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CNN Saturday Morning News

Is Harry Potter Evil; New Details In Rove Case; London Investigation Continues; Hurricane Emily Approaches

Aired July 16, 2005 - 8:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Is this man a living link to the London terror plot? We'll have much more on this.
But we do want to welcome you from the CNN Center here in Atlanta. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is July 16, almost halfway through the month already, 8:00 a.m. here in Atlanta; 7:00 a.m. on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris.

British authorities are trying to determine what role, if any, an Egyptian chemist might have played in last week's attacks. New details in a moment.

But first, a check of other headlines now in the news.

People have boarded up homes and piled up sandbags in Jamaica. In the Cayman Islands, Hurricane Emily is headed their way this morning with winds of 140 miles an hour. The category four storm could threaten Mexico and the Texas Gulf Coast sometime early on Wednesday.

Time for a checkup. Vice President Dick Cheney heads to a Washington hospital today for his annual physical. He'll get a colonoscopy and a screening test for vascular disease, which affects the blood vessels.

The Israeli army says it has arrested more than two dozen Palestinians in raids across the West Bank today. It's been a violent week of rocket and mortar attacks. There is concern the violence could threaten the ceasefire agreement. So Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit the area next week.

NGUYEN: We have much more to come on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Just what did Karl Rove say, and who did he say it to? We will go live to the White House for the latest on the rage surrounding Rove.

Plus, not everybody's a Harry Potter fan. And we will tell you why some people want the boy wizard to just vanish.

And it was a line drive double, but it was so much more. Rafael Palmeiro slugs his way into a milestone. Look at that.

HARRIS: The death toll in London's terrorist bombings continue to rise more than a week after the attacks. Fifty-five people have now died in the bombings, 46 people are still hospitalized.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the attacks is spanning the globe. Police in Egypt are questioning a biochemist who studied in North Carolina in connection with the bombings. Magdy el-Nashar is being held in Cairo and may be handed over to British authorities. Authorities think he may have helped plan the attacks and are searching his house the in Cairo.

Back in Britain, police are investigating a store in Leeds where three of the suspects reportedly gathered on a regular basis.

And there's also word at least two of the suspected bombers also traveled in Pakistan. Intelligence officials there are checking links between the suspects in al Qaeda-linked religious groups. Students, teachers, administrators at two schools are being questioned.

NGUYEN: Well, the family of a second London bombing suspect has issued a statement. They believe Muhammad Sadiq Kahn (ph) was brainwashed and are expressing sympathy to the victims. This comes a day after the family of another suspect made a similar statement.

As families struggle to come to terms with the attacks, so does the British Muslim community. And CNN's John Vause has more now from Leeds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For more than a week, the devastating unanswered question, how could they do it? Now the family of the youngest suspected suicide bomber say they have no idea.

Police believe Hasib Hussain blew up the number 30 bus. In a statement, his family say he was a loving and normal young man, and if they knew what he was planning, they would have stopped him.

Authorities in Britain now want to know what needs to be done within the Muslim community so it never happens again. London's police chief met with Muslim leaders at a mosque, a show of support, but also an appeal for help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the very big messages that I'm going to be giving is that we must seize this moment. This weekend, next week, we have to seize a moment in which the Muslim communities of Britain, helped by everybody of good will, changes from our current position of shock and disbelief into active engagement in counterterrorism.

VAUSE: As Muslims went to Friday prayers, their national leaders went to Leeds, home to three of the four suspected suicide bombers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The imams will need to address the larger issues affecting the community here as well. There have been -- all issues, foreign policy, the issue of (INAUDIBLE) youth, their participation in life. Why is it that there are three times more unemployment in the Muslim community than other community? How come that the Muslims are at the bottom of the league as far as education (INAUDIBLE) is concerned? These are serious issues.

VAUSE: This northern city, 200 miles from London, is a world away from the refugee camps of Gaza and the slums of Baghdad. But from Leeds, a new terror, the fear that suburban suicide bombers born and bred in Britain would be willing to commit mass murder.

MARTIN KELNER, LOCAL JOURNALIST: (INAUDIBLE), it's not in (INAUDIBLE) Leeds, (INAUDIBLE)...

VAUSE: For 20 years, Martin Kelner has been the voice of Leeds on local radio. Like so many others, he's asking, why here, why Leeds?

KELNER: It's a fairly prosperous town. It's a cleanish town. It's a reasonably peaceful town. I mean, you do -- you have racism here, like you do anywhere. But it's certainly no more intense here than it is anywhere else.

VAUSE (on camera): In the Middle East, suicide bombers will often leave behind a videotaped message, or, at the very least, a note. But so far, it seems, no one really knows why four young men with everything to live for killed themselves and more than 50 others.

John Vause, CNN, Leeds, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And now to security watch, where we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning.

First-time visitors to the U.S. will soon have to submit 10 fingerprints instead of just two for the government's passenger database. It's just one of several aspects of a Department of Homeland Security makeover announced this week. Most of the changes are administrative in nature.

The Senate has voted to send more federal money to small states to help them defend themselves against major terrorist attacks. That's despite White House requests that the money go to high-risk states like New York. Backers of the bill say bigger states shouldn't get more money because there's no real way to tell where terrorists will strike.

Meantime, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says cities and states will mostly have to fend for themselves in finding ways to protect trains and buses from terrorist attacks. He says the federal government must focus on the big picture, preventing attacks that could lead to mass casualties.

And federal law enforcement officials told Congress this week that unrestricted cell phone use on commercial flights would pose serious problems for national security and public safety. The testimony focuses or follows a proposed FCC rule change that would loosen restrictions on passengers who use cell phones during flights.

And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

NGUYEN: Now to Washington. Questions continue to come up in the investigation of who leaked a CIA agent's identity. A day after we learned about a link between Karl Rove and journalist Bob Novak, new details are emerging about contact between Karl Rove and national security adviser Steven Hadley. But he big question remains, who is the leak?

Elaine Quijano is at the White House now trying to sort all of this out. Elaine, what have you learned?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Betty.

Well, that does appear to be the central question right now, who, in fact, was the original source of that leak of information to columnist Bob Novak and "TIME" magazine reporter Matt Cooper?

But another day, another new detail to add to this developing story surrounding the president's chief political strategist, Karl Rove. Now, a lawyer familiar with the investigation has confirmed to CNN the authenticity of an e-mail from Rove to the now national security adviser Steven Hadley. And in that e-mail, we're told, first reported by the Associated Press, Rove told Hadley two years ago, when Hadley was the deputy security adviser, of a conversation with "TIME" magazine reporter Matt Cooper.

Now, what does all of this mean? Unclear right now, but we need to note here that the lawyer who confirmed this e-mail is sympathetic to Karl Rove's version of the events. Also, of course, only the special prosecutor in this case, Patrick Fitzgerald, is even close to getting a complete picture that includes all of the grand jury testimony that's been given in this case.

Now, the White House has chosen to remain quiet on this, citing the ongoing investigation. Also, they're letting those images that we are seeing now continue to speak for themselves, showing Karl Rove at the president's side as these questions continue.

Republicans say that these recent revelations that Rove had a conversation with columnist Bob Novak show that Rove wasn't the leaker. They say that Rove was the recipient of information, not a provider. At the same time, though, there is, of course, the central legal question.

But there's also a credibility issue for the Bush administration, because back in 2003, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said emphatically that Karl Rove had nothing to do with this. Well, now, of course, we know that there were conversations that took place with reporters between Karl Rove and reporters, and so that credibility issue does remain, Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, it's a complicated web. And many of the pieces are still missing. Thanks, Elaine, for bringing us up to date.

Well, "TIME" magazine reporter Matt Cooper talks to CNN in a special one-hour edition of "RELIABLE SOURCES." That takes place Sunday morning, tomorrow, at 11:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

This morning, we want to what you think. Are you following the story? Are you outraged by it? Are you just confused? What are your thoughts? So here's the question. Karl Rove, a real controversy or just partisan politics? Let us know what you think, weekends@cnn.com.

HARRIS: And other news across America now. A stolen tractor trailer led Los Angeles police and state troopers on a long, low-speed chase. The four-hour pursuit crossed four greater L.A. interstates until a police spike blew out a tire. Two suspects surrendered peacefully after the big rig finally stopped.

A toddler killed in a police shootout in Los Angeles last weekend will be buried today. Police say Suzie Pena's (ph) father was drunk and high on drugs as he used his 19-month-old daughter as a shield in a gun battle with police.

In Florida, an alligator killed a man swimming in a canal. Police shot and killed the 12-foot-long 'gator and recovered the man's body. Several people witnessed the attack. It's the 17th recorded alligator death in Florida.

NGUYEN: Oh, my.

Well, still to come, how would you like to see this coming at you? We're going to try to put it on the air for you, so you know what we're talking about.

HARRIS: See what?

NGUYEN: There we go.

HARRIS: Oh.

NGUYEN: Look at that. Now you know what we're talking about.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: Thousands of Florida residents did just that. They saw it coming at them. We'll show you much more.

HARRIS: Also, from Harry hysteria to Potter panic. Not everyone is thrilled about the boy wizard.

NGUYEN: And on "HOUSE CALL," Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells you how you can be a more caring caregiver, being more caring caregiver, huh. Plus, what happens when the caregiver needs some care herself or himself.

You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, it looks like something out of a movie, but it was all too real. Last night in Punta Gorda, Florida, a waterspout -- look at this -- came ashore two times as a tornado. Came ashore not once, but twice.

HARRIS: Wow.

NGUYEN: The slow-moving spout lasted for 16 minutes, punctuated by flashes of lightning. Thousands of people watched the show, along with others who were trapped on roads and bridges. There were no injuries, thankfully, or any major property damage because of it.

HARRIS: Well, we should get the latest on this storm here, this Hurricane Emily.

NGUYEN: Emily.

HARRIS: Bonnie Schneider is in for Rob Marciano this morning. And you have the latest information, the latest advisory.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. As of 8:00 this morning, still a category four hurricane...

NGUYEN: Wow.

SCHNEIDER: ... so a very powerful one...

NGUYEN: Yes.

SCHNEIDER: ... right now. And even though the storm isn't going to make a direct hit on Jamaica, it is certainly going to affect that island. As you put this map into motion, what you'll see is, we definitely have a situation where this hurricane is going to really bring about definitely some changing conditions throughout much of the area.

So what we're focusing on right now is our storm. And in the meantime, what we're looking at is, this storm is likely to make landfall somewhere along the Texas coast. And that's likely to happen on into Wednesday, especially into the early hours.

Another thing to note, though, that we do have that fluctuation where we do see quite a variance in where the storm can make landfall. So that's important to keep in mind. It could be anywhere along the Texas coast, or back out to Mexico as well, further to the south. We'll keep you posted on that as well.

Now, in the meantime, we're taking a look at our satellite perspective. And you'll see right now we're seeing major flare-ups going on right now on our satellite perspective with a look of Emily. That's a well-defined eye, a powerful storm. And even though it's not going to come right in contact with Jamaica, certainly we have hurricane warnings in effect for Jamaica and for the Caymans.

We're also talking about, why do we have such a strong season this year? Why so many storms? Well, high pressure is anchored out on the coast. That's one reason. And we're also seeing our strong steering winds. And that's likely to bring about some changes for us throughout much of the season. In the meantime, high pressure dominates much of the country. We're seeing heat in the center of the country, stormy conditions in the Southeast, Betty, Tony.

NGUYEN: All right, Bonnie, thank you.

HARRIS: Our top stories this morning, police investigating the London bombings are looking for more evidence after investigators in England found traces of an explosive in the home of an Egyptian biochemist. The biochemist is now detained in Cairo.

In southern Iraq, a roadside bomb killed three British soldiers and injured two others today. Britain has now lost 92 servicemen in the Iraq war. A suicide car bombing in southern Baghdad killed four people, two of them children.

The long and illustrious pro golf career of Jack Nicklaus ended the opposite of how it began. The Golden Bear says he's calling it quits after missing the cut at the British Open.

NGUYEN: Well, the magic has started all over again for millions of young wizards all around the world. "Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince" went on sale in many corners of the globe at the stroke of midnight.

This is a small glimpse of the mania. Preorders of book number six already number in the millions. Now, this new installment is said to be author J.K. Rowling's darkest and most grown-up story so far. So beware.

HARRIS: Wow.

The latest Harry Potter book may be flying off the shelves, but not everyone is thrilled about its success. They say the story of Harry Potter is more menace than magic.

Kyra Phillips has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Father, help us to do the right thing.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The right thing, a difficult choice in a complicated world. At the Jesus Nondenominational Church in Greenville, Michigan, Pastor Tommy Turner and his followers are fighting off evil, one page-turner at a time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I don't want anybody to go to hell. And the Bible says, if people use sorcery and witchcraft, that they will go to hell.

PHILLIPS: And the tricks of this evil trade, according to this group and others like it worldwide, are being pushed on children through the antics and adventures of J.K. Rowling's bespectacled character, Harry Potter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome, welcome to another year at Hogwarts.

PHILLIPS: When young Harry came onto the scene seven years ago, the world was charmed by the colorful characters and fanciful plots that filled the books. But as the popularity of the books and movies grew, so too did the concerns of some religious groups.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've read the content. It's filled with witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, vengeance, rebellion. I don't think this is appropriate literature, and I don't think it's a good movie for a child to see.

PHILLIPS: A small but growing movement against the positive portrayal of witchcraft in the Potter stories has been going on for several years. However, it wasn't until just this week we learned that a somewhat higher authority had already weighed in.

In a 2003 correspondence with German author Gabriela Kuby (ph), who authored the book "Harry Potter: Good or Evil?" the pope, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, wrote, "It is good that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions which act unnoticed, and by this, deeply distort Christianity in the soul before it can grow properly."

But Harry Potter fans disagree. They contend the boy, his school, and his adventures are simply high-flying fictional fantasy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to your first flying lesson. Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick.

PHILLIPS: Supporters point out that this young wizard's popularity gets children reading more books, and at the same time, opens up their minds to creative thinking, whether it be human or wizardly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love them all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) spells chapter seven.

PHILLIPS: But many people believe Harry Potter is just the latest hero, fighting the same old fight that has been fought throughout the years, the age-old battle between good and evil.

Kyra Phillips, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And speaking of magic, Rafael Palmeiro made a little magic himself. Now, he didn't hit it out of the park, but he did hit it into the record books. We'll take you out to the ball game in just a moment.

HARRIS: But first, a CNN extra.

A new report says if you use your cell phone while driving, you are four times more likely to be in a wreck, even if your phone is hands-free. At least 45 countries in the world have cell phone driving bans. In the United States, only New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut fully prohibit cell phone use while driving.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: They just call him Mr. Three Thousand. Last night in Seattle, Rafael Palmeiro of the Baltimore Orioles became the 26th player in history to reach the 3,000 career hit mark. And the major milestone might just put Palmeiro in the Hall of Fame. He'd have gotten there even if he...

NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes, yes. Over 20 years, Palmeiro has hit more than 560 home runs. That puts him in the company of Hank Aaron and Willie Mays are the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.

By the way, by the way, my Orioles beat Seattle six to three.

NGUYEN: Hey, and by the way, Palmeiro used to be a Texas Ranger.

HARRIS: Oh, I knew...

NGUYEN: By the way.

HARRIS: ... you were going to work that in.

NGUYEN: You knew (INAUDIBLE) in there.

All right. All morning long, we've been asking you for your thoughts on our e-mail question of the day. We're focusing on Karl Rove today, what he knew about an undercover CIA agent, when he knew it, and who he talked to about it.

So our question for you this morning, Is this a real controversy, or partisan politics?

And here's what we're getting so far.

David from Georgia says, "The Karl Rove controversy is partisan politics, pure and simple and dirty. It's a desperate attempt to strike out at someone, anyone, in the Bush administration."

HARRIS: And this from Michael from Raleigh, North Carolina, who writes, "Those responsible for exposing Valerie Plame as a covert CIA operative in order to retaliate against her husband, Joe Wilson, should be sent to prison. They are traitors to the United States of America."

Thank you so much for your e-mails this morning. I you something, this is, this question right there has lit up the inbox.

NGUYEN: On fire...

HARRIS: On fire, yes, yes, yes.

NGUYEN: ... that's what we're being told. HARRIS: Karl Rove, real controversy, or partisan politics? There's the address, weekends@cnn.com.

NGUYEN: And, of course, CNN will have much more on this story. Starting tomorrow, "TIME" magazine correspondent Matt Cooper is the guest on a special edition of "RELIABLE SOURCES." That is at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, 8:00 Pacific. So don't miss it.

HARRIS: You've probably seen the film "Robocop"...

NGUYEN: Yes.

HARRIS: ... but how about the robocup, the story behind one of the most videos on CNN.com? That's next hour.

NGUYEN: Very interesting.

But first on "HOUSE CALL," what to do when you have to start caring for the people who always cared for you. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has tips for choosing a nursing home and a checklist for what to watch out for once you've made that decision.

This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: "Now in the News:" homes are boarded up in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, as people there brace for Hurricane Emily. The Category four storm is headed their way this morning with winds of 140 miles an hour. Forecasters say Emily could threaten Mexico and maybe the Texas Gulf Coast sometime early Wednesday.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed to the Mideast next week. She'll try to keep next month's planned Israeli pullout from Gaza on track. Rice will arrive in Israel amid increased violence in the region. Just this morning, Israeli forces arrested 26 suspected militants in the West Bank.

Lance Armstrong remains in the lead going into today's 14th stage of the Tour De France. The race is heading into the Pyrenees Mountains. Armstrong is going for his 7th tour win.

I'm Tony Harris. HOUSECALL begins right now.