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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK
Major Change of Heart Expected on Floor of U.S. Senate; Crisis Sweeping Africa
Aired July 29, 2005 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE
UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, July 29.
And a major change of heart is expected on the floor of the U.S. Senate this morning. The
controversial stem cell issue gets pushed back to the forefront today. See who's about to pledge his
support.
And the crisis sweeping Africa. This morning, how you can help.
Plus, a little girl thrown from her mother's SUV. She flew right out of the window and into the river.
We'll hear about this morning's search effort.
ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello
and Chad Myers.
COSTELLO: And good morning to you.
We'll have these stories in just a minute.
Also ahead, choosing a fitness club. We have pointers to help you feel the burn in the very best gym,
and maybe without those annoying personal trainers.
But first, now in the news, investigators in London are still questioning the suspect in custody in
connection to the July 21st transit attacks. They're hoping to get help locating the remaining three
suspects.
In the meantime, the Edgwater underground station opened this morning for the first time since the
July 7th attacks.
In the city of Mosul, Iraqi and U.S. forces and detained a suspected al Qaeda terror cell leader. The
suspect was taken into custody during a search operation.
Firefighters successfully stopped an early morning cruise ship fire in Baltimore. The ship is docked
in Baltimore's Inner Harbor area. Reports say one person suffered minor injuries in the fire.
To the Forecast Center now and Chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: We start with a change of heart and position for Senator Bill Frist. The Republican
majority leader is breaking with President Bush and has decided to support spending more money on
embryonic stem cell research. Frist, who is also a heart surgeon, is expected to explain his decision
during a Senate speech later today.
The "New York Times," however, obtained an advanced copy of that speech in which Frist says: "I
am pro-life. I believe human life begins at conception. I also believe that embryonic stem cell
research should be encouraged and supported."
On another front, don't expect the price of gas to drop immediately after passage of a huge energy
bill. But there are some incentives for you on the horizon. The Senate votes on the bill today. House
members have already given it their approval. One of the key points for consumers is the tax credit
for hybrid cars. There's also a tax break for upgrading to energy efficient home appliances. It's all
part of the long awaited national energy strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R), TEXAS: This is a balanced bill that has incentives for
production, incentives for conservation, incentives for renewable fuels, clean burning fuels. And I
think in 10 years time, you will see a change in the economy of our country.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Whether it's consumers at the pump or troops who are
risking their lives guarding pipelines in other countries in far off places in the world, whether it's
airlines struggling to survive or whether it's kids breathing dirty air, they're all losing here.
Americans are losing here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's J.J. Ramberg will have more about the impact of the energy bill on you and your
family. That's coming up in our "Business Buzz."
Plenty of other stuff going on in Congress.
Taking a look at our "Beltway Briefs," the Senate added a provision requiring trigger locks as part of
the gun bill. The House approved Dru's Law. That provision was named after murdered North
Dakota college student Dru Shodeen. It calls for a national database for sex offenders.
And there could be more problems for John Bolton. The State Department revealed that the
president's choice for U.N. ambassador omitted important information on his questionnaire for the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Bolton didn't say he had been interviewed as part of the
investigation into alleged attempts by Iraq to get nuclear materials from the African country of
Niger. That will become bigger throughout the day, so we'll continue to follow that.
Many people first heard of Niger as part of that investigation, though, and the CIA leak story that
followed. But now it's better known as ground zero in the failure to fight famine in Africa. We get
more on the desperate situation from CNN's Africa correspondent, Jeff Koinange.
And we want to warn you, some of the images you're about to see are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the road in the countryside in one of the
world's poorest nations. This is rural Niger, a land littered with contradictions, where both crops and
cattle abound, while a nation faces one of its worst famines in recent memory.
Village after village looks empty and abandoned. Many have opted for the big cities, where aid
agencies distribute food. Those too weak to walk scratch the ground for scraps. Around here, a
handful of grain can often go a long way.
Further afield, communities live in abject poverty, where the strong have to fend for the weak; the
young fending for the old.
Seventy-five-year-old Abdullah Omar (ph) is so weak from hunger, he can hardly walk. His 10-yea-old daughter Amina (ph) has to pound the family's few remaining grains in fear that her father will
starve to death.
"I can't remember the last time we ate. We are so hungry," he says.
Much of their livestock has been decimated by a famine that's killed thousands and threatens
millions more.
(on camera): Now what's deceiving about this scene here is that it all looks so green and fertile. But
just scratch a bit of this surface here and you'll find that these soils are bone dry. Now, speaking of
bones, scenes that are repeated across this land -- the bones of dead horses, donkeys and cows, an
indicator the famine has been going on for quite a while, with little or no relief in sight.
(voice-over): Osman Abubakar (ph) is a nomadic herdsman who grazes his fast thinning herd near
the carcasses of his 20 dead cows. He says cattle are his life, providing much needed food for his
two wives and nine children.
"What else can I do? I've been herding cattle for many years. I can't do anything else," he says.
The aid agency Oxfam may have found a solution to the dying herds. It's buying cattle from local
herdsmen at a premium and converting the herds into meat and then giving it back to the
community under a work for food program, a program that's getting food where it's needed most.
LOUIS BELANGER, OXFAM SPOKESMAN: So it's basically, you know, bringing relief to some of the
nomadic communities, which are very much affected because of the famine, because they've lost
most of their herd.
KOINANGE: This enables hundreds of starving villagers like Parti Balari (ph) to get the minimum $5
food vouchers from feeding centers like this one, under a tree in the middle of nowhere. She happily
receives her rice from Pakistan, sugar from Brazil, cooking oil and tea from China.
"I am so happy," she says. "Without this, we would surely die."
Enough food to feed her five children for only a few days, as they await long overdue rains.
BELANGER: The worst case scenario for Niger today is if there's no rain in the next two or three
weeks, you're looking at a third year in a row with a very bad harvest. And this would just bring
disaster to the country.
KOINANGE: A disaster many here are hoping they can still avert, in a land as unforgiving as it is
unrelenting.
Jeff Koinange, CNN, Azagore (ph), Niger.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: For a little more information about Niger, let's take a look inside the DAYBREAK "Data
File." Eighty percent of the country is covered by desert, which makes drought the country's leading
natural hazard. The average life expectancy in Niger, as you heard Jeff say, just over 42 years old.
And nearly 50 percent of the entire population is under the age of 15.
Here's how you can help fight the famine in Niger. Donations can be made at these Web sites -www.unicefusa.org or www.oxfam.org.uk.
And be sure to tune in for special coverage of the Niger crisis next week. CNN's Anderson Cooper
will host "A.C. 360 LIVE" from Niger next Monday and Tuesday. That comes your way at 7:00 p.m.
Eastern.
Imagine this scenario -- a driver says she witnessed an accident and saw a 2-year-old girl flying out
of the window of an SUV and into a river. The driver says she called 911, but says the operator
thought she was making a phony call.
But it was no joke. Divers have been searching the Grand Calumet River in Gary, Indiana for Jatima
Greene.
CNN Radio correspondent Ninette Sosa is working the story.
What have you found out -- Ninette?
NINETTE SOSA, CNN RADIO CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now the search for the 2-year-old who
flew out of a car window and plunged 40 feet into the water when her mother lost control of the SUV
is in recovery mode. I just talked with Gary, Indiana fire department safety officer Mark Everett (ph).
He says at this point there's no chance of survival and that his hope is to at least find the toddler's
body to help bring closure of such a grim situation.
However, the family holds out hope that the child is alive.
This morning, beginning around 7:00 a.m., about 35 people from Gary Fire Department, Lake
County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police and the Indiana State Department of Natural
Resources will go back out to the Calumet River and continue with a surface search using boats and
helicopters.
Now, this accident happened on Wednesday night about 8:45 p.m. A witness phoned 911 to say she
saw an SUV hit a retaining wall of a toll road ramp over the river; but also that a child flew out of the
window and fell into the water below.
Now, other witnesses reported seeing the toddler moving in the water. One man even jumped into
the river to help try to reach the baby, but the current had swept her away.
Meanwhile, the mother was restrained by a friend from going to the riverbank to search the water
herself.
And, Carol, on a sad note, police at the scene said the child apparently had not been fastened into
any type of protective restraint, such as a car seat or a seat belt -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, I've read wire reports that there were no child seats in the car. But apparently the
mother said the little girl was strapped into a seat belt, but she's so tiny that that probably didn't
matter.
SOSA: It's not sufficient. You know, on the other hand, it puts cell phones into a different
perspective. This was able to, you know, at least get the call out there and try some type of an
immediate search.
COSTELLO: Oh, it's just such a sad story.
Ninette, thank so much for the information.
Ninette Sosa from CNN Radio reporting for us this morning.
Still to come this hour, at 15 minutes past, Muslim leaders come together to condemn terrorism.
The nation's slowest airport might get some help soon. We'll tell you what the plans are for O'Hare
Airport.
And load 15 tons and what do you get? A space station restocked. We'll update the shuttle mission at
33 minutes past.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 6:14 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is expected to break with the president this morning. The "New
York Times" reporting Frist will back legislation calling for more federal funding for embryonic stem
cell research.
Laying down their weapons -- it's an historic move by the Irish Republican Army. It's ending a
decades long armed struggle against the British government. The leadership has ordered militia
members to dump their guns and explosives.
In money news, there's now an incentive to try on clothes. The Gap is offering a free iTunes
download when you try on one of their new pairs of jeans. The promotion runs from August 8
through the 31st.
In culture, some of John Lennon's stuff pulled in some big money at an auction last night. A
handwritten lyric from the song "All You Need Is Love" went for a record $1 million. A military jacket
that may have inspected the Sergeant Pepper's uniforms went for more than $175,000.
In sports, Larry Brown will get around $8 million a year as the new head coach of the New York
Knicks. Brown led the Detroit Pistons to two straight NBA finals and hopes to bring New York its
first title since 1973 -- Chad.
MYERS: He's a great coach, Carol.
We'll see if he can do it or not.
Hey, what happened to your Nationals up there?
COSTELLO: Oh, did they lose?
MYERS: Oh my goodness, swept by the Braves. The Braves are up by three games now.
COSTELLO: Oh, but the Braves are surging.
MYERS: Good. They sure are.
Good morning, everybody.
Good morning, New York City.
You're only a game-and-a-half back behind the Red Sox.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: You know driving a new hybrid car can save you big time at the gas pump. But it might
soon save you even more. We'll have details for you just ahead.
But first, good morning, Atlanta. And congrats to the Atlanta Braves for surging.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time now for a little "Business Buzz."
DaimlerChrysler's controversial CEO says he's stepping down by the end of the year. He'll be
replaced by the man who now heads the U.S. arm of Chrysler. DaimlerChrysler's stock soared more
than 10 percent on word of that news.
Macy's is expanding. Federated Department Stores, which owns Macy's, says it's going to convert at
least 10 different store brands to the Macy's name next year. Those stores include Filene's and
Famous Bar. It's part of an $11 billion merger deal between Federated and May Department Stores.
The House has passed a new energy bill and the Senate is expected to pass it, as well.
J.J. Ramberg is here to tell us how it's going to affect you and if it could save us energy and possibly
some money.
J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It will save you some money. You want to go through all
those 1,700 pages and read it?
COSTELLO: Sure. Let's do it.
RAMBERG: Yes, I've got it right here.
No, actually, that's what I'm here for, to sort of parse this all out for you.
Now, you know, this bill has billions of dollars in incentives, mostly aimed at energy companies. But
there are plenty of breaks for consumers in there. And one of the biggest credits is for hybrid or
electric or fuel cell powered cars. That can amount to thousands of dollars for some cars.
Now, currently, you probably know, there's a tax deduction attached to these cars. But this is a tax
credit, and that gives a dollar for dollar reduction in taxes and it's much more generous than the
current tax deduction.
Now, you can also get breaks for buying energy efficient appliances. But keep in mind, if you're sort
of doing a dollar for dollar comparison here, some of these appliances cost a little bit more money.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
RAMBERG: So make sure that if you're just looking at money, you're checking that out.
COSTELLO: You're going to keep that appliance for 25 years. RAMBERG: Yes, well, then you're
going to be paying for upgrades or fixes. Yes, OK.
There's also a 10 percent reduction, maybe, for the cost of an upgraded thermostat and a $200
credit for new windows. That'll save energy because you won't be leaking out cold air.
COSTELLO: Yes.
RAMBERG: Now, other household improvements like fixing leaks to eliminate energy leaks -- I mean
fixing, you know, caulking things and...
COSTELLO: Insulating.
RAMBERG: Exactly. Thank you.
COSTELLO: Sure.
RAMBERG: You can get up to $500 credit on that.
Now, if you have solar energy in your house, you can get up to a 30 percent break on your taxes. And
you guys were talking about this earlier, one of the most talked about parts of this is the daylight
savings time.
COSTELLO: We don't get it.
RAMBERG: Well, the idea is that you won't -- if you stay up late, you won't have your lights on, right?
So your energy costs could be reduced by 1 percent. If you get up early like all of us in this room do,
it's not going to really change anything.
COSTELLO: I still don't get it, but that's OK, because I'm sure...
RAMBERG: You don't get it because you get up at 2:00 in the morning.
COSTELLO: Well, they're basing all this on a 30-year-old study.
RAMBERG: Well, that...
COSTELLO: The study that was done in the '70s.
RAMBERG: Exactly. And we have much more of a 24
hour society right now.
COSTELLO: Yes.
RAMBERG: So, things have changed.
COSTELLO: So I think they need to revisit that,
perhaps. But, hey. But like daylight savings time. I have
nothing against it. I just don't...
RAMBERG: We'll, you've got four more weeks of it now.
COSTELLO: I don't get it.
J.J. Ramberg, thanks for explaining things to us.
We appreciate it.
In our DAYBREAK "Departures," an even bigger O'Hare Airport is looming for Chicago. The FAA is
tipping its wings to a massive expansion proposal. O'Hare, as you know, has the nation's most flight
delays. Chicago's $15 billion plan would add four new runways and reconfigure others. The FAA
issues its final decision next month. We will keep you posted.
Airline passengers might need some wait training, as in W-A-I-T. The government is reassigning
airport passenger and baggage screeners. Busier airports will gain workers, but others are slated to
lose screeners. For now, the overall workforce will remain at 45,000. But Congress is considering
trimming that number by several thousand.
And some air travelers will soon breathe easier. The FAA is loosening restrictions on certain kinds of
medical oxygen aboard planes. Currently, oxygen must be finished by the airline and there's usually
a fee. Two specific brands of portable oxygen concentrators which filter cabin air to deliver oxygen
will now be allowed.
Just ahead on DAYBREAK, an update on a terror suspect. Did a possible suspect get away to help
bomb London while two nations bickered about his status?
And later, the space shuttle crew makes a long overdue delivery. We'll see what's on the schedule
for the astronauts today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: There has long been criticism the Muslim community is not doing enough to tackle
extremists. Well, this morning what some call an important step. A major Muslim council in the
United States just issued a fatwa, an Islamic religious ruling declaring that Islam condemns religious
extremism and the loss of innocent life.
Joining me now from Washington is Salam al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public
Affairs Council. It was one of 130 Islamic organizations that endorsed this fatwa.
Welcome.
SALAM AL-MARAYATI, MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Thank you very much.
COSTELLO: You know, whenever we hear that term, we think of violent threats.
And if Muslims -- but if Muslims don't follow this edict, what happens? AL-MARAYATI: The term
fatwa simply means a legal opinion of a Muslim scholar. And, actually, back in the '80s, fatwa was
mistranslated to mean death sentence, because it was associated with Salman Rushdie. And I think
the issue here is that Muslims and Muslim scholars are uniting in one stage, in one voice, to say no
to religious extremism. And actually this statement has been made many times, even before 9/11,
and immediately after 9/11. So it's more of a social and political force that is coming together at this
point and I think it's very important.
COSTELLO: So you say this was made right after 9/11?
AL-MARAYATI: The sentiments of the Muslim masses and the sentiment of Muslim scholars
worldwide has been the same sentiment even before 9/11. And I think this is an important collection
of voices, as Muslim-Americans are learning the political process, as they're learning to be more
politically savvy, as they're developing partnership with law enforcement. I think you're going to
be...
COSTELLO: Well, before we go on, though, I'm wondering about the timing of this, because if it was
issued shortly after 9/11 and even before it, it doesn't seem to be working.
AL-MARAYATI: Well, I think that actually on the grassroots level, at least here in America, it is
working, because we've developed partnerships with law enforcement. We, for example, our
organization has had the national grassroots campaign to fight terrorism. And that's been in
existence for over a year. The problem is it really didn't receive national media attention.
So there are many efforts throughout the nation and there have been many opinions issued from
mosques that have said no to extremism but they just haven't picked up the attention that we think
is necessary to register at the national arena.
COSTELLO: And I know one of the ways you're trying to get the word out, there are public service
announcements now. And they're titled "Not In the Name of Islam."
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM")
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We often hear claims Muslims don't condemn terrorism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that Islam condones violence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As Muslims, we want to state clearly...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That those who commit acts of terror in the name of Islam are betraying the
teachings of the Koran and the Prophet Muhammad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We reject anyone of any faith who commits such brutal acts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And will not allow our faith to be hijacked by criminals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Islam is not about hatred and violence. It's about peace and justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And, you know, I ask you again, will these sentiments at all sway the seemingly endless
supply of young men throughout the world willing to become suicide bombers?
AL-MARAYATI: It definitely will and it should.
COSTELLO: But how?
AL-MARAYATI: For two reasons. For two reasons.
Number one, as we are collecting these voices and unifying our voices, it isolates the extremists
from the audience. And I think that's the main goal of counter-terrorism policy.
Number two, you're speaking to the young minds and you're saying don't be swayed by these
extremist forgeries of Islam that these radicals are trying to sell you. It will not work. It is not Islam.
So I think by raising and amplifying this voice, it should work.
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