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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Bush-Schroeder News Conference; Plot Against President?; Sports For Sale

Aired February 23, 2005 - 06:28   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we have our translation issues worked out. Actually, the president is speaking, and he is speaking in English.
Let's head to Mainz, Germany. That's Gerhard Schroeder, along with President Bush. Let's listen to what they have to say.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, I want to say how much I appreciated Minister Schilley (ph) coming to Washington, D.C. I had a good visit with him, as did other people in my administration.

I appreciate so very much the strong cooperation between Germany and the United States when it comes to sharing intelligence and to working together to find and arrest and bring to justice people who would do harm to our respective peoples or anybody else in the world. And I want to thank you for that good work.

Secondly, I appreciated your kind words about Iraq and the need to put past differences behind us and focus on the people of that country. After all, over eight million people said, we want to be free. And in the face of incredible threat to their life and safety, they voted.

And as democracies, we have now decided to help them. And I want to thank you for your contributions.

I fully understand the limitations of German contribution. However, the contributions that Gerhard Schroeder talked about are not limited. They're important. Whether they be ministry-building or training of law enforcement officers, those are vital contributions, and I appreciate it, including debt relief, by the way, is a part of vital contribution.

We spent a lot of time talking about the Middle East. And I assured the chancellor that this is a primary objective of my administration is to help them move the process along.

Peace will be achieved, because the Israelis and the Palestinians want peace. And our job is to help them achieve that. And I look forward to Condoleezza Rice going to the meeting in London shortly to help the Palestinians develop the institutions necessary for a free society to emerge. I said in my State of the Union that I believe a settlement on this important issue is within reach. I said that because I believe it. And because it is within reach, it is vital for all of us to work together to help both parties achieve the two-state solution, two states living side by side in peace.

We spent time talking about Iran. And I want to thank Gerhard for taking the lead, along with Britain and France on this important issue. It's vital that the Iranians hear the world speak with one voice that they shouldn't have a nuclear weapon.

You know, yesterday I was asked about the U.S. position, and I said, all options are on the table. That's part of our position. But I also reminded people that diplomacy is just beginning. Iran is not Iraq. We just started the diplomatic efforts. And I want to thank our friends for taking the lead, and we will work with them to convince the mullahs that they need to give up their nuclear ambitions.

We also talked about the environment. And obviously, we had differences on Kyoto. Those differences were first made known in 2001 on my trip to Europe. I assured the chancellor that the United States cares about the quality of our air, obviously. That we spend $5.8 billion on technology on an annual basis to help develop ways to be able to maintain our standards of living and at the same time be good stewards of the environment.

And we have a great opportunity to work with a great nation like Germany to share research and share intelligence, and not only to make sure that we share technologies, but to make sure that kind of technology is available for not only our own country but for developing countries like China and India.

And so we have a great opportunity, I think. Gerhard and I appreciate you for seeing that opportunity as well.

This is an important trip for me. And one of the most important stops of all is right here in Germany. And I appreciate your hospitality.

COSTELLO: OK, we apologize again. There is no translation on the German part of this new conference. So, we're going to jump back out.

This is President Bush along with Gerhard Schroeder speaking in Mainz, Germany. Much more about this coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Bill Hemmer joins us now to tell us about the many questions that will arise out of this meeting between the German leader and the American leader.

Good morning -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

Day three of the trip in Europe now. Mr. Bush meeting with the German chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder we just saw there.

Tomorrow, Carol, he'll talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House might be cranking up the pressure a bit on Russia, talking about a commitment to democracy and reforms in that country.

Vladimir Putin appears to be pushing back a bit. Is there trouble ahead for that meeting tomorrow? We'll talk to former Assistant Secretary of State Jamie Rubin. We are told by many observers, Carol, that this will be the most critical meeting of this five-day tour in Europe.

So, well discuss that as part of our three-hour at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. We'll be there. Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: OK.

COSTELLO: It is a serious charge. Did a young American plot with al Qaeda to kill President Bush? This young man is 23 years old, went to school in Virginia. He appeared in a federal court after being detained in Saudi Arabia for 20 months.

This is Ahmed Abu-Ali. His father is defending him this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OMAR ABU-ALI, SUSPECT'S FATHER: The government, they lied to us from the first day. They told the district court that this is a Saudi case, and we have nothing to do with this case. Now, they are (UNINTELLIGIBLE). They (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a new thing. They changed the story about Ahmed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Abu-Ali, the son, says he was tortured in Saudi Arabia. He even offered to show the judge the scars on his back.

Let's head live to Dubai and our correspondent there, Caroline Faraj.

Good morning.

CAROLINE FARAJ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: What can you tell us about this young man?

FARAJ: Well, we got in this case -- what we've gathered up to now, Carol, is that he was studying in Medina, in the Samich (ph) University in Medina. And he's a Saudi national, carrying also American nationality, although his parents are originally Palestinians who immigrated several years ago to the U.S.

In this case, what we gathered from the Saudi officials is that he was arrested upon a request from the U.S. And they were, of course, refusing to say that on the record. And he was kept in the prison for 20 months.

He was definitely arrested after 27 days of the attack in Riyadh in May, 2003, in which more than 23 people were killed. Nine of them were Americans.

And, of course, a lot of information came from human rights groups, who are saying that he was tortured. When we asked the Saudi officials just a few hours about this case, they said, we will be issuing an official statement to clarify this position and also to answer all of the queries mentioned in the media -- Carol.

COSTELLO: What other evidence do they say they have that this young man cooperated or was learning to be part of al Qaeda?

FARAJ: Several reports, Carol, mentioned his name that he was in a way very supportive, even the tapes that they managed to find at his parents' or even at the university that he was studying in Medina in Saudi Arabia. They were saying that they are, in a way, related to al Qaeda.

Even those who were arrested after the Riyadh bombing in 2003, there were some reports -- they were not confirmed officially -- that his name was also mentioned. And that was exactly why the Saudis arrested him.

But they also said that there were not charges against him in prison. However, he was kept there for 20 months.

And if you notice from the reports that were mentioned, especially in this case, there's a lot of information mentioned about al-Zawahiri, who is the second man in al Qaeda, and also some of the top people who were basically (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and also related to the bombing and also other terrorist attacks like Mohamed Atta and Khalid Sheikh for instance.

These three people, three names, everyone knows that they have a very influential effect on the young generation in the Muslim world. And you'll notice that he is only 23 years old. And in a way, some officials are saying that maybe he is, in a way, affected with their lessons, and he's trying to follow their steps -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, we'll see what happens. The court process will go on and on. And, of course, we'll continue to follow that. Caroline Faraj live in Dubai this morning.

We'll be back after a quick break. But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, let's talk baseball now, shall we? Barry Bonds came to camp, and there were more reporters than fans to greet him. During his news conference, Bonds did not address the BALCO investigation directly. But he did say the secret to his success is hard work, and that the steroid controversy has been hard on his kids.

He also took a couple of shots at Jose Canseco and Canseco's tell-all book.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARRY BONDS, GIANT'S OUTFIELDER: Fiction is fiction, man. I mean, there's a whole bunch of those books and stories out there, basically, you know. It's just to make a buck. That's all it is. It's about making money. But I don't know Jose. You know, I was better than Jose then, and I've been better than Jose his whole career. So, I don't have anything to talk about Jose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Bonds also says he's being watched more closely because he's an African-American closing in on a white man's record. He's 11 homers shy of Babe Ruth's 714 home runs.

There are several Barry Bonds items including in the big sports memorabilia auction that gets under way this week. Other items for sale include Ty Cobb's smoking robe and some of Joe DiMaggio's medical records.

David Hunt of Hunt Auctions joins us now from Philadelphia, where collectors are getting ready to bid top dollar.

Good morning.

DAVID HUNT, HUNT AUCTIONS: Hi. How are you?

COSTELLO: You have a few of the items there for us, I see.

HUNT: We do. We've got all kinds of stuff.

COSTELLO: We do. Shall we start with the Ruth/Gehrig-signed bat?

HUNT: I think that's a good place to start. It's a unique piece. And not only is it a bat used by Babe Ruth around 1933 or '34, but the uniqueness lies in the fact that both Ruth and his Hall of Fame teammate, Lou Gehrig, signed the bat. And to our knowledge, it's the only one that exists -- the only Ruth game bat that's signed by both of them known to exist.

The estimate is it should be about a couple of thousand dollars. It should be interesting.

COSTELLO: Oh, my goodness. And they signed it with a ballpoint pen, didn't they?

HUNT: A fountain pen, yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, a fountain pen.

HUNT: Hopefully not ballpoint.

COSTELLO: Yes, right. I guess that didn't exist back then, did it? HUNT: Exactly, right.

COSTELLO: A Babe Ruth-signed ball, let's go there next.

HUNT: Yes. And really kind of the preeminent collectible in our industry. It's something that it's amazing his name, the weight that it carries in American sports even today. And one in this kind of pristine condition, this should be about $20,000 to $30,000, in that range.

COSTELLO: In your description, you say there are indentations where the ball hit the -- or the bat hit the ball.

HUNT: Yes. Basically, what we look for in these characteristics -- that was a ball that was hit for a home run in a war bond game in 1947. And you can actually see the ball mark where the impression, where the bat hit the ball, just as the game-used bat, you can see the ball marks on the bat. Those are the types of things we look for as far as authenticity is concerned.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Did you give me an amount?

HUNT: About 20,000 to 30,000 on that piece.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable.

HUNT: Yes.

COSTELLO: You have a ball signed by President Harding.

HUNT: Yes. A very tight window of time. He was only in office for two years, and this is one of three known exemplars, the other being in the Hall of Fame and one other that we sold privately. And obviously, with that tight window of time, you know, it's an extreme rarity. Again, about 15,000 to 20,000, in that estimate range.

COSTELLO: Interesting. The Sandy Kofax hat complete with sweat stains and all.

HUNT: Yes. Those are free. It really is -- he's one of the names from that '50-'60s golden era of baseball that evokes a lot of passion as far as collectors and Dodger fans alike are concerned. And obviously, with the short time span of his career, not too many objects come outs. And this should be about 10,000 to 15,000, in that estimate range.

COSTELLO: Interesting. The Ty Cobb hat, because, you know, he was a Detroit Tiger.

HUNT: Yes, he was.

COSTELLO: The Detroit Tigers haven't been good for a long time.

HUNT: Yes.

COSTELLO: But Ty Cobb is one of the great players. I'd be interested to actually see the "D" on the hat.

HUNT: Yes.

COSTELLO: It looks different.

HUNT: It is different. And that's what helps us to identify the dating period. This "D" was only used between 1918 and 1920. And that's what, you know, allowed us to narrow down the time window there. It obviously shows evidence where -- we also his glove as well. And each one is about 50,000 to 75,000 pre-sale estimate.

COSTELLO: Fascinating stuff. Who bids on these things?

HUNT: We have collectors, participants, literally just about in every state in this country and seven other countries that bid. It's really a passionate thing, not just for collecting but for investment. Most of these types of items of historical vintage items have outperformed all of the major markets over the last 20 years.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. David Hunt, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

HUNT: Thank you. Not a problem.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

In president -- President George Bush, rather is holding a press conference with Germany's chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder. It actually just ended minutes ago. The president said U.S. and Germany should put their differences over the Iraq behind them and focus on the future of the Iraqi people. He also stressed diplomacy in dealing with Iran's nuclear program, saying Iran is not Iraq.

When Prince Charles gets married in April, his mother will not be there. Queen Elizabeth has decided not to attend the civil marriage ceremony. A royal spokesman says Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles want to keep things low key.

In money news, real estate prices are on the rise in Uptown Manhattan. A recent survey found that the median price for a condo or an apartment is a little more than $300,000, and that's for a very tiny one. That's a whopping 349 percent increase since 1995.

In culture, you may not know them, but your kids do. Now, the punk pop trio Blink 182 is going on hiatus after more than a decade of hits. The group's members say they want to spend more time with loved ones.

In sports, Shaquille O'Neal could miss a few games for the Miami Heat after straining his right knee in a loss to the Chicago Bulls. He left the game after just two minutes. He'll be re-evaluated before tonight's game against the Indiana Pacers.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

When we come back, a horrible prank at an Army base while soldiers are away at war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: California residents are digging out today. But for homeowners who have already lost so much, there's a lot of consoling left to do.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien joins us now with a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

And you're absolutely right. As those storms continue to deluge Southern California, mudslides are just washing away the roads and the airport runways, in fact. Dozens of homes have been evacuated or just declared unlivable.

Meanwhile, rescues are happening around the clock. So, how are the emergency crews holding up under so much pressure? Is there any relief in sight? This morning, we talk to a fire chief from one of the hardest-hit communities, and there are several.

Carol -- we'll see that just at the top of the hour in a couple of minutes.

COSTELLO: We'll be here. Thank you, Soledad.

It is 6:51 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

A cruel hoax reported at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Investigators say a man dressed in uniform falsely told an Army wife that her husband had been killed in Iraq. She figured out it was a hoax because the man arrived at her house alone, and his uniform was missing important details.

A new book by Pope John Paul II arrives in bookstores today. In the book, titled "Memory and Identity," the pope compares abortion to the Holocaust, and says homosexual marriage is a new ideology of evil.

A warning to computer users: Don't open e-mails that appear to be from the FBI. They may contain a virus.

And Sirius Radio will broadcast NASCAR races starting in 2007. The deal will last five years and includes broadcast rights worth more than $107 million.

Talking about NASCAR, let's talk about Jeff Gordon. Like him or not, he is certainly one of NASCAR's stars. Gordon, of course, won the Daytona 500 for the third time, and that ties the record.

Now, he's on tour, touting his team, NASCAR and himself. I talked with him.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF GORDON, DAYTONA 500 WINNER: I can't believe I've done it three times, and this one is even sweeter than the other two.

COSTELLO: So, why go on?

GORDON: Because I want No. 4. Racing is not what I love to do. It's winning.

COSTELLO: It seems that people either really love you or they don't.

GORDON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Why do you think that is?

GORDON: You know, it started a long time ago when I was racing with Dale Earnhardt, Sr. You know, he was the man in black, and I was in the bright-colored car.

COSTELLO: Does it bug you?

GORDON: It used to. It used to. I didn't know what I had done wrong. You know, I couldn't believe that I was getting booed as much as I was. And then, I looked at, you know, things that had transpired. I was like, wait a minute, I won eight races this year. I won a championship. And the boos got louder. And then I won more races and a championship, and the boos got louder.

So, I was like, they're just mad because, you know, I was finishing ahead of their guy. The more they boo it seems like the more I win, or the more I win the more they boo. So, it all works out for me.

Some of the best advice I've ever been given, I was riding around a track during driver inductions, and Dale Earnhardt was with me. There were signs that said, you know, it had a three with a cross through it or, you know, something that was negative towards him.

And then we went along, and there was one, you know, toward me, saying, you know, something bad about me, "Jeff Gordon sucks" or whatever. And he said, "You know what?" He says, "As long as they're putting the effort into making those signs and as long as they're making noise, that's all that matters."

And that's what I live by.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And it's a very successful way to live, Chad, because he has many more wins to come.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: He certainly does. And we talked a little bit earlier yesterday, Carol, before the interview about Ray Evernham, how successful he was, and then the split. And everybody went all completely directions. All of his team got torn up. Now, it appears his team is back together. Now, it appears his momentum is back as well.

COSTELLO: I found him so interesting and so confident and so intelligent.

MYERS: You found him intelligent, exactly.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes. And the ladies of the newsroom loved him.

MYERS: Well, they're not the only ones.

COSTELLO: Hey, Chad, are you afraid of heights?

MYERS: Not really.

COSTELLO: I am. These guys are not, like you. Check it out. Andre Agassi and Roger Federer showing off their skills at the top of a hotel in Dubai.

MYERS: Oh, that's a little weird.

COSTELLO: Isn't that something? This is an airborne tennis court. It's actually the hotel's helipad. It was converted just for Agassi and Federer, who are visiting the United Emirates for the Dubai Open. I just thought you'd like to take a look.

MYERS: I wonder if the ball flies father in that light air up there. It's like playing in Colorado.

COSTELLO: And if you hit out, it really goes out on that court.

MYERS: That's right.

COSTELLO: We're back after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Before we say goodbye, we have some stuff. We have, first of all, the travelers forecast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: Carol, do you know what time it is?

COSTELLO: Chad.

MYERS: It's time to give away those mugs that we haven't got in yet.

COSTELLO: The most exciting time of the morning. MYERS: We had 365 correct answers yesterday.

COSTELLO: That's awesome.

MYERS: People were all over this. So, now the questions from yesterday and the answers. Whose boyhood home was just purchased to create an historical site? That would be Johnny Carson. And what supermarket chain applied for bankruptcy protection? And that was Winn Dixie.

The answer, randomly selected, Christine Brooks from Charlotte, North Carolina. Congratulations. You'll be getting a DAYBREAK coffee mug, not that one pictured. They look different now. They're in colors.

COSTELLO: They are. And they're much more beautiful.

MYERS: And now the questions for today. Which two players autographed a baseball bat on the auction block this week? Which two players? We showed you that bat a little ago. It's an old bat. And who is the author of a controversial new book on shelves today?

COSTELLO: Interesting.

MYERS: Daybreak@CNN.com. Don't look for it on the Web site. Just go to your e-mail, type in on the "to" Daybreak@CNN.com.

COSTELLO: We're ready to take your answers.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: Tomorrow on DAYBREAK, the Southwest effect. It happens in airports across the country, but it is not unique to Southwest Airlines. We'll look at how low-cost carriers are changing the industry.

And later this week, you thought I was gambling in Vegas? Oh, but I got to hang out for a while with the newest act on the strip, and that would be Barry Manilow. Wait until you hear what he has to say about today's pop singers and lip-syncing. An interesting guy.

And I'll also be talking to one of Hollywood's biggest hitters, actor Matthew McConaughey. Check out this video, and you'll see what I mean by "hitter." Matthew took batting practice with the Atlanta Braves at their training camp in Orlando, Florida. We'll talk to him about that, Penelope Cruz and his six-pack abs.

From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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