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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Homeland Security Warns of Terror Threat Before U.S. Elections

Aired July 9, 2004 - 06:30   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Carol Costello this morning.
Now in the news, intelligence agents got careless. That's one of the criticisms we'll hear more about in the Senate Intelligence Committee report being released this morning. The report questions the quality of intelligence assessments on the threat posed by Iraq's weapons program.

Fourteen-year-old Cody Posey heads to court today to answer charges that he killed his father, stepmother and stepsister. Posey told police he was abused. The bodies were discovered in a manure pile on a New Mexico ranch owned by journalist Sam Donaldson.

In just a few hours, the World Court will hand down a judgment on Israel's barrier wall. The court's opinion on the legality of the West Bank separation wall is nonbinding.

The newest mega-millionaire is expected to step forward later today in Lowell, Massachusetts, to officially claim his or her giant check. The lottery winner will pocket a cool $294 million, before taxes of course.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(WEATHER BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Homeland security is warning you to be on alert again. And once again, officials are offering no specifics about the nature of the threat. Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge says al Qaeda has nearly completed plans for a large-scale attack aimed at disrupting this year's election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We are very comfortable with the credibility of the sources themselves. Obviously, how credible some of the information is, is something that we continue to try to corroborate. But in terms of the sources we have, they are deemed by everyone involved as credible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, let's take up this warning with Jim Carafano of the Heritage Foundation. He joins us live from Washington.

Good morning to you. JIM CARAFANO, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: It's good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Well, the alert level is not being raised. Is there some concern, however, that perhaps the public will not take this threat seriously, this announcement at least from Tom Ridge?

CARAFANO: Well, as a warning, probably yes. I mean, there's lots of research that says that, you know, a good warning has to have three criteria. It has to be credible, it has to be understandable, and it has to be actionable. In other words, people have to understand, hey, this is a warning. They have to perceive it's credible, gee, something terrible really could happen, and then have to be able to do something about it.

So, if you use those criteria, this is not really a very effective warning.

On the other hand, you know, I think the department is doing what it should do, which is really, you know, kind of telling Americans what they can when they can, and let Americans decide how to live their lives.

I'm not sure, you know, a press conference and, you know, a CNN flash news alert and the crawls are probably the best way to do that, because I think it really just raises more anxiety than it really informs. But I think it is important to tell people what we can.

WHITFIELD: So, perhaps this warning best empowers law enforcement agencies across the country to be at the ready especially.

CARAFANO: Well, even then I'm not really sure it's very helpful. I mean, I think it's -- I mean, I think everybody understands that al Qaeda is trying to get us, and that's important. But, you know, as a law enforcement warning I don't think it's probably very useful either.

WHITFIELD: Nonspecific times, locations, but possibilities that the upcoming conventions might be the target. Because it's believed to be al Qaeda and because Tom Ridge is asking that Americans continue on about their business might in some way, in some roundabout way, these terrorists, if they are indeed planning these attacks, might they've already achieved something by being able to put the U.S. on alert?

CARAFANO: Well, I don't think so. I mean, we've ramped up security. We're going to do that regardless of the nature of the threat just because that's the world in which we live in today. I think it's a good thing that they did not, for example, raise the homeland security alert level. That costs us about a billion dollars a week every time we do that. And it really isn't a very effective way when you have these kinds of non-credible, non-standard threats.

So, you know, we're going to have better security regardless of the nature of the chatter, and I think that's a good thing.

I think we also have to be careful about mirror-imaging these things. Thinking that the terrorists are going to attack are things that are most fearful to us as opposed to the things that are most useful for them. You know, while we are worried about, you know, the election and the conventions, you know, that may not necessarily be the targets on the top of their list right now. And al Qaeda is focused on recruiting. They're focused on fund-raising. They're focused on really going after Europe.

And so, you know, I would actually -- you know, not that I would dismiss or diminish security risks in the United States, because I think we should take them seriously, but I think continued attacks in the Middle East, in Europe, in South Asia, you know, in Africa are probably the most likely things in the near future.

WHITFIELD: James Carafano of the Heritage Foundation, thanks for being with us this morning.

CARAFANO: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: The U.S. military in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is preparing for those hearings regarding detainees from the war on terror.

Our Bob Franken is at the U.S. Navy base and joins us on the telephone with more on that -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol (sic).

The question remains: Do these hearings satisfy the Supreme Court order of about a week and a half ago that the detainees here in Guantanamo Bay have the right to some sort of judicial proceeding? The military is saying that it can be just a military hearing. They don't even need lawyers involved. And, of course, the lawyers, the ones who are not here right now, are saying that that is not going to suffice.

The Navy secretary, Gordon England, is the one who is supposed to get these hearings up and running very quickly. They're supposed to be able to tell the detainees that the hearings will be held by July 17. So, you can see there is not a lot of time.

WHITFIELD: So, Bob, is this what the U.S. Supreme Court had in mind that the U.S. military would commandeer these hearings and set the rules?

FRANKEN: Well, that's going to be fought over in the courts. The Supreme Court in one of the rulings explicitly said that it was not saying how hearings should be designed, but they did talk about a neutral party. And the lawyers, of course, would argue that the military cannot be neutral about itself.

So, there's going to be a lot of legal wrangling about this, including some people who are saying that what the administration and the Pentagon is really doing is stalling here by trying to tie this up in the courts. WHITFIELD: So, earlier in the week there was some concern that perhaps all of the detainees didn't even know, had not even been formally informed about the U.S. Supreme Court decision. Now is there some conventional wisdom that most of the detainees are up to speed on the legal wrangling that's taking place right now?

FRANKEN: Probably not other than what might get through the grapevines in the prison, and the grapevines are kind of hard to sustain in these prisons. It's probable that virtually none of them knows that the Supreme Court has made that ruling. That is the first order of business. According to the Pentagon, the information will be passed on to the detainees by July 17. But in all probability, with almost certainty, they don't know yet.

WHITFIELD: Bob Franken in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, thanks very much for that report.

Well, here's a look at other stories making news across America.

Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster is shut down pending an investigation. It was closed after three riders got hurt when two trains bumped into each other. It's the second accident in less than a year.

California's education secretary is being urged to step down after making what he calls a teasing remark to a 6-year-old girl. Richard Riordan was asked by the girl, named Isis, if he knew what her name meant. Listen closely to his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD RIORDAN, CALIFORNIA EDUCATION SECRETARY: Erika (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, Isis. Did you know that my name actually means an Egyptian goddess?

RIORDAN: Well, it means stupid, dirty girl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Riordan, who was the former mayor of Los Angeles, says he apologized to the girl for what he called the misunderstanding.

Well, still to come on DAYBREAK, a reunion years in the making. The U.S. government calls this man a deserter. He just wants to see his wife again, however. This story is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's now 19 minutes before the hour. And here is what's all new this morning.

Saddam Hussein's only American attorney is seeking Supreme Court intervention. He says the dictator's detention violates multiple international and U.S. laws, including Saddam's constitutional right to due process.

Nature to the rescue. Rain and humidity are helping firefighters defend a mountaintop observatory in Arizona. Officials say two fires have scorched nearly 27,000 acres.

In money, brace yourselves, parents. College tuition is on the rise again. Private institutions are expected to raise rates by 6 percent to just over $18,000 a year, while public college costs will jump 10 percent, to about $5,100 a year.

In culture, a new survey shows far fewer Americans are reading poetry, prose or plays for pleasure. The National Endowment for the Arts estimates a loss of 20 potential readers in the past 22 years.

In sports, Philadelphia's Bobby Abreu hit a solo homer in the ninth last night empowering Philly over the New York Mets 5-4. The Phillies now lead the N.L. East by two games.

(WEATHER BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Time for a little business buzz now. A corporate scandal trifecta yesterday.

Carrie Lee joins us now with Wall Street's reaction -- Carrie.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, Wall Street is still seeing the fallout from corporate scandals.

Let me start with Enron. Yesterday, the company's former chairman and CEO, Kenneth Lay, pleaded not guilty to 11 indictments against him, including making false and misleading statements. The Securities and Exchange Commission also filed civil charges, including insider trading.

Now, Lay surrendered to the FBI early yesterday morning. He was later released on $500,000 bail. So, he did plead not guilty.

Let's turn to Adelphia, the big cable company. The founder, John Rigas, and his son, Timothy, were both found guilty of conspiracy and securities fraud. Jurors delivered a partial verdict in the case. Meanwhile, Michael Rigas was acquitted of conspiracy, and former executive Michael Mulcahey was acquitted in all counts. So, that is the latest on Adelphia.

And then turning to Martha Stewart. Remember, her lawyers had asked for a retrial because of shaky testimony from a key witness. Well, the judge denied that. So, she is now going to be sentenced on next Friday on July 16.

Fredricka -- that is the latest from here. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, Carrie, thanks very much.

Well, let's check in with Bill and Heidi in New York for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning to both of you.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Fred, good morning to you as well.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Fred.

HEMMER: We can hear the wedding bells in Hawaii, can't we?

COLLINS: I know, we can.

HEMMER: Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Yes. Oh, she's a lucky girl.

Fred, nice to see you, as always. But this morning we are going to be talking about what we've all been talking about now for a couple of days: the terror threat. Al Qaeda is said to be planning large- scale attacks, but few details given. We've had this happen before, heard the warnings, but no who, what, why or when. So, we're going to be talking live to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to try and get some more answers on that.

HEMMER: Did you see "LARRY KING" last night?

COLLINS: I sure did.

HEMMER: With Teresa and John Kerry for a full hour. We'll find out some new polling numbers, too, about what kind of bounce he's getting right now for the Edwards-Kerry camp right now. How will the Bush-Cheney folks fight back? Bill Schneider is looking at those numbers for us this morning.

COLLINS: And then an alarming story, toys and lead poisoning, one of the largest recalls in U.S. history. So, we're going to talk about what parents need to know, and that will be happening with Elizabeth Cohen this morning.

HEMMER: All right.

COLLINS: So all of that and more.

HEMMER: And Jack Cafferty.

COLLINS: Jack Cafferty, of course.

HEMMER: And the wedding bells far in the distance.

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: Hey, Fredricka, have a great weekend, all right?

WHITFIELD: Hey, you all, too.

HEMMER: It's Friday. Can you tell?

WHITFIELD: Yes, yippee!

COLLINS: I'm so happy.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot.

COLLINS: See you later, Fred.

HEMMER: Bye-bye.

WHITFIELD: See you soon.

Charles Jenkins is a former American soldier accused of defecting to North Korea nearly 40 years ago. He married a Japanese woman, who had been abducted by the North Koreans, and they have two daughters.

Two years ago, Jenkins' wife was allowed to return to Japan, but Jenkins feared arrest, so he stayed behind. But now, he and his daughters have left North Korea for a reunion in Indonesia.

Our Maria Ressa joins us now with more on what is a very complicated story -- Maria.

MARIA RESSA, CNN JAKARTA BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Fredricka, just a little over half an hour ago, a plane chartered by the Japanese government landed at the airport here in Jakarta.

On board were Charles Robert Jenkins and his two daughters. They got off the plane. Waiting for them at the tarmac was his wife, Hitomi Soga, 45 years old. She was the one who was kidnapped when she was 19 by the North Koreans. As soon as she saw her husband, she hugged him, and then she hugged their two daughters.

Now the family is in a car on their way to their Jakarta hotel, stuck in traffic. That could be a first for Charles Robert Jenkins. This is his first time out of North Korea in nearly 40 years -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow! What a remarkable story. So, they were able to have this reunion, enjoy this reunion. Special conditions were made apparently, though, so that Jenkins was not extradited, because the U.S. government has made it very clear, Colin Powell particularly said he is still wanted for defecting, for desertion charges from the military.

RESSA: Absolutely. Up until last night the Pentagon also made it clear that those charges still stand.

This meeting really was brokered last week during the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The foreign ministers of North Korea, of Japan, South Korea, and the United States, Colin Powell, were all here in Jakarta. They spoke to the Indonesian foreign minister. Japan presented this as a humanitarian issue, wanting to reunite the family.

Since Indonesia does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, this was deemed safe, and yet far enough away from North Korean interests to give them a neutral sanctuary of sorts. And that's exactly what they have here.

The question, of course, is: How long will this reunion last -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: No kidding. Wow! That's pretty remarkable. Well, thanks very much, Maria, for bringing us up to date on that.

Well, he is no Bill Hemmer, but Ron Burgundy is sure to entertain audiences this weekend. We'll see what the critic says about the latest Ferrell fare, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."

An 11-year-old Iraqi girl will get a new leg, thanks to Paul McCartney's wife. Heather Wills McCartney, who has a prosthetic leg of her own, is also working to send specialists to Iraq to help disabled children. Her Iraqi visitor came to London to raise awareness about the plight of children injured during the war.

Well, take a look at this unruly aftermath at, of all things, a homeland security news conference. It seems a CBS News cameraman and a reporter for the "New York Post" had a slight disagreement that couldn't have been resolved through the usual diplomatic niceties. So, they took matters in their own hands there.

Well, it's just a matter of time until the other shoe drops. Someone broke into the truck of a Nike sales rep in Kansas and stole all 312 of his shoes. The problem is they're all left shoes. But now, a sales rep from Missouri should be on the lookout since he has the shoes of the other foot.

Well, you can watch Will Ferrell reading the news this weekend, not here on CNN, but in a movie called "Anchorman," the legend of Ron Burgundy. Set in the 1970s, it's a comedy that pokes fun at the local news business.

Tom O'Neil of "In Touch Weekly" joins us from New York to tell us about the new movie and others.

And, Tom, the rollout for this flick has been phenomenal.

TOM O'NEIL, "IN TOUCH" MAGAZINE: Yes, that's because the expectations are so high after the surprise hit that Will Ferrell had with "Elf." And the early buzz is that this movie is terrible, that it doesn't measure up. But, Fredricka, it's fine. It's cute. It's a good little date movie this weekend.

And frankly, I can't wait to see what Carol and Chad think of this movie. It's about a male and female co-anchor team who secretly don't get along behind the scenes, and there is much sexual tension.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. You're not alluding to anything between Chad and Carol, however.

O'NEIL: No, no, no, no.

WHITFIELD: I mean, wait a minute!

O'NEIL: No, no, no, don't read anything into...

WHITFIELD: They get along!

O'NEIL: I know, I know.

WHITFIELD: And they're both taken.

O'NEIL: Oh, OK.

WHITFIELD: Well, it looks like a lot of fun. All right...

O'NEIL: It is, and it's going to make a lot of money this weekend. It's probably going to lead the box office.

WHITFIELD: "Sleepover" is something that, you know, really will be quite appealing to maybe the teen crowd. And amazingly, the teen crowd really does have a big-bang, big bucks when it comes down to movies.

O'NEIL: Yes, as we learned recently with the surprise hit, "Mean Girls." This isn't quite as mean or as much fun as "Mean Girls" or as sophisticated. But it's a cute, little bubble-gum diversion.

It's about a group of mean girls, who square off against some un- cool gals, as they spar over who is going to get the cool lunch table that fall when they go to high school. And they go on a scavenger hunt. They have to steal a boy's boxer trunks. And we learn such important life lessons as, well, you know, fat girls have a heart, too, and need love. But it's OK.

WHITFIELD: OK, "Sleepover." Hmm, I don't know if that's on my list of must-sees. But, OK, I guess you've sold most of us.

"King Arthur" with Keira Knightley. She, you know, seemed to get a lot of attention with "Bend it Like Beckham." That was the first time we really saw her on the big screen. This movie really is expected to get a lot of attention, isn't it?

O'NEIL: Well, it's getting a lot of attention, and it sure did well on Wednesday when it debuted to $5 million plus at the box office. But it's a disappointment critically, Fredricka. This is a shame.

Mostly, Hollywood promises to take a true story, embellish it with romance and with fantasy. Here, the producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, says, oh, we're going to go back to the original King Arthur legend, and we're going to tell the real story. Well, the problem is we don't know whether Arthur really existed or not. And quite frankly, check it out, you'll see crossbows and other weapons in this movie that weren't used in the 6th century.

He has taken -- I know it's not very real as he promises. And the worst thing is, Fredricka, he's taken the magic out of Camelot and the love away from Guinevere.

WHITFIELD: Oh!

O'NEIL: And even Merlin isn't the magician in this movie. It's one big battle scene.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no! Oh, well, it's Hollywood after all, Tom, bottom line. All right, Tom O'Neil with "In Touch Weekly," thanks a lot.

O'NEIL: Thank you.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Probably no knights that say me either.

WHITFIELD: All right, Chad, I think it's time to reveal the winner (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the mug.

MYERS: Here it is. Here's the mug from yesterday. Here are the questions. What artist painting just sold for $30 million? And that was obviously Vermeer. And now from the other thing here, what are the two summer films that were banned in China? Actually there were three. We only wanted two of them. The two answers, either one, "Spider-Man 2," "Shrek 2," and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

Sam Moore from Lexington, Kentucky, you will be getting this mug right here in front of me.

WHITFIELD: Ooh, Sammie!

MYERS: And now the one for today, the questions, if you were paying attention. Which British celebrity met with an injured Iraqi girl? And what city is the reunion taking place between a former American soldier and his Japanese wife? Your answers...

WHITFIELD: Now that should be easy, because we really just did that within this segment.

MYERS: Exactly. Your answers at Daybreak@CNN.com.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks a lot. And you're going to join me with a little "Lightning Round" coming up.

MYERS: Next.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll be right back.

MYERS: Right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, time for a little "Lightning Round."

MYERS: All right, let's go. WHITFIELD: Oh, here we go. Who says New York is a city that never sleeps? Some folks in the Big Apple say -- or, rather, they like to pay 14 bucks to snooze in a comfortable chair in a dark room for 20 minutes. Then it's back to the rat race.

MYERS: Hmm, how much does that cost?

WHITFIELD: Go figure.

All right, drink like an Egyptian. A brewery in Japan has recreated beer from the pharaoh's time using formulas found on tomb walls.

MYERS: Oh.

WHITFIELD: Local residents were invited to sample the beer.

MYERS: Wow!

WHITFIELD: And we're told it tastes kind of sweet. Does it appeal to you?

MYERS: No.

WHITFIELD: Not doing it for you, huh?

MYERS: Not even a beer drinker would find that appealing.

WHITFIELD: How about this? The Sand World Festival starts today in Germany, and this year's theme celebrates the Olympics. The sand sculptures depict a shot putter and...

MYERS: That's that guy right there?

WHITFIELD: Yes. Actor and Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller. And then, of course, there is Canadian runner Ben Johnson.

MYERS: With a big knee under his chin.

WHITFIELD: Yes. What is that? OK, well, that's art.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And that display runs through September 5.

MYERS: Supposedly, if we don't get a big high tide and wash it all away.

WHITFIELD: Yes, exactly, no big washout or something like that.

MYERS: All right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Chad Myers...

MYERS: Yes, have a good weekend. WHITFIELD: All right.

MYERS: See you later.

WHITFIELD: Have a good day and weekend.

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