for their historical value.

WEAD (on camera): If I'd had a chance to tape record Gandhi or had conversations with Churchill, I probably would have recorded them too.

QUIJANO: But some say history will record the secret tapes as a betrayal.

STUART ROTHENBERG, POLITICAL ANALYST: In a continuum of violations of personal relationship and personal confidence, this is probably the Super Bowl of them all.

QUIJANO: The White House issued a one-sentence response saying, "These were casual conversations with somebody he considered a friend." Historians say there is value in the recordings.

PROF. ALAN LICHTMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: When presidents write their memoirs, they're carefully doctored and carefully tailored. So candid talk by presidents, even before they enter office, is like gold for historians.

QUIJANO (on camera): The tapes were reportedly made in 1998 through part of 2000. Experts say based on the excerpts released, they are far from scandalous and reveal a consistency: a man deeply religious whose private conversations echo his public positions.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Since Elaine filed that report we were able to talk with Doug Wead. It happened just a short time ago. He spoke with Miles O'Brien on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING." And in it Wead defended his use of the tapes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEAD: This isn't about money. I could sell the tapes. You've only seen little...

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's going to help your book, isn't it?

WEAD: Well, my book could have been released before the election; it would have been a runaway bestseller. It would have been driven by partisan sales. I insisted...

O'BRIEN: But clearly, people are going to go buy the book today after seeing this. Right? WEAD: My publicist said I lost $1 million by delaying the book after the election, where it would have been driven by partisan interest. But I hope it sells. I'm an historian and he's president. And he has to lead. He has to set an example. I had to write about the Roosevelt's, the Kennedys, the Bushes. I attempted to vet the stories with all three families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Wead tells CNN he still thinks of the president as his friend.

SANCHEZ: Take you now to the diplomatic front once again and this new hot-button issue that we've all been talking, which is squarely focused on Syria and their occupation of Lebanon.

Our senior international correspondent Brent Sadler staying on top of this story for us.

Brent, the president got an applause in Brussels when he said Syrian troops need to get out of Lebanon. You're there in Syria. What's the reaction so far?

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Syrians are watching what President Bush has had to say very closely. Not just today in Brussels but in the many weeks before leading to this ongoing crisis. What you're seeing here now in Syria's next-door neighbor, Lebanon in the capital Beirut, massive pro-democracy, pro- freedom rallies taking place. the kind of thing you do not just see in this part of the world in the heart of the Middle East. These rallies coming up after the assassination exactly a week ago of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Now, the Syrians are concerned the way the political fault line has divided for pro-Syrian politicians in Lebanon and anti-Syrian politicians. They're looking at what President George Bush has had to say in the context of U.S. plans to reshape the Middle East, to bring democracy here. Syria very concerned about the upheaval, of course, of democracy on its doorsteps and these ongoing marches in Beirut.

For the Syrians, a cabinet minister I spoke to a few hours ago says, it's not just a matter of what Syria does with it troops in Lebanon. Syria, they say here is attempting at being destabilized by U.S. policy in the region, attempting to destabilize Syria and its relationship with its weaker neighbor, Lebanon. Here's what the minister had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOUTHEINA SHAABAN, MINISTER OF EXPATRIATES, SYRIA: And the troops will redeploy and there was a plan, and there is a plan for the troops to redeploy. And for the elections, Syria said that we will not interfere in the Lebanese election. And I think, as I'm telling you, the issue is not here. It's not the troops. The issue is not the assassination of Hariri. The issue is to take Syria and Lebanon into a very unstable future and chaotic future. And this is what the people in the region fear most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SADLER: Now, Syria is saying that it will remove troops from Lebanon in its own good time, under accords that ended the civil war. There have been several redeployments of Syrian troops have been in Beirut in Lebanon for nearly 40 years. Not in Syria's strategic interest to weaken its grip on its Lebanese neighbor given the over all picture in the Middle East right now -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: So it sounds like what you're saying, Brent, is the possibility exists for Syrians to dig in even further, after hearing comments and remarks like those that the president has made this morning.

SADLER: Absolutely. Syria have to understand has contacts, has relationships, the U.S. says, supports terrorists. Not just here in Damascus, like Islamic Jihad and Hamas, both have representations here in the Syrian capital. But also Hezbollah, the U.S. says that organization is a terrorist organization, attacking Israeli troops at the foot of the Golan Heights that Syria wants back as part of a comprehensive peace deal.

Loosens Syria's grip on Lebanon, warns Syria, and you risk plunging this region even more chaos and bloodshed -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Brent is following the story from Damascus this morning. We thank you for that.

KAGAN: We are talking about California coming up. A scene that some residents are just too familiar with. And they are determined not get caught off guard this time. Still to come, bracing for the rain and mud. We will go live to California.

SANCHEZ: Also, before you grab a beer and yell at the players, you should know the rules of the game are changing. What do we speak of? Stick around, you'll find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back to CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Rick Sanchez.

And we take you now to Los Angeles. This is where residents are bracing for yet another round of some very fierce storms. People are still recovering from a weekend onslaught of tornadoes, waterspouts, hail and mudslides. A teen-aged girl in Orange County was killed when a rockslide sent these huge boulders smashing through her family's apartment. Two other buildings were destroyed, by the way, by some of those falling rocks.

KAGAN: Let's show you what they're doing in Laguna Beach, where residents are moving sand bags into place. Forecasters predicting more rain before the battered area catches a breather on Wednesday. The already soggy slopes forced some families out of their homes over the weekend and damaged some buildings and retaining walls.

Our Miguel Marquez is in Laguna Beach this hour and joins us live -- Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Daryn we have a pretty good example of what they're facing here in Laguna Beach and across Southern California with these heavy rains.

You know, this house right here, you can see the red tag there right below the street number, "Do Not Enter." This house has been evacuated not because of what's going on with this house, the homeowner just actually showed April short time ago to probably pick up some things. But what's happening across the street here is the problem.

This backyard, it looks like, has come down into this street down below it. You can see the sheets, the large sheets of plastic, trying to protect the hillside and the house up above here is now perch precariously. You can see at one point, the sub floor. You can see right through into the house itself.

Off to the left, you can see that they are trying to protect the hillside using sandbags, and getting as much weight down as possible on those sheets of plastic so that it won't continue. The soil won't continue to soak up that water and then grow heavy and come down even more.

Three people are now said to have been killed in this storm. And right now, the storms are set to last through Wednesday -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And Miguel, while it rains in Southern California, to the north more snow.

MARQUEZ: Lots of snow. And in fact, the snow line is coming down from 7,000 feet to about 4,500 feet in the next day or so. So we're going to see snow at lower and lower levels. And they are looking at up to 10, maybe 12, 15 inches of snow in some areas of the mountains -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Miguel Marquez, I would say stay dry. But I think it's past that point. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: You know, what's interesting is oftentimes when we cover weather stories like this, we look back at what has happened. As you look at this, we're looking forward as well because they're saying there's no recovery in sight for these people.

KAGAN: No, just more and more rain.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, we're going to bring you the story of a man who picked up his camera and headed right into the tsunami devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) You ride from neighborhood after neighborhood, body after body, road after road, flat, gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: It's all on tape. Now he plans to share his emotional firsthand account. And we will have that for you.

SANCHEZ: And we're going to have Gerri cam for you as well. As in Gerri Willis and there she is.

What you're going to have for us, Gerri?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, there. Guys you want the best for your kids, maybe an Ivy League education is part of the package. We'll tell you how to get there when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here we go. Gerri cam now, as in Gerri Willis. And she's here to tell us how to get little Johnny into Harvard, or an equally impressive school. It will be Little Ricky in my case, by the way.

WILLIS: There you go.

SANCHEZ: Here's our personal finance editor with today's top tips. And we're going to begin with start 'em young.

Hi, Gerri.

WILLIS: Hey, good to see you, Rick. Tip No. 1 is start'em young. We interviewed a former senior admissions officer for Harvard to get the best clues on how to do this. He said look, your kid doesn't have to speak Italian, Japanese and Spanish fluently and play the piano like a concert pianist. You want to follow their interests and do things at their level. By the time they're in eighth grade, they you can start honing in on things they're good at. And follow up on what they're interested in. Don't give them too much to handle.

SANCHEZ: Oh, but Harvard and some of these very impressive sounding schools cost an awful lot of money. And I guess if you want to send them there, you've better start saving as in pronto, as in now.

WILLIS: Yes, or yesterday maybe. Look, Yale right now, tuition is $41,470 for this school year. Imagine if your child is only 10 it's going to more. Let me give you a couple of websites to go to that have calculators that will show you exactly how much you can expect to pay: savingforcollege.com, lunchmoney.com will help you figure that out.

Rick, the two big ways to save that people typically do, the Coverdale Account and 529 programs. These allow you to set aside pretax dollars to save. But I want to get people a heads up on something; those 529 plans, sometimes the fees are excessive. So you're really going to want to check them out. Go to morningstar.com because they're rating these things. And you can get some more information on the programs that are available to you.

SANCHEZ: I was reading some of the material on your next tip. This is really interesting because whenever one of our four children has a birthday, our relatives, you know abuela or someone will call and say what do you want? And inevitably it's always a Leggos set or something like this and these things are expensive.

It would be interesting, when half the time the kid just mentioning something out of the blue, to say to them, you know what? Why don't you give them some college money this time in some form? That would be pretty -- maybe not every birthday but at least a few of them, right.

WILLIS: I think it makes all of the sense in the world. How many toys can you play with, after all? It's great idea to get family involved in investing in college educations. One way to do it upromise.com is a group of companies that give money to you for college education when you spend money with them for products. Now, you can get the whole family involved. They can all be involved in this program. Upromise.com, it's worth checking out if you want to enlist the help of your family.

SANCHEZ: In case my family's listening that's a good idea.

By the way, don't over test you say. That's interesting. What do you mean?

WILLIS: By the time kids are in high school they want to take a million of these college prep tests: the SAT, ACT taken over and over until they get the score they want. College admission officers see through that. They don't want you to take it more than three time.

And there two tests you can take now, the SAT, ACT. Take ACT if you're good in science and math, you'll do good on that one. SAT is better for people who are better at reading and writing skills.

SANCHEZ: ACT better for math and science.

Finally, give us now a complete package, the overall thing that we need to know to be able to wow those admissions officials in these big schools.

WILLIS: Well, Rick, I'd love to say it's one thing. It's great tests or maybe great extracurricular activities. But we were told that it's got to be the whole package. You got to have test scores over 700 for the SAT, over 32 for the ACT, and the top 10 percent of your graduating class. You have to do really well in high school.

And then you've got to have extra curricular activities that really set you a part and show you have leadership skills. So it's really the package and not just one thing that will get you into the Ivy League. SANCHEZ: And hug them every once in a while.

WILLIS: Oh, that's a nice thought, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Heh, it works sometimes. Gerri, we do thank you again, as usual. See you again later.

WILLIS: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Bye.

KAGAN: Other news to get to today including a new release from al Qaeda. It is out with another videotape. We're going to take a look at what the message it carries.

SANCHEZ: Also, millions have been touched by the tsunami disaster. But we are going to have something special. It's an incredible tale of a filmmaker's journey in trying to bring the story somehow back home to you. And that's what he'll do through us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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


Aired February 21, 2005 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: We're out of time here. Let's go down to Daryn and Rick at the CNN Center, they're going to take you through the next few hours.
Good morning, guys.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Good morning to you. People in California wishing they could probably shovel rain.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Yes.

KAGAN: Which they cannot.

SANCHEZ: Among other things they're having problems with. We're going to be telling you about that plus a whole lot of other news right here. In fact, here's what's happening right now in the news.

President Bush goes to Brussels, Belgium to address European leaders and somehow try and find common ground. This is a major speech he delivered about two hours ago. In it, he called for democratic reform in Russia and a two-state future for the Middle East.

For more on how the president was received we're going to CNN's Robin Oakley who was there. We're going to do that for you in about a minute. But let's go through some of the other stories that are making news right now.

First of all, eight Southern California counties are under a landslide advisory, as residents there prepare for another soaking. The incessant storms have already spawned tornadoes, waterspouts, rock slides and sinkholes. And at least two people have died in bizarre weather-related accidents. CNN's Miguel Marquez is going to be joining us live with the details from that story, and share some unbelievable pictures with us as well. We'll have that for you in just moments.

Sixties icon gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson is dead. Family members say that he shot himself Sunday at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado. Thompson is known for his books including "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." He was also the reluctant inspiration behind the "Doonesbury" character Uncle Duke. Thompson was 67 years old.

A contentious right-to-die battle heads back to a Florida courtroom today. The parents of Terri Schiavo are expected to ask a judge to delay removing their -- pardon me -- their daughter's feeding tube. Schiavo is brain damaged and has been dependent on a feeding tube since 1990. Her husband could have it removed tomorrow.

A little scratchy throated, but no worse for the wear. We welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez.

KAGAN: Thanks for playing hurt.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: We appreciate it. Good morning. I'm Daryn Kagan.

President Bush is trying to mend fences in Europe. And the president is stressing the ongoing importance of the U.S./European alliance on the first overseas trip of his second term. He is in Brussels today and will to Germany on Wednesday. The president will end his trip Thursday in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava.

CNN's European political editor Robin Oakley joins us now Brussels with a look at the presidents' day.

Robin, hello.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN'S EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, Daryn. Well, President Bush's aides have been billing this as a fence-mending visit to Europe. And today, he certainly came up with a speech, which accentuated the positive in every way that he could, calling for a new era of transatlantic unity. And he said that no passing disagreement between governments, no temporary debate, no power on earth, could ever divide Europe and the United States and their firm alliance. He said that when Europe and America stand together no problem can stand against us.

And there were a lot of points that he touched on which really satisfied the Europeans. He said he wanted to see a strong, integrated Europe because that would be a strong ally for the United States. The firmest commitment we've had from a U.S. president on that issue.

He talked a lot about the Middle East, and E.U. leaders are very concerned about the Middle East. He said that was the strongest possible goal, great opportunity and immediate goal was peace in the Middle East. Words that they all wanted to hear. And on the part of the Europeans, President Bush made it quite clear that he was looking for support for them in other ways. He does want them to do more on Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All nations now have an interest in the success of a free and democratic Iraq. Which will fight terror. Which will be a beacon of freedom. And which will be a true -- a source of true stability in the region.

Coming much, Iraq's newly elected assembly will carry out important work of establishing a government, providing security, enhancing basic services in writing a democratic constitution. Now is the time for established democracies to give tangible, political, economic, and security assistance to the world's newest democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OAKLEY: He called for Syria to pull its troops out of Lebanon. That one got applause in Europe. On Iran, where Europeans have been worried that he might be contemplating military action, the president said he was backing the European diplomatic efforts for the moment, though nothing was ever going to be taken off the table. So there is still the threat of possible military action at some stage there -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Robin Oakley live from Brussels, thank you.

SANCHEZ: So as the president focuses on the future ties with Europe, words from his past are being revealed as well. And in one of those conversations from his past with a friend, now selling a book, the president appears to acknowledge using marijuana.

CNN's Elaine Quijano has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the secretly taped conversations first reported in "The New York Times," then-Texas Governor George W. Bush candidly discusses his reasons for not answering a question, did he ever use drugs.

BUSH: Well, Doug, but it's not -- it just doesn't matter, cocaine. It'd be the same with marijuana. I wouldn't answer the marijuana question. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I'd tried."

DOUG WEAD, BUSH FRIEND: Yes, and it never stops.

BUSH: But you got to understand, I want to be president, I want to lead. I want to set -- do you want your little kid to say, "Hey, Daddy, President Bush tried marijuana. I think I will."

QUIJANO: Mr. Bush also discusses his religious faith and his dealings with Christian conservatives. At one point he bluntly states he will not give in to pressure to criticize gay people.

WEAD: You promised you would not appoint gays to office.

BUSH: No. What I said was I wouldn't fire gays. I'm not going to discriminate against people.

QUIJANO: CNN did not independently authenticate the tapes, a process that can take days. But Tom Owens, the expert that authenticated the tapes for "The New York Times," says he spent eight days analyzing excerpts before reaching his conclusion.

TOM OWENS, AUDIO VOICE AUTHENTICATOR: In listening to the tapes over and over, and listening to various samples of George W. Bush's voice at that time and later, I've concluded that it is the president's voice. QUIJANO: The man who recorded the tapes, Doug Wead, has a book coming out. We could not reach Wead on Sunday, but he told "The New York Times" the recordings were carried out in states where it was legal. CNN could not independently verify his claim. Wead told ABC's "Good Morning America Weekend Edition" he made the recordings for their historical value.

WEAD (on camera): If I'd had a chance to tape record Gandhi or had conversations with Churchill, I probably would have recorded them too.

QUIJANO: But some say history will record the secret tapes as a betrayal.

STUART ROTHENBERG, POLITICAL ANALYST: In a continuum of violations of personal relationship and personal confidence, this is probably the Super Bowl of them all.

QUIJANO: The White House issued a one-sentence response saying, "These were casual conversations with somebody he considered a friend." Historians say there is value in the recordings.

PROF. ALAN LICHTMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: When presidents write their memoirs, they're carefully doctored and carefully tailored. So candid talk by presidents, even before they enter office, is like gold for historians.

QUIJANO (on camera): The tapes were reportedly made in 1998 through part of 2000. Experts say based on the excerpts released, they are far from scandalous and reveal a consistency: a man deeply religious whose private conversations echo his public positions.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Since Elaine filed that report we were able to talk with Doug Wead. It happened just a short time ago. He spoke with Miles O'Brien on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING." And in it Wead defended his use of the tapes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEAD: This isn't about money. I could sell the tapes. You've only seen little...

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's going to help your book, isn't it?

WEAD: Well, my book could have been released before the election; it would have been a runaway bestseller. It would have been driven by partisan sales. I insisted...

O'BRIEN: But clearly, people are going to go buy the book today after seeing this. Right? WEAD: My publicist said I lost $1 million by delaying the book after the election, where it would have been driven by partisan interest. But I hope it sells. I'm an historian and he's president. And he has to lead. He has to set an example. I had to write about the Roosevelt's, the Kennedys, the Bushes. I attempted to vet the stories with all three families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Wead tells CNN he still thinks of the president as his friend.

SANCHEZ: Take you now to the diplomatic front once again and this new hot-button issue that we've all been talking, which is squarely focused on Syria and their occupation of Lebanon.

Our senior international correspondent Brent Sadler staying on top of this story for us.

Brent, the president got an applause in Brussels when he said Syrian troops need to get out of Lebanon. You're there in Syria. What's the reaction so far?

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Syrians are watching what President Bush has had to say very closely. Not just today in Brussels but in the many weeks before leading to this ongoing crisis. What you're seeing here now in Syria's next-door neighbor, Lebanon in the capital Beirut, massive pro-democracy, pro- freedom rallies taking place. the kind of thing you do not just see in this part of the world in the heart of the Middle East. These rallies coming up after the assassination exactly a week ago of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Now, the Syrians are concerned the way the political fault line has divided for pro-Syrian politicians in Lebanon and anti-Syrian politicians. They're looking at what President George Bush has had to say in the context of U.S. plans to reshape the Middle East, to bring democracy here. Syria very concerned about the upheaval, of course, of democracy on its doorsteps and these ongoing marches in Beirut.

For the Syrians, a cabinet minister I spoke to a few hours ago says, it's not just a matter of what Syria does with it troops in Lebanon. Syria, they say here is attempting at being destabilized by U.S. policy in the region, attempting to destabilize Syria and its relationship with its weaker neighbor, Lebanon. Here's what the minister had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOUTHEINA SHAABAN, MINISTER OF EXPATRIATES, SYRIA: And the troops will redeploy and there was a plan, and there is a plan for the troops to redeploy. And for the elections, Syria said that we will not interfere in the Lebanese election. And I think, as I'm telling you, the issue is not here. It's not the troops. The issue is not the assassination of Hariri. The issue is to take Syria and Lebanon into a very unstable future and chaotic future. And this is what the people in the region fear most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SADLER: Now, Syria is saying that it will remove troops from Lebanon in its own good time, under accords that ended the civil war. There have been several redeployments of Syrian troops have been in Beirut in Lebanon for nearly 40 years. Not in Syria's strategic interest to weaken its grip on its Lebanese neighbor given the over all picture in the Middle East right now -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: So it sounds like what you're saying, Brent, is the possibility exists for Syrians to dig in even further, after hearing comments and remarks like those that the president has made this morning.

SADLER: Absolutely. Syria have to understand has contacts, has relationships, the U.S. says, supports terrorists. Not just here in Damascus, like Islamic Jihad and Hamas, both have representations here in the Syrian capital. But also Hezbollah, the U.S. says that organization is a terrorist organization, attacking Israeli troops at the foot of the Golan Heights that Syria wants back as part of a comprehensive peace deal.

Loosens Syria's grip on Lebanon, warns Syria, and you risk plunging this region even more chaos and bloodshed -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Brent is following the story from Damascus this morning. We thank you for that.

KAGAN: We are talking about California coming up. A scene that some residents are just too familiar with. And they are determined not get caught off guard this time. Still to come, bracing for the rain and mud. We will go live to California.

SANCHEZ: Also, before you grab a beer and yell at the players, you should know the rules of the game are changing. What do we speak of? Stick around, you'll find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back to CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Rick Sanchez.

And we take you now to Los Angeles. This is where residents are bracing for yet another round of some very fierce storms. People are still recovering from a weekend onslaught of tornadoes, waterspouts, hail and mudslides. A teen-aged girl in Orange County was killed when a rockslide sent these huge boulders smashing through her family's apartment. Two other buildings were destroyed, by the way, by some of those falling rocks.

KAGAN: Let's show you what they're doing in Laguna Beach, where residents are moving sand bags into place. Forecasters predicting more rain before the battered area catches a breather on Wednesday. The already soggy slopes forced some families out of their homes over the weekend and damaged some buildings and retaining walls.

Our Miguel Marquez is in Laguna Beach this hour and joins us live -- Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Daryn we have a pretty good example of what they're facing here in Laguna Beach and across Southern California with these heavy rains.

You know, this house right here, you can see the red tag there right below the street number, "Do Not Enter." This house has been evacuated not because of what's going on with this house, the homeowner just actually showed April short time ago to probably pick up some things. But what's happening across the street here is the problem.

This backyard, it looks like, has come down into this street down below it. You can see the sheets, the large sheets of plastic, trying to protect the hillside and the house up above here is now perch precariously. You can see at one point, the sub floor. You can see right through into the house itself.

Off to the left, you can see that they are trying to protect the hillside using sandbags, and getting as much weight down as possible on those sheets of plastic so that it won't continue. The soil won't continue to soak up that water and then grow heavy and come down even more.

Three people are now said to have been killed in this storm. And right now, the storms are set to last through Wednesday -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And Miguel, while it rains in Southern California, to the north more snow.

MARQUEZ: Lots of snow. And in fact, the snow line is coming down from 7,000 feet to about 4,500 feet in the next day or so. So we're going to see snow at lower and lower levels. And they are looking at up to 10, maybe 12, 15 inches of snow in some areas of the mountains -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Miguel Marquez, I would say stay dry. But I think it's past that point. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: You know, what's interesting is oftentimes when we cover weather stories like this, we look back at what has happened. As you look at this, we're looking forward as well because they're saying there's no recovery in sight for these people.

KAGAN: No, just more and more rain.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, we're going to bring you the story of a man who picked up his camera and headed right into the tsunami devastation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) You ride from neighborhood after neighborhood, body after body, road after road, flat, gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: It's all on tape. Now he plans to share his emotional firsthand account. And we will have that for you.

SANCHEZ: And we're going to have Gerri cam for you as well. As in Gerri Willis and there she is.

What you're going to have for us, Gerri?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, there. Guys you want the best for your kids, maybe an Ivy League education is part of the package. We'll tell you how to get there when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Here we go. Gerri cam now, as in Gerri Willis. And she's here to tell us how to get little Johnny into Harvard, or an equally impressive school. It will be Little Ricky in my case, by the way.

WILLIS: There you go.

SANCHEZ: Here's our personal finance editor with today's top tips. And we're going to begin with start 'em young.

Hi, Gerri.

WILLIS: Hey, good to see you, Rick. Tip No. 1 is start'em young. We interviewed a former senior admissions officer for Harvard to get the best clues on how to do this. He said look, your kid doesn't have to speak Italian, Japanese and Spanish fluently and play the piano like a concert pianist. You want to follow their interests and do things at their level. By the time they're in eighth grade, they you can start honing in on things they're good at. And follow up on what they're interested in. Don't give them too much to handle.

SANCHEZ: Oh, but Harvard and some of these very impressive sounding schools cost an awful lot of money. And I guess if you want to send them there, you've better start saving as in pronto, as in now.

WILLIS: Yes, or yesterday maybe. Look, Yale right now, tuition is $41,470 for this school year. Imagine if your child is only 10 it's going to more. Let me give you a couple of websites to go to that have calculators that will show you exactly how much you can expect to pay: savingforcollege.com, lunchmoney.com will help you figure that out.

Rick, the two big ways to save that people typically do, the Coverdale Account and 529 programs. These allow you to set aside pretax dollars to save. But I want to get people a heads up on something; those 529 plans, sometimes the fees are excessive. So you're really going to want to check them out. Go to morningstar.com because they're rating these things. And you can get some more information on the programs that are available to you.

SANCHEZ: I was reading some of the material on your next tip. This is really interesting because whenever one of our four children has a birthday, our relatives, you know abuela or someone will call and say what do you want? And inevitably it's always a Leggos set or something like this and these things are expensive.

It would be interesting, when half the time the kid just mentioning something out of the blue, to say to them, you know what? Why don't you give them some college money this time in some form? That would be pretty -- maybe not every birthday but at least a few of them, right.

WILLIS: I think it makes all of the sense in the world. How many toys can you play with, after all? It's great idea to get family involved in investing in college educations. One way to do it upromise.com is a group of companies that give money to you for college education when you spend money with them for products. Now, you can get the whole family involved. They can all be involved in this program. Upromise.com, it's worth checking out if you want to enlist the help of your family.

SANCHEZ: In case my family's listening that's a good idea.

By the way, don't over test you say. That's interesting. What do you mean?

WILLIS: By the time kids are in high school they want to take a million of these college prep tests: the SAT, ACT taken over and over until they get the score they want. College admission officers see through that. They don't want you to take it more than three time.

And there two tests you can take now, the SAT, ACT. Take ACT if you're good in science and math, you'll do good on that one. SAT is better for people who are better at reading and writing skills.

SANCHEZ: ACT better for math and science.

Finally, give us now a complete package, the overall thing that we need to know to be able to wow those admissions officials in these big schools.

WILLIS: Well, Rick, I'd love to say it's one thing. It's great tests or maybe great extracurricular activities. But we were told that it's got to be the whole package. You got to have test scores over 700 for the SAT, over 32 for the ACT, and the top 10 percent of your graduating class. You have to do really well in high school.

And then you've got to have extra curricular activities that really set you a part and show you have leadership skills. So it's really the package and not just one thing that will get you into the Ivy League. SANCHEZ: And hug them every once in a while.

WILLIS: Oh, that's a nice thought, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Heh, it works sometimes. Gerri, we do thank you again, as usual. See you again later.

WILLIS: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Bye.

KAGAN: Other news to get to today including a new release from al Qaeda. It is out with another videotape. We're going to take a look at what the message it carries.

SANCHEZ: Also, millions have been touched by the tsunami disaster. But we are going to have something special. It's an incredible tale of a filmmaker's journey in trying to bring the story somehow back home to you. And that's what he'll do through us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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