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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Hostages in Iraq; Poor Side of Iraq; Aftermath of Hurricane Ivan; Emmy Awards

Aired September 20, 2004 - 05:30   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well good morning, and welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From CNN's Global Headquarters here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen in for Carol Costello.
"Now in the News."

A source familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press details of a deal on three presidential debates are still being worked out. But a Bush campaign spokeswoman says no deal has been reached.

An administration official says President Bush will lift sanctions against Libya and could make that announcement today. The move could free more than $1 billion in payments to families of Pan Am Flight 103 victims.

Tropical Storm Jeanne is in the Caribbean, leaving 54 people dead and 150 unaccounted for in Haiti. Most of those Haitians died in floods and mudslides.

So to get the latest on Jeanne, we go now to Chad.

Is she puttering out, finally?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, actually now in the Atlantic Ocean and turning to the right, not making that left as the models were saying on Friday. So back out into the ocean and just let it sit there and spin and the whales will have a good time and they'll be surfing the waves.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: Back to you -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Let's hope it doesn't go anywhere anytime soon, it just spins out.

MYERS: Exactly.

NGUYEN: OK, thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

NGUYEN: A lot of anxious people are awaiting word on several hostages being held in Iraq. Militants have set a deadline to behead two Americans and one British citizen. Militants also are said to be holding 10 workers from a U.S.-Turkish company and 15 Iraqi National Guard members.

Now in the northern city of Samara, a suicide bomber killed an Iraqi soldier and a civilian at a checkpoint run by U.S. and Iraqi troops. Four Americans and three Iraqis were hurt.

U.S. warplanes have struck again in Fallujah. The U.S. military has been trying to kill or capture militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

We want to talk more about the hostages in Iraq, and with that we go to senior international editor David Clinch who joins us.

Good morning to you.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning -- Betty.

NGUYEN: That deadline is fast approaching.

CLINCH: It is. And you know everything about this story is awkward, difficult for us to cover, difficult for the U.S. authorities and everybody else. You know these hostage takers have created a very dangerous and disturbing dynamic in these hostage-taking situations. It's bad enough of course for the families for everybody else to consider the horrific fate of people if deadlines are looming. That's one part. But of course then they tie it of course to these complicated, sometimes contradictory demands that they put out.

NGUYEN: Right, with the female prisoners.

CLINCH: For instance, in this case, demanding that female prisoners be released from prisons in Iraq. Now the U.S. authorities there say we don't really know what they are talking about. There are no female prisoners in those prisons that they have mentioned. Yes, there are some females that they have taken into custody over the last year or more who were on the most wanted list, but not sitting in those prisons that they have mentioned.

NGUYEN: In those two prisons.

CLINCH: But of course it's an awkward issue to even have to talk about it. And of course it's being played again and again on the Arab networks and everywhere else where there may not be as much questioning of the demand. Just the issue being out there is an awkward one.

The fact that they choose to take hostage, Britons, Italians, French, creating all sorts of complications for the allies and of course for those who oppose the war. For the French, they had this headscarf issue, which was a very difficult political issue for the French. So bad enough just taking the hostages, but then they are tying it to all of these issues, which create complications in other ways as well, either politically or just in terms of confusion, what are they talking about.

NGUYEN: Right. And on top of that, we have got two other sets of hostages. CLINCH: Right. And again, tied to awkward issues. This group being held hostage now, apparently, although we haven't see much proof of it yet,...

NGUYEN: Right.

CLINCH: ... from a Turkish company. The Turks are the people who are driving the trucks, a major source of help for flow of goods in and out of Iraq. That's a difficult issue. And then you've got another issue of Iraqi National Guards, they say.

NGUYEN: National Guard troops.

CLINCH: And of course that's the same thing that comes up when they kill these Iraqi people queuing up wanting to become Iraqi National Guard, it just creates an image of insecurity and fear on behalf of Iraqis...

NGUYEN: That's right.

CLINCH: ... who want to take part in the rebuilding of their country. They see people being taken hostage. It's just one more reason not to stand in that line to become an Iraqi National Guard.

NGUYEN: So much confusion and yet the time still ticks on these deadlines.

CLINCH: Right, and human lives is really the most important aspect.

NGUYEN: Exactly. Absolutely. All right, David Clinch, thank you so much for that insight.

Now a side of Iraq we rarely see. Many people live in unbelievably desperate situations, they are poor, have no money for food, young children are even sent into the streets to beg.

CNN's Diana Muriel visited such a place.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Down an anonymous back street in Baghdad's Katamia (ph) district is a boardinghouse that is home to a small army, a small army of beggars. A series of one- room hovels 150 people crammed in together.

With just one communal tap and one latrine, the stench is overwhelming. There weren't many people around the day we visited, most of the inhabitants out working. Each day, a Dickensian Fagan figure who runs this establishment and several others like it, collects the children and puts them to work begging in the streets. Each child must earn the equivalent of $3.50 a day. For that, they and their families get living space.

But not all the children here are with their parents. This woman, who was too frightened to give her name and age, says she and her husband found seven kids in the street. They bring in just enough for rent and food she says. She has two sons of her own, but barely enough food to give them. She herself grew up in this compound after being picked up off the street. She found her husband here. The only man in the community with a legitimate job, he works at a sewage pipe laying company. Once inside there is almost no way out. The people here live in fear of the man who runs their lives.

Only a few of the prettiest young girls can escape. This one, too frightened to show her face to the camera, has been sold to a man she has never met in Syria. She knows she's destined to be a prostitute. She's just happy to be leaving.

The oldest members of the community are perhaps the most pitiful. We have nothing wails this woman. Tears run down her husband's face as he explains how he suffered a stroke and she was forced to go out into the streets to beg. She demonstrates her technique to the camera.

(on camera): This is one of the most profitable places to beg in Baghdad, outside the mosques and it's here that beggars congregate. But even so, there are few pickings and little pity for some of the city's most desperate.

Diana Muriel, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: The presidential election is still a little over six weeks away. Coming up in four minutes, we'll tell you about the controversial remarks a prominent Republican had about al Qaeda, John Kerry and the presidential election.

Which brings us to our e-mail "Question of the Day," will an al Qaeda attack have an affect on the elections? We'll read some of your responses in just a moment. Send them in to DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

Also, Hurricane Ivan may be over but its effects aren't. In eight minutes, we'll go live to New Jersey where flooding is forcing thousands to flee.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news on this Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: House Speaker Dennis Hastert stirred the political pot over the weekend by suggesting that terrorists would like to see a change of administrations in Washington. Hastert made the comment Saturday at a fund raiser for him in Illinois.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), HOUSE SPEAKER: I haven't talked to Osama bin Laden or the al Qaeda, I'm not sure what they would say in a public statement, but it's my impression that they will try to influence this election. And if I was making an impression, I don't have data or intelligence to tell me one thing or another, I think they would, you know, I would think that they would be more apt to go for somebody who would file a, you know, lawsuit with a world court or something rather than respond with troops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Guest of honor at that Hastert fund raiser was Vice President Dick Cheney who tried earlier to amend his own remarks about terrorists and the presidential election.

Well John Kerry's running mate, Senator John Edwards, struck back yesterday at Hastert, accusing the House Speaker of resorting to the politics of fear. Edwards was campaigning in Pennsylvania.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Literally, in the last 24 hours, Denny Hastert, the speaker of the House, has joined the fear-mongering choir.

You know, he said, and I'm paraphrasing him now, he said last night something to the effect that al Qaeda wants John Kerry to be president of the United States.

Let me just say this in the simplest possible terms. When John Kerry is president of the United States, we will find al Qaeda where they are, and crush them before they can do damage to the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now a spokesman for Hastert says the speaker's remarks reflect his belief that John Kerry would be weak on the war.

Now all of this leads us to our e-mail "Question of the Day," would an al Qaeda attack affect the election?

Well Helen (ph) from Arkansas sent in one of her responses. Here is what she says. Terrorists will not influence our election. I have more faith in the spirit of my fellow citizens. Surely we're not that weak.

Also Rick (ph) from Pennsylvania writes in. Another terrorist attack before the election would definitely affect my vote. There is simply no way I would vote for people who allowed us to get hit twice in three years, which is why I don't expect until after the election al Qaeda would love to keep President Bush in power. Look, how much more support in both money and men they have received since the war in Iraq began.

And Carol (ph) in South Carolina wrote in to say, no, an attack would have no effect on my vote. I will not be bullied or scared into voting for anyone. I haven't felt safe since the Oklahoma federal building bombing. And that was Carol writing in from South Carolina.

We appreciate all your responses to our e-mail "Question of the Day."

Now on to your news, money, weather and sports. The time is 5:43 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.

What's a debate without a dispute? There are conflicting reports about President Bush and John Kerry debating. Reportedly there is a tentative agreement for three debates starting September 30. The Bush campaign denies there is any agreement.

Photojournalist Eddie Adams is dead at the age of 71. Among his best-known works was a 1968 picture showing the police chief in South Vietnam shooting a Vietcong captive.

Now to money, a decision by the Russian oil firm Yukos to suspend oil exports to China, that's impacting the global market. It's fueled another increase. Oil prices, well, rose again today above $46 a barrel.

In culture, oops, she did it again, another surprise wedding for Britney Spears. The pop star married fiance Kevin Federline over the weekend. The couple had originally announced plans for a November wedding.

Now to sports. Chad, I know you're listening. The Cincinnati Bengals won and won ugly over the Miami Dolphins 16 to 13. The Bengals held the Dolphins to just 25 yards rushing and forced three turnovers to notch their first win of the season. And I must say my Dallas Cowboys, Chad, well they finally put a win in their column. Good news there.

MYERS: It was hot there. It was so hot on that field.

NGUYEN: It's still summer in Texas, although this was the last weekend of summer, but hey, feeling the heat, big heat.

MYERS: Yes, exactly. And to Carol's Detroit Lions are now 2 and 0 as well. So she's pretty happy.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right, thank you, Chad.

Well some words of encouragement for Florida residents in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, President Bush told them to -- quote -- "hang in there" during a tour of storm ravaged areas. He is pledging more federal aid as well. Even though Ivan is gone, the rough weather remains. At least four tornadoes touched down in southwestern Florida. The twisters damaged about 30 mobile homes.

In Pennsylvania, floodwaters are starting to go down, but the Delaware and other rivers around there remain swollen with Ivan's rains this morning. The flooding forced thousands of people from their homes.

And in New Jersey, thousands remain in shelters this morning because of flooding along the Delaware River. They still don't know when they will be able to go back home.

Well we want to get a check on the flooding in New Jersey and Pennsylvania from Ivan.

Now live to Trenton and Amy Buckman of CNN affiliate WPVI in Philadelphia.

What's the latest there?

AMY BUCKMAN, WPVI-TV REPORTER: Well I'm in an area of Trenton that's called the Island. It's between a very heavily traveled highway, Route 29, and the Delaware River. I'm on a corner of a street called Lee Avenue (ph). And as we look all the way down this street, at the end of the street, past that last stop sign, there's a little park and that's where the Delaware River has been rushing by.

About 750 residents of this area, the Island, have been under an evacuation order since about 6:00 yesterday morning. And actually, we are seeing some improvement here. You can see that Lee Avenue is still pretty much covered with water. But when I left here around 2:00 yesterday afternoon, the water was much higher than it is right now.

If we look over, you can see there's a white car parked between a couple of the houses there. And if you look on the front bumper of that car, you can see a line of how high the water was at its peak. It was pretty much over the tires of that car.

The river crested here around 9:00 last night. Flood stage for the Delaware River in Trenton is at 20 feet. It reached just about 24 feet sometime between 8:00 and 9:00 last night. Since then, the water levels have been receding.

Now, as we said, this area is under an evacuation order. There have been soldiers coming by here. There are sheriff's officers and police who were monitoring this area, making sure that no one gets in here or shouldn't be allowed in. And, as we said, there are about 100 people in residents -- in shelters in the Trenton area who have not been allowed back in their homes. The hope is that if the waters continue to recede throughout the day, they may be allowed back in their homes later today. At the latest, they hope they'll be able to get back in tomorrow -- Betty.

NGUYEN: At least a look at some of the damage there. All right, Amy Buckman, thank you so much for that.

Ivan left mounds of mud and debris in western North Carolina after triggering deadly floods and landslides in the state.

Here is CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Slogging through mud, water, and debris, search and rescue crews work tirelessly. Canine teams search for bodies. Recovery is a grinding, heartbreaking process.

Aerial photos show the path of a mudslide that destroyed at least a dozen homes in Peeke's Creek, a tiny valley community outside Franklin, North Carolina.

WARREN CABE, EMERGENCY MGMT. DIR. MACON, N.C.: You have to understand the area. And you have to have seen the area that we're dealing with here. Foot searches and foot reconnaissance in some of these areas is almost impossible.

TODD: Officials say they don't believe it was a tornado that ripped a gash out of this mountain and triggered the mudslide, but they're not sure what it was.

(on camera): Search and rescue is only part of the story here, because what's left of Peeke's Creek may never be the same for a group of families who have been here for generations.

(voice-over): Five generations for Wayne Haire and his family. They're one of a few families who traced their lineage in this valley back to the first settlers in the 1820s.

Haire's house survived the storm. But just a few feet away, a whole side of the street is almost gone.

WAYNE HAIRE, HOUSE SURVIVED MUDSLIDE: It's hard for all of us to go back. But it's still home and I'll go back and I'll do what I can to make it right again and to get it back to -- as near as we can to what it was.

TODD: But going back means different things to Haire's daughters, who describe an idyllic place to grow up.

JULIE TASTINGER, GREW UP IN PEEKE'S CREEK: From the moment we got up to the moment even after the sun went down, we were outside. I mean, that was our playground.

TODD: Now her sister shudders at what it's like to visit her old neighborhood.

JACKIE WHITESIDE, GREW UP IN PEEKE'S CREEK: It's totally different. It doesn't look at all the same. Like it -- on the right side, it does, for the most part. That's what side I want to look at when I go up there. The left side...

TODD: An older sister put the sense of loss in perspective. "To be honest," she said, "she's just thankful that everyone in her family made it out alive."

Brian Todd, CNN, Franklin, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well the prosecution in the Scott Peterson murder trial could put their case to rest this week. In the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll get the latest on the case from our legal eagle Kendall Coffey. And some of Hollywood's heavy hitters walked off with top honors at the 56th Annual Emmy Awards. We'll tell you what cable networks were keen.

This is DAYBREAK for Monday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" took off to lead the way at the box office this weekend. The movie took in more than $16 million. The futuristic tale from the past stars Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. Done in front of a blue screen the whole time, I understand, also.

"Mr. 3000" was No. 2 with just under $10 million.

Well entertainment television showcased its best and brightest at the 56th Annual Emmy Awards. For HBO, it was a triumphant evening as they dwarfed the others by taking home a total of 32 awards. But they didn't win them all.

CNN entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas takes a look at the winners.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Arrested Development" was the surprise winner of the night. The comedy that's been a favorite with the critics, but hasn't quite found an audience, yet took home three Emmys, including the coveted best comedy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thank you all so much, this is so huge for us. Thank you. You know what, let's watch it. Do you want to?

VARGAS: The Emmy gods were looking over the shoulders of the "Angel in America" crew. The mini-series took awards for best supporting actor for Jeffrey Wright. Mary-Louise Parker won best supporting actress. The program won best writing, best mini-series, best director in a mini-series, best lead actor for Al Pacino and Meryl Streep for best actress.

MERYL STREEP, ACTOR: There are some days when I myself think I'm overrated.

(LAUGHTER)

STREEP: But not today.

VARGAS: "The Sopranos" may be singing their swan song soon, but Sunday was their night. The series won its first-ever best drama prize, as well as statues in the supporting category for Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo.

DREA DE MATTEO, ACTOR: To have to go up there was probably the scariest moment of my entire life. VARGAS: The "Sex and the City" girls went out on a high note. Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon won best actress and best supporting actress, their first ever for the hit HBO show.

In another night of firsts, James Spader forgot to practice his speech before accepting his trophy for best actor in a drama.

JAMES SPADER, ACTOR: I should have written something down. You've all made wonderful choices in shoes and dresses tonight.

VARGAS (on camera): However, it's the surprise Emmy moments that will most likely be discussed at the water cooler.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at the company I'm in, just look at it. I mean, and I'm so glad none of them won.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, Marishka (ph), come up and stand with me.

GARY SHANDLING: Welcome to the 56th Annual Emmy Awards. You are live on stage in front of about 200 million people. And I have just made you very famous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my gosh!

VARGAS (voice-over): Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Hey, they could get a movie role out of that.

Well coming up in the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll take you live to the Shrine Auditorium for more on the best and brightest TV land has to offer.

Also, more fallout on the political front as a high ranking Republican takes John Kerry to task. We'll have more on the war of words in our "Political Hot Topic" segment.

You're watching DAYBREAK for Monday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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