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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Kerry's Mixed Reviews; Aid Worker Withdrawal; Baby Food Scare

Aired July 29, 2004 - 05:30   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: But he was destroying the land around there, and it's very dangerous to people as well.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's a pest (ph).

COSTELLO: Exactly.

MARCIANO: Good job.

COSTELLO: We're back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you, welcome to the second half- hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

"Now in the News," it is official, John Kerry is now the Democratic nominee for president. The roll call vote capped a day at the party's convention that saw Kerry arrive in Boston on a water ferry. Running mate John Edwards rallied the crowd with a passionate speech. Kerry makes his acceptance speech tonight in Boston.

Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has accepted an invitation from Colin Powell to visit the United States. The two wrapped up their meeting in Saudi Arabia in the last hour. They discussed a working plan to bring Muslim troops in to help stabilize Iraq.

A woman detained by border agents in Texas is on an FBI watch list for possible terrorist ties. She was held after agents discovered a number of pages had been ripped out of her South African passport.

President Bush could be ready to sign an executive order on intelligence soon. Aides are working on an order based on the recommendations in the final report of the 9/11 Commission.

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

Good morning -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Good morning, Carol, we'll get you going on the forecast here and then talk about what's going on in Dallas, a pretty serious weather situation in the form of some heavy rain that's leading to some flash flooding.

(WEATHER REPORT) MARCIANO: Back to you in the studio.

COSTELLO: Yes, so be careful out there.

MARCIANO: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

COSTELLO: The state-by-state roll call has been made, it is official, almost. Tonight, Senator John Kerry accepts his party's nomination.

Here's last night's defining moment when Ohio's delegation was called on to reveal its delegate vote count that put Kerry over the top.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN GLENN, FORMER SENATOR: Ohio takes great pride tonight in being the state to put this voting over the top and making John Kerry's candidate official as we cast 159 votes for the next president of the United States, John Kerry.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That roll call followed a speech from Kerry's running mate, John Edwards. From the time he entered the stage to the time he left, John Edwards captivated the Democratic faithful. Some cried during his speech, others cheered at the top of their lungs. He repeatedly laid out a plan for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to help you pay for your health care by having a tax break and health care reform that can save you up to $1,000 on your premiums.

We're going to help you cover the rising costs of child care with a tax credit up to $1,000 so that your kids have a place to go when you're at work that they're safe and well taken care of.

(APPLAUSE)

If your child -- if your child wants to be the first in your family to go to college, we're going to give you a tax break on up to $4,000 in tuition.

And everyone...

(APPLAUSE)

And everybody listening here and at home is thinking one thing right now: OK, how are you going to pay for it? Right?

Well, let me tell you how we're going to pay for it. And I want to be very clear about this. We are going to keep and protect the tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans -- 98 percent. We're going to roll back -- we're going to roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. And we're going to close corporate loopholes.

(APPLAUSE)

We're going to cut government contractors and wasteful spending. We can move this country forward without passing the burden to our children and our grandchildren.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Hope is on the way was a big theme of Edwards' speech.

It was a family affair for the Edwards clan. His daughter, Catharine, introduced her mother, Elizabeth, to the cheering crowd, and then it was her turn to heap on the praises. Elizabeth Edwards described her husband as the single most optimistic person she has ever known.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF JOHN EDWARDS: You know, I married the smartest, toughest, sweetest man I know. And in two days, we will celebrate 27 years of marriage...

(APPLAUSE)

... the way we always do. We'll do it the way we always do at Wendy's.

(LAUGHTER)

Whether it's Wendy's or Washington, I've found that it's true: It's not where you go, it's who you go with.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Tonight it will be John Kerry's chance to shine, he'll accept his party's nomination. But not everyone in his own backyard is a fan of the candidate.

Our Dan Lothian reports on Kerry's mixed reviews.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator John Kerry's recent appearance at Fenway Park was greeted with both cheers and jeers, the feelings of his hometown crowd shared in the streets. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's honest and I think he's moral. And I believe what he says.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know where he actually stands. And that can be confusing for the voters.

LOTHIAN: Even in Kerry's upscale Beacon Hill neighborhood, where there is some pride in a potential president down the block, there is division.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are people who are 100 percent behind him. There are people who don't support him.

LOTHIAN: This is the picture the Kerry campaign has been selling to the nation. But, in Massachusetts, the state he's represented for two decades, a more complex portrait.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we know him as well as we're going to know him.

DAVID KING, HARVARD INSTITUTE OF POLITICS: A typical Massachusetts politician a back-slapper. And Senator Kerry has always been a chin-scratcher. While Senator Kennedy orates in public, Senator Kerry has deliberated in public.

LOTHIAN: Over the years, that has led some critics here to label him as detached, uninterested in details of the state, more focused on the national stage. Then there is the lingering issue of charisma.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he goes out there and gives a speech, it's like...

(LAUGHTER)

LOTHIAN: But experts say, Senator Kerry's successful political career in the state shows he has been able to win over the voters, even some of those who don't naturally warm up to him. How has he done it?

DAVID NYHAN, JOURNALIST: They vote for him because he batters down the opposition. He beats the other guy. He is a fighter. And Kerry is not afraid to pull the trigger.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Our primetime lineup for you includes "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 7:00. Wolf Blitzer follows at 8:00. At 9:00, Larry King is live from the floor of the Fleet Center. All times Eastern. We'll bring you Senator Kerry's acceptance speech live at 10:00. Aaron Brown will wrap things up at 11:00, and he's followed at midnight by Larry King again with color from the convention floor.

Saudi Arabia has a plan to help stop the insurgency in Iraq and Washington is listening. Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the plan with the Iraqi prime minister today in Saudi Arabia. Under the proposal, any new Arab and Muslim troops would supplement coalition troops, not replace them. And the new forces would involve Muslim nations that do not border Iraq; meaning Saudi troops would not be included.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We discussed the Saudi initiative, which you have now read about. An interesting idea, a welcome idea from the Saudi government as to how to generate additional Muslim forces to participate in the work in Iraq, either as part of the coalition or as a separate organization that would be within the framework of the coalition effort but would be there perhaps to provide security at facilities or provide protection to the U.N.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Let's look at what's happening on the ground in Iraq right now in our "Situation Report."

Militants have taken another hostage today, this time it's a Somali driver. A group linked to al Qaeda is threatening to behead the man in 48 hours unless his Kuwaiti firm stops work in Iraq.

Pakistan is condemning the killing of two Pakistani hostages in Iraq. One of them was an engineer, the other a driver. Militants say the men were killed because Pakistan has announced it is considering sending troops to Iraq.

All of this follows the deadliest day since the handover of sovereignty. Two U.S. troops were killed during fighting in Ramadi and an American troop died at a roadside bombing in Baghdad. North of the capital, at least 70 people were killed and 56 wounded in a suicide car bombing in the city of Baquba. Militants were targeting police recruits in that attack.

There is a major withdrawal under way in Afghanistan. The international aide agency, Doctors Without Borders, has decided to pull out of the country. They are the first to leave Afghanistan since the Taliban was overthrown more than two years ago.

For more on the reasons for the withdrawal, we're joined on the phone by the organization's Operational Director Josi Reinartz.

Good morning.

JOSIE REINARTZ, OPERATIONAL DIRECTOR, MEDECINS SAN FRONTIERES: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Tell us what Doctors Without Borders does in Afghanistan, make people understand.

REINARTZ: OK, Doctors Without Borders works already for 24 years in Afghanistan on the several regimes that have worked there. And we were working there with 80 international staff and 1,400 Afghan staff in 13 provinces providing medical aid. So basic health care services, treat tuberculosis, mother and child care and the support of several provincial hospitals.

COSTELLO: And, Josie, why is Doctors Without Borders pulling out of Afghanistan?

REINARTZ: On the second of June, five of our workers were brutally killed in one of the northwestern provinces, and that's unprecedented in the history of AMISAF (ph). So it's unprecedented and targeted killing of five AMISAF aid workers on June 2 this year. Following that, it was the government's failure to conduct a credible investigation and to prosecute alleged perpetrators.

COSTELLO: Are you talking about the new Afghan government?

REINARTZ: I'm talking on the new Afghan government, affirmative. And following the attack, there were also false accusations made by a Taliban spokesperson which would attract and of future attacks on AMISAF volunteers, which is very serious. And then next to that, also the cohabitation of humanitarian aid by the coalition forces for political and military motives has created a context in which it becomes extremely difficult for us to be recognized as neutral.

COSTELLO: OK, I have two questions for you just to clarify things for our audience. When we think of Afghanistan, we like to think the Taliban is no longer a factor, but you say it still is?

REINARTZ: It is there. Increasingly they are conducting opposition acts. They are resisting the form, the stabilization of the country, the centralization and getting to power by this current Afghan government. And more and more they claim responsibility for several attacks.

COSTELLO: What can be done to safeguard aid workers in Afghanistan that's not being done now?

REINARTZ: Aid workers are people that go with one sole goal into a country, often a country in war, and it is to provide assistance to people independent on where they are from, what their belief is, what a political confliction is. What is important is that all actors on the ground have a minimum of respect for those actors, that they don't touch them. Neutral humanitarian workers should be respected and not be attacked.

COSTELLO: Josie Reinartz from Doctors Without Borders joining us live this morning. Thank you.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, a threatening message found in jars of baby food. Find out who is accused and what Gerber is saying about the incident.

And was this man driving his truck and watching a movie at the same time? Could be a landmark case.

This is DAYBREAK for July 29.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:48 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.

Secretary of State Colin Powell wrapped up a meeting with the Iraqi prime minister about an hour or two ago. The two discussed a Saudi proposal to send Muslim troops into Iraq. The talks come as militants take yet another man hostage in Iraq and vows to kill him if his Kuwaiti company does not leave the country.

In Haiti, some 2,000 supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide took to the streets to demand his return. In the meantime, a group of Caribbean nations is deciding whether to recognize the new U.S.-backed leadership.

In money news, the price of crude oil has hit a record high. Traders say the price spike follow concerns over the Russian government's dispute with oil giant Yukos. It's Russian's biggest petroleum exporter.

In culture, Jessica Simpson's younger sister, Ashlee, is now the first in the family tree to notch a No. 1 album. The actor turned singer's debut, "Autobiography," jumped to the top of the Billboard 200 album's chart. Like big sis, Ashlee recently launched her own MTV reality series, "The Ashlee Simpson Show."

In sports, three-time NBA all-star, you know the one from the Sacramento Kings, Mr. Stojakovic. I knew I'd have problems with his name. Anyway, he says he will not play for his homeland in the Athens Olympics. The decision could hurt Serbia and Montenegro's chances for a medal.

You know I'm just embarrassed, Rob, and I think I should go home now.

MARCIANO: No, Carol, you just kept trying and trying. You're the little engine that could. You got it and you got it right, eventually. It's a lesson to us all. Thanks, Carol.

Here's your forecast across the country today.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

MARCIANO: Carol, back over to you.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Rob.

Those are the latest headlines for you.

Here are some stories making news "Across America" this Thursday. Actually, we'll get to that right after this break, because we have got to take one now. This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now for some stories making news "Across America" this Thursday.

An Army sergeant says he didn't think he did anything wrong when he commandeered a civilian vehicle in Iraq and allowed his soldiers to drink alcohol. A military judge is expected to begin deliberations today in the court-martial of Sergeant 1st Class James Williams. Williams is charged with dereliction of duty for allowing drinking under his command. Says he saw officers drinking so he thought it was OK.

First of its kind trial under way in Alaska, Erwin Petterson is accused of hitting two people with his SUV while he was watching a dashboard DVD player. He is charged with second-degree murder. Petterson's lawyer says his client wasn't watching the DVD but had reached for a soda seconds before the crash.

In Tennessee actor, Anthony Anderson, is scheduled for arraignment today on rape charges. A woman accused Anderson and another man of sexually assaulting her in a film crew trailer. Anderson, who has appeared in the movies "Barber Shop" and "Malibu's Most Wanted," is in Memphis filming the movie "Hustle & Flow (ph)."

Imagine this, you're a mother feeding baby food to your infant. Everything is going fine until you find a note inside the jar. The note says you've been spooning a deadly poison into the mouth of your child. That's what happened in Irvine, California.

CNN's Miguel Marquez picks up the story from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They came from the same Irvine, California Ralph's grocery store, three bottles of baby food contaminated with mashed castor beans, the main ingredient in the deadly poison ricin.

MATT MCLAUGHLIN, FBI, LOS ANGELES: If you test mashed castor beans, you will get very small amounts of ricin, plus ricinine and ricinoleic acid. Those three components together tell you that you have mashed castor bean, not ricin.

MARQUEZ: Investigators say two families on two separate occasions over the past two months purchased Gerber's Banana Yogurt dessert, fed as much as two spoonfuls to their infants, then found notes with a reference to an Irvine police officer in the baby food.

CHIEF DAVID MAGGARD, IRVINE, CALIFORNIA POLICE: The note stated that the food had been contaminated and that the person who ingested it would die in a short time.

MARQUEZ: Investigators say Charles Dewey Cage was at the Ralph's at the same time the contaminated bottles were purchased.

TONY PACKAUCKAS, ORANGE CO. DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We have identified this person, Charles Dewey Cage, as somebody that -- who -- that we -- who we want to talk to. I wouldn't categorize him as a suspect or a person of interest. MARQUEZ (on camera): Both infants, an 11 and 9-month-old, were taken to hospital and suffered no ill effects.

In a statement, a Gerber Company spokeswoman said all bottles of its Banana Yogurt dessert are being pulled from southern California shelves, that the contamination had been in post production and that the Gerber Company itself was not targeted.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Coming up at the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK, arrested for having a snack. You have got to hear what happened when one woman tried to grab a bite to eat while in the Metro.

And a DAYBREAK "Coffey Talk" this morning, the Kobe Bryant case. Legal expert Kendall Coffey will explain the latest courthouse foul- up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Massachusetts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We proudly cast 121 votes for John Kerry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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


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