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CNN Live At Daybreak
Election Campaign Air War Heats Up; Kerry Campaign Starts to Look For Running Mate
Aired March 04, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone.
It is Thursday, March 4.
And from the CNN global headquarters here in Atlanta, I'm Catherine Callaway.
Thank you very much for being with us this morning.
We begin with the headlines.
Portland, Oregon is the latest city to have same-sex weddings. The governor says that he will not stop them until Oregon's attorney general reports on the legality of those marriages.
The air war heats up. President Bush's first television ads of the 2004 campaign debut this morning.
And the presence of U.S. Marines in Haiti causes a rebel leader to reverse his decision. He now says that his forces will lay down their arms.
And jury selection begins today in Scott Peterson's double murder trial. Potential jury members will be asked to answer almost 30 pages of questions.
And another high profile trial is winding up. Jurors return for a second day of deliberations to decide if Martha Stewart lied to cover up a stock sale.
We update the top stories for you every 15 minutes. The next update, of course, at 6:15.
Ready or not, eight months of campaigning leading up to the presidential election begins now.
And CNN's Bill Prasad is joining us live from Washington, where it is a big day for the Bush-Cheney campaign -- good morning to you, Bill.
BILL PRASAD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Catherine.
The political air wars have begun. It'll be John Kerry's words against George Bush's ads. The president will air his first political commercials today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM BUSH-CHENEY '04 CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush, steady leadership in times of change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PRASAD (voice-over): Three ads will air in 17 battleground states. In two languages, the $4.5 million TV blitz tells America now is not the time to change leaders. Absent is Mr. Bush's running mate. Instead featured is the president's life mate.
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: The strength, the focus, the characteristics that these times demand.
PRASAD: The president's campaign flew into California Wednesday. Republicans will try to paint John Kerry as a liberal who flip-flops on the issues.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In fact, Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue.
PRASAD: John Kerry now faces a daunting list of challenges, including uniting the Democratic Party, raising money, picking a running mate, and, above all, beating an incumbent president. Kerry attacked Mr. Bush's education initiatives.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will hold this president accountable for making a mockery of the words "leave no child behind."
PRASAD: Kerry's Democratic primary opponent, John Edwards, is a prime contender to join Kerry on the Democratic ticket.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I also want to take a moment and congratulate my friend, Senator John Kerry.
PRASAD: Kerry will now discover that the last few months in the primaries will seem easy compared to the next eight months as the Democratic nominee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PRASAD: The Kerry campaign has started to look for a running mate, but it's unclear if the V.P. will be named soon or if they will wait until the Democratic National Convention. And that comes up in July.
We are live in Washington this morning.
I'm Bill Prasad -- Catherine, back to you.
CALLAWAY: And, thank you, Bill. Well, the subject of gay marriages has been thrust onto the national scene and it's sure to be brought up in the race for the White House.
Eric Philips has a look at the growing gay marriage firestorm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New Paltz, New York Mayor Jason West performed more than two dozen same-sex marriages last weekend, and he says he'll perform more, with the mayor of Nyack, New York following his lead.
MAYOR JASON WEST, NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK: Our state constitution requires equal protection for all New Yorkers.
PHILIPS: The state's attorney general says the same sex unions are illegal.
ELIOT SPITZER, NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL: And those empowered to preside over marriage ceremonies, solemnizing marriages, in the word of the statute, should not solemnize same-sex marriages.
PHILIPS: The gay marriage movement was energized after the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled last month that gays and lesbians are entitled to full equal marriage rights and can begin marrying in May. Since then, thousands of same sex couples have wedded in San Francisco; dozens in New York; though it's yet to be seen if those marriages will last legally. Counties in Oregon and New Mexico have also approved same-sex marriages.
CHERYL JACQUES, HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: I think that the country has a lot of educating and growth that's happening, and that's a good thing.
BILL THOMSON, CHRISTIAN COALITION: We believe that we have to draw the line somewhere and stop this movement that has been going on for over 40 years in America.
PHILIPS: President Bush wants to draw the line with a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, a move Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist backs.
SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It is clear today we must act.
PHILIPS: Another law maker says such an amendment would, "write discrimination into the governing document of our nation."
Congress is not likely to pass a constitutional amendment on this issue in an election year, but states have been acting on their own. Right now, 14 states are seeking to amend their state constitutions to ban same-sex marriages and four others have already made those changes.
Eric Philips, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: And we are about to see some changes in the Title IX law governing schools. The Education Department plans to make it easier for school districts to provide single sex classes and schools. It's possibly the biggest change to cooed classrooms in 30 years.
Well, a house filled with undocumented immigrants is topping our look at stories across America this morning. Police in Phoenix, Arizona found about 200 immigrants crammed into one home. Within four weeks, Phoenix police have found nearly 750 illegal immigrants in 13 so-called drop houses. Police have taken 20 suspected smugglers into custody.
And in Chicago, the fire department is investigating the latest of five racial slurs heard over its radio frequencies. Now, the most recent was a derogatory comment about some city council members. A city official says somebody needs to be fired.
And in Los Angeles, California's first lady, Maria Shriver, has been called to jury duty. She's sitting on a federal jury hearing a product liability case involving a man injured when he fell from an extension ladder.
MARCIANO: Have you ever done that, Carol, jury duty?
CALLAWAY: What, falling from a ladder or jury duty?
MARCIANO: No, no, jury duty.
CALLAWAY: Both.
MARCIANO: You have?
CALLAWAY: Yes.
MARCIANO: I'm bummed. I never have gotten a chance to do jury duty.
CALLAWAY: Well, I should say I've been called. But, you know, when you're a reporter, they don't particularly like you to be on the jury.
MARCIANO: We don't want to say that our bosses wouldn't let you do it, but they don't exactly say go ahead, knock yourself out.
CALLAWAY: No, I just don't think the attorneys are really crazy about having news people on there.
MARCIANO: That's probably a good point, as well.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CALLAWAY: So, have you ever served on a jury?
MARCIANO: No. I've been called. But like you, it's either been during ratings sweeps and, you know, that kind of thing.
CALLAWAY: I've covered so many trials, though, I have a lot of respect for people who sit on juries like that. It can be so long, tedious, you know? A big job.
MARCIANO: Part of being an American.
CALLAWAY: That's right.
See you later, Rob.
MARCIANO: Cool.
CALLAWAY: In other news this morning, Jose Padilla, the so- called dirty bomb suspect, has been allowed to meet with his lawyers for the first time. He's a U.S. citizen who was labeled an enemy combatant by the Bush administration and has been locked in a Navy brig in South Carolina for nearly two years.
A German appeals court has ordered a new trial for Mounir El Motassadeq. He's the only person ever convicted in connection with the 9/11 attacks. He's serving a 15 year prison sentence for giving logistical support to the 9/11 hijackers.
And in France, government ministers have some explaining to do. People who ride the trains are wondering why they haven't been told about a terrorist threat to the nation's rail system.
And our senior international correspondent Sheila MacVicar is covering the story for us -- Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine, it reads more like something out of detective fiction. But this morning, 10,000 French rail workers are walking the 20,000 miles of France's rail systems in an attempt to discover if, in fact, there is a bomb planted somewhere along those rails waiting to explode.
This is the first public measure the French government has taken since it began negotiating with blackmailers about 11 weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MACVICAR (voice-over): For months, the French government has been secretly negotiating with a previously unknown terrorist group threatening to blow up the nation's rail lines. It is a threat the government is taking very seriously.
Last month, the group led them to a bomb placed under rail lines in central France.
"The device was checked," says the French interior minister. "The firing mechanism was tested and the device proved to be dangerous because it shattered a train rail."
In messages to the government, the group claims to have planted 10 more bombs on rail lines around France. It is demanding a ransom of more than $4 million U.S.
The group calls itself AZF, apparently after a French fertilizer factory in southern France which exploded three years ago, killing 31 people. More than 2,000 more were injured. The official investigation ruled out a criminal attack, but the cause remains unknown.
French officials have acknowledged they know very little about the group and until today had said nothing about the risk to France's rail service. That has angered some passengers.
"It's getting worse and worse. People are being taken hostage and it's really crazy," said this traveler.
There will be more questions about why the government kept quiet when ministers knew there was a real danger to France's rail traveling public.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACVICAR: Catherine, still no word this morning on whether or not any of those devices have been found. Still no word, in fact, if the French police believe that those devices really do exist -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Well, Sheila, what does the government know about this group? Or maybe the question really is what are they saying, what is the government telling that they know about the group?
MACVICAR: Well, indeed, we know that the first contact was made to the government in letters delivered on the 11th of December. And then since then, it's been a kind of a bizarre scenario, including ads placed in the classifieds of a couple of French newspapers which permitted the government and this group to apparently communicate. That's how they found that bomb on the 21st of February, when the group gave them the GPS coordinates in an ad they took out in a French newspaper.
CALLAWAY: Wow.
MACVICAR: We do know that the French government says that it doesn't think that there are an Islamist connections and that this probably criminal. But anything more than that at this stage they just don't know or they just aren't saying -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: That is unbelievable.
All right, Sheila, thank you very much.
Sheila MacVicar.
Stay with us, everyone.
Coming up, demonstrators go head to head with the national guard. One act of violence symbolic of a nation in turmoil. We'll meet the woman at the center of this scene. Also coming up, seating a jury for Scott Peterson's murder trial. What are both sides facing in the courtroom?
Also, many Americans will soon get a close-up sense of their history.
And Pete Rose a Hall of Famer after all? Hmmm. We'll tell you, when we return.
This is DAYBREAK for March 4.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Coming up on 15 minutes after the hour now and here's a quick look at the headlines this morning.
President Bush is launching his first reelection campaign television ad this morning. The ads call him a steady leader in uncertain times.
And the federal jury hearing obstruction of justice charges against Martha Stewart resumes deliberations this morning. Also, the FBI is posting on its Web site the faces of people suspected of being involved in child pornography. The day old effort has already resulted in the arrest of two people.
We have the headlines for you every 15 minutes. Our next update at 6:30 Eastern time.
Well, Michael Eisner will keep his job as Disney's CEO, but he's no longer the company's board chairman. That job goes to former Senator George Mitchell. And Mitchell got the nod during a contentious shareholders meeting yesterday in Philadelphia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ABC NEWS NIGHTLINE")
MICHAEL EISNER, DISNEY CEO: Certainly there must have been people out there that were dissatisfied with our performance post-9/11 and the wars in Iraq. Our tourism dropped during that period. And the messages that we're getting from that kind of vote are multiple. And they're about corporate America, they're about messages to other corporations and there are obviously certain people that are not happy with me personally, I guess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Forty-three percent of the shareholders at the meeting opposed Eisner's reelection to the board.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
CALLAWAY: Coming up on DAYBREAK, a defiant demonstrator dragged down by police. We'll hear from the woman who's become a symbol of the violence in Venezuela.
And the president's campaign machine is getting revved up and it starts rolling towards Senator Kerry.
And the DAYBREAK Photo of the Day. Can you tell what this is? We'll have the answer for you, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: All right, so did you figure out what it is?
Rob, are you there?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
CALLAWAY: Got any guesses for me? What is it?
MARCIANO: A Saturn or Jupiter type of close up. It looks like one of those rings of Jupiter.
CALLAWAY: Well, in light of the news going on, I thought it was something from Mars. But you know what it is?
MARCIANO: A beach.
CALLAWAY: It's a couple of people taking a walk along a beach, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in fact. Look at that. Oh, how beautiful. It's been really warm there, too, right?
MARCIANO: What is it, like a high res satellite? Where was that picture taken from? Like a...
CALLAWAY: Like how far -- I don't know. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: Yes, I mean they're looking really small.
CALLAWAY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: Well, if it's a person, it's a really, really tall person who took it.
CALLAWAY: Well, obviously it was taken in either a plane or a helicopter or something. But, hey, it makes me want to take a walk along the beach.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CALLAWAY: Time to check stories making headlines around the world in our Global Minute this morning.
The dreaded bird flu has struck again in Japan. Three chickens at a poultry farm have tested positive for the fast spreading disease. And the farm is near a site where more than 130,000 birds died from the flu last week. No human deaths have been reported in Japan.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon facing a new scandal. He has been linked to an Israeli businessman released in a prisoner swap with Hezbollah. Mr. Sharon says he didn't know of the of the relationship between his ex-business partner and the former hostage. And U.S. Marines are taking up more positions in Haiti. There are 1,000 Marines now on that island. That strong presence has prompted rebel fighters to agree to lay down their arms.
And opposition leaders in Venezuela are pleading for some international help in getting a recall petition against President Huge Chavez. Since demonstrations began last week, seven people have been killed and there are fears that the protests and the reactions to them could become even more violent, as CNN's Harris Whitbeck reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An opposition demonstrator walks up to a contingent of Venezuela's National Guard, speaks briefly. One Guard grabs her by the hair and throws her to the ground twice. The Guard surround her and beat her as she disappears in a sea of olive green. The woman's name is Eleanor Montes (ph).
"We were not committing any crime," she says. "There were old people, young people. We were all demonstrating, hoping to build a better nation, demanding that our rights be respected. That is not a sin. We did not deserve that treatment."
The government says Montes provoked the attack. Vice Minister of Security Carlos Detenol (ph) says he laments the provocative attitude she showed.
The attack on Montes, shown repeatedly on private television networks, has become a symbol of the new reality on the Venezuelan streets, the latest stage of the battle between the opposition and the government of President Hugo Chavez. The number of dead, wounded and detained has increased dramatically since the latest wave of protests. The opposition says at least 350 people have been illegally detained during public demonstrations. The government says it is not to blame.
"It is lamentable because the imprisoned, dead and wounded are Venezuelan," says the country's vice president. "But they are the only ones responsible for the violence on the street."
Some fear the demonstrations will become even more dangerous.
(on camera): But with tensions running so high, the street will continue to play a predominant role.
(voice-over): Eleanor Montes says she'll be there. "Nothing nor anybody will stop me from marching again," she says.
Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Caracas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: Stay with us, everyone.
Coming up, the potential pitfalls of casting an e-ballot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody was asleep somewhere in some class and didn't hear all the instructions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: High tech voting may not be as accurate as you think.
Also, has reality television gone too far? Taking advantage of the Amish?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to DAYBREAK.
I'm Catherine Callaway and it is Thursday, March 4.
Here's the headlines.
In Germany, an appeals court has just ordered a retrial for the only person convicted in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Mounir El Motassadeq was accused of aiding the Hamburg cell of hijackers.
And the jury in the trial of Martha Stewart returns for more deliberations today. That comes as Stewart's namesake company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, reports quarterly results before the start of trading this morning.
And jury selection begins today in Scott Peterson's double murder trial. Potential jury members will be asked to answer almost 30 pages of questions.
In 1992, the Supreme Court came extremely close to overturning the "Roe v. Wade" abortion decision and the late Justice Harry Blackmun's notes and papers are being released today. They say that Justice Anthony Kennedy changed his mind at the last minute.
Playwright Neil Simon recovering in a New York hospital after receiving a kidney transplant from his publicist. The 76-year-old Simon had been undergoing kidney dialysis now for about a year and a half.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. Our next update, of course, coming up about 6:45 Eastern time this morning.
It is only March, but there's a hint of fall in the air.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
to Look For Running Mate>
Aired March 4, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone.
It is Thursday, March 4.
And from the CNN global headquarters here in Atlanta, I'm Catherine Callaway.
Thank you very much for being with us this morning.
We begin with the headlines.
Portland, Oregon is the latest city to have same-sex weddings. The governor says that he will not stop them until Oregon's attorney general reports on the legality of those marriages.
The air war heats up. President Bush's first television ads of the 2004 campaign debut this morning.
And the presence of U.S. Marines in Haiti causes a rebel leader to reverse his decision. He now says that his forces will lay down their arms.
And jury selection begins today in Scott Peterson's double murder trial. Potential jury members will be asked to answer almost 30 pages of questions.
And another high profile trial is winding up. Jurors return for a second day of deliberations to decide if Martha Stewart lied to cover up a stock sale.
We update the top stories for you every 15 minutes. The next update, of course, at 6:15.
Ready or not, eight months of campaigning leading up to the presidential election begins now.
And CNN's Bill Prasad is joining us live from Washington, where it is a big day for the Bush-Cheney campaign -- good morning to you, Bill.
BILL PRASAD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Catherine.
The political air wars have begun. It'll be John Kerry's words against George Bush's ads. The president will air his first political commercials today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM BUSH-CHENEY '04 CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush, steady leadership in times of change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PRASAD (voice-over): Three ads will air in 17 battleground states. In two languages, the $4.5 million TV blitz tells America now is not the time to change leaders. Absent is Mr. Bush's running mate. Instead featured is the president's life mate.
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: The strength, the focus, the characteristics that these times demand.
PRASAD: The president's campaign flew into California Wednesday. Republicans will try to paint John Kerry as a liberal who flip-flops on the issues.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In fact, Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue.
PRASAD: John Kerry now faces a daunting list of challenges, including uniting the Democratic Party, raising money, picking a running mate, and, above all, beating an incumbent president. Kerry attacked Mr. Bush's education initiatives.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will hold this president accountable for making a mockery of the words "leave no child behind."
PRASAD: Kerry's Democratic primary opponent, John Edwards, is a prime contender to join Kerry on the Democratic ticket.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I also want to take a moment and congratulate my friend, Senator John Kerry.
PRASAD: Kerry will now discover that the last few months in the primaries will seem easy compared to the next eight months as the Democratic nominee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PRASAD: The Kerry campaign has started to look for a running mate, but it's unclear if the V.P. will be named soon or if they will wait until the Democratic National Convention. And that comes up in July.
We are live in Washington this morning.
I'm Bill Prasad -- Catherine, back to you.
CALLAWAY: And, thank you, Bill. Well, the subject of gay marriages has been thrust onto the national scene and it's sure to be brought up in the race for the White House.
Eric Philips has a look at the growing gay marriage firestorm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New Paltz, New York Mayor Jason West performed more than two dozen same-sex marriages last weekend, and he says he'll perform more, with the mayor of Nyack, New York following his lead.
MAYOR JASON WEST, NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK: Our state constitution requires equal protection for all New Yorkers.
PHILIPS: The state's attorney general says the same sex unions are illegal.
ELIOT SPITZER, NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL: And those empowered to preside over marriage ceremonies, solemnizing marriages, in the word of the statute, should not solemnize same-sex marriages.
PHILIPS: The gay marriage movement was energized after the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled last month that gays and lesbians are entitled to full equal marriage rights and can begin marrying in May. Since then, thousands of same sex couples have wedded in San Francisco; dozens in New York; though it's yet to be seen if those marriages will last legally. Counties in Oregon and New Mexico have also approved same-sex marriages.
CHERYL JACQUES, HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: I think that the country has a lot of educating and growth that's happening, and that's a good thing.
BILL THOMSON, CHRISTIAN COALITION: We believe that we have to draw the line somewhere and stop this movement that has been going on for over 40 years in America.
PHILIPS: President Bush wants to draw the line with a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, a move Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist backs.
SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It is clear today we must act.
PHILIPS: Another law maker says such an amendment would, "write discrimination into the governing document of our nation."
Congress is not likely to pass a constitutional amendment on this issue in an election year, but states have been acting on their own. Right now, 14 states are seeking to amend their state constitutions to ban same-sex marriages and four others have already made those changes.
Eric Philips, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: And we are about to see some changes in the Title IX law governing schools. The Education Department plans to make it easier for school districts to provide single sex classes and schools. It's possibly the biggest change to cooed classrooms in 30 years.
Well, a house filled with undocumented immigrants is topping our look at stories across America this morning. Police in Phoenix, Arizona found about 200 immigrants crammed into one home. Within four weeks, Phoenix police have found nearly 750 illegal immigrants in 13 so-called drop houses. Police have taken 20 suspected smugglers into custody.
And in Chicago, the fire department is investigating the latest of five racial slurs heard over its radio frequencies. Now, the most recent was a derogatory comment about some city council members. A city official says somebody needs to be fired.
And in Los Angeles, California's first lady, Maria Shriver, has been called to jury duty. She's sitting on a federal jury hearing a product liability case involving a man injured when he fell from an extension ladder.
MARCIANO: Have you ever done that, Carol, jury duty?
CALLAWAY: What, falling from a ladder or jury duty?
MARCIANO: No, no, jury duty.
CALLAWAY: Both.
MARCIANO: You have?
CALLAWAY: Yes.
MARCIANO: I'm bummed. I never have gotten a chance to do jury duty.
CALLAWAY: Well, I should say I've been called. But, you know, when you're a reporter, they don't particularly like you to be on the jury.
MARCIANO: We don't want to say that our bosses wouldn't let you do it, but they don't exactly say go ahead, knock yourself out.
CALLAWAY: No, I just don't think the attorneys are really crazy about having news people on there.
MARCIANO: That's probably a good point, as well.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CALLAWAY: So, have you ever served on a jury?
MARCIANO: No. I've been called. But like you, it's either been during ratings sweeps and, you know, that kind of thing.
CALLAWAY: I've covered so many trials, though, I have a lot of respect for people who sit on juries like that. It can be so long, tedious, you know? A big job.
MARCIANO: Part of being an American.
CALLAWAY: That's right.
See you later, Rob.
MARCIANO: Cool.
CALLAWAY: In other news this morning, Jose Padilla, the so- called dirty bomb suspect, has been allowed to meet with his lawyers for the first time. He's a U.S. citizen who was labeled an enemy combatant by the Bush administration and has been locked in a Navy brig in South Carolina for nearly two years.
A German appeals court has ordered a new trial for Mounir El Motassadeq. He's the only person ever convicted in connection with the 9/11 attacks. He's serving a 15 year prison sentence for giving logistical support to the 9/11 hijackers.
And in France, government ministers have some explaining to do. People who ride the trains are wondering why they haven't been told about a terrorist threat to the nation's rail system.
And our senior international correspondent Sheila MacVicar is covering the story for us -- Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine, it reads more like something out of detective fiction. But this morning, 10,000 French rail workers are walking the 20,000 miles of France's rail systems in an attempt to discover if, in fact, there is a bomb planted somewhere along those rails waiting to explode.
This is the first public measure the French government has taken since it began negotiating with blackmailers about 11 weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MACVICAR (voice-over): For months, the French government has been secretly negotiating with a previously unknown terrorist group threatening to blow up the nation's rail lines. It is a threat the government is taking very seriously.
Last month, the group led them to a bomb placed under rail lines in central France.
"The device was checked," says the French interior minister. "The firing mechanism was tested and the device proved to be dangerous because it shattered a train rail."
In messages to the government, the group claims to have planted 10 more bombs on rail lines around France. It is demanding a ransom of more than $4 million U.S.
The group calls itself AZF, apparently after a French fertilizer factory in southern France which exploded three years ago, killing 31 people. More than 2,000 more were injured. The official investigation ruled out a criminal attack, but the cause remains unknown.
French officials have acknowledged they know very little about the group and until today had said nothing about the risk to France's rail service. That has angered some passengers.
"It's getting worse and worse. People are being taken hostage and it's really crazy," said this traveler.
There will be more questions about why the government kept quiet when ministers knew there was a real danger to France's rail traveling public.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACVICAR: Catherine, still no word this morning on whether or not any of those devices have been found. Still no word, in fact, if the French police believe that those devices really do exist -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Well, Sheila, what does the government know about this group? Or maybe the question really is what are they saying, what is the government telling that they know about the group?
MACVICAR: Well, indeed, we know that the first contact was made to the government in letters delivered on the 11th of December. And then since then, it's been a kind of a bizarre scenario, including ads placed in the classifieds of a couple of French newspapers which permitted the government and this group to apparently communicate. That's how they found that bomb on the 21st of February, when the group gave them the GPS coordinates in an ad they took out in a French newspaper.
CALLAWAY: Wow.
MACVICAR: We do know that the French government says that it doesn't think that there are an Islamist connections and that this probably criminal. But anything more than that at this stage they just don't know or they just aren't saying -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: That is unbelievable.
All right, Sheila, thank you very much.
Sheila MacVicar.
Stay with us, everyone.
Coming up, demonstrators go head to head with the national guard. One act of violence symbolic of a nation in turmoil. We'll meet the woman at the center of this scene. Also coming up, seating a jury for Scott Peterson's murder trial. What are both sides facing in the courtroom?
Also, many Americans will soon get a close-up sense of their history.
And Pete Rose a Hall of Famer after all? Hmmm. We'll tell you, when we return.
This is DAYBREAK for March 4.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Coming up on 15 minutes after the hour now and here's a quick look at the headlines this morning.
President Bush is launching his first reelection campaign television ad this morning. The ads call him a steady leader in uncertain times.
And the federal jury hearing obstruction of justice charges against Martha Stewart resumes deliberations this morning. Also, the FBI is posting on its Web site the faces of people suspected of being involved in child pornography. The day old effort has already resulted in the arrest of two people.
We have the headlines for you every 15 minutes. Our next update at 6:30 Eastern time.
Well, Michael Eisner will keep his job as Disney's CEO, but he's no longer the company's board chairman. That job goes to former Senator George Mitchell. And Mitchell got the nod during a contentious shareholders meeting yesterday in Philadelphia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ABC NEWS NIGHTLINE")
MICHAEL EISNER, DISNEY CEO: Certainly there must have been people out there that were dissatisfied with our performance post-9/11 and the wars in Iraq. Our tourism dropped during that period. And the messages that we're getting from that kind of vote are multiple. And they're about corporate America, they're about messages to other corporations and there are obviously certain people that are not happy with me personally, I guess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: Forty-three percent of the shareholders at the meeting opposed Eisner's reelection to the board.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
CALLAWAY: Coming up on DAYBREAK, a defiant demonstrator dragged down by police. We'll hear from the woman who's become a symbol of the violence in Venezuela.
And the president's campaign machine is getting revved up and it starts rolling towards Senator Kerry.
And the DAYBREAK Photo of the Day. Can you tell what this is? We'll have the answer for you, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: All right, so did you figure out what it is?
Rob, are you there?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
CALLAWAY: Got any guesses for me? What is it?
MARCIANO: A Saturn or Jupiter type of close up. It looks like one of those rings of Jupiter.
CALLAWAY: Well, in light of the news going on, I thought it was something from Mars. But you know what it is?
MARCIANO: A beach.
CALLAWAY: It's a couple of people taking a walk along a beach, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in fact. Look at that. Oh, how beautiful. It's been really warm there, too, right?
MARCIANO: What is it, like a high res satellite? Where was that picture taken from? Like a...
CALLAWAY: Like how far -- I don't know. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: Yes, I mean they're looking really small.
CALLAWAY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
MARCIANO: Well, if it's a person, it's a really, really tall person who took it.
CALLAWAY: Well, obviously it was taken in either a plane or a helicopter or something. But, hey, it makes me want to take a walk along the beach.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CALLAWAY: Time to check stories making headlines around the world in our Global Minute this morning.
The dreaded bird flu has struck again in Japan. Three chickens at a poultry farm have tested positive for the fast spreading disease. And the farm is near a site where more than 130,000 birds died from the flu last week. No human deaths have been reported in Japan.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon facing a new scandal. He has been linked to an Israeli businessman released in a prisoner swap with Hezbollah. Mr. Sharon says he didn't know of the of the relationship between his ex-business partner and the former hostage. And U.S. Marines are taking up more positions in Haiti. There are 1,000 Marines now on that island. That strong presence has prompted rebel fighters to agree to lay down their arms.
And opposition leaders in Venezuela are pleading for some international help in getting a recall petition against President Huge Chavez. Since demonstrations began last week, seven people have been killed and there are fears that the protests and the reactions to them could become even more violent, as CNN's Harris Whitbeck reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An opposition demonstrator walks up to a contingent of Venezuela's National Guard, speaks briefly. One Guard grabs her by the hair and throws her to the ground twice. The Guard surround her and beat her as she disappears in a sea of olive green. The woman's name is Eleanor Montes (ph).
"We were not committing any crime," she says. "There were old people, young people. We were all demonstrating, hoping to build a better nation, demanding that our rights be respected. That is not a sin. We did not deserve that treatment."
The government says Montes provoked the attack. Vice Minister of Security Carlos Detenol (ph) says he laments the provocative attitude she showed.
The attack on Montes, shown repeatedly on private television networks, has become a symbol of the new reality on the Venezuelan streets, the latest stage of the battle between the opposition and the government of President Hugo Chavez. The number of dead, wounded and detained has increased dramatically since the latest wave of protests. The opposition says at least 350 people have been illegally detained during public demonstrations. The government says it is not to blame.
"It is lamentable because the imprisoned, dead and wounded are Venezuelan," says the country's vice president. "But they are the only ones responsible for the violence on the street."
Some fear the demonstrations will become even more dangerous.
(on camera): But with tensions running so high, the street will continue to play a predominant role.
(voice-over): Eleanor Montes says she'll be there. "Nothing nor anybody will stop me from marching again," she says.
Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Caracas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: Stay with us, everyone.
Coming up, the potential pitfalls of casting an e-ballot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody was asleep somewhere in some class and didn't hear all the instructions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: High tech voting may not be as accurate as you think.
Also, has reality television gone too far? Taking advantage of the Amish?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to DAYBREAK.
I'm Catherine Callaway and it is Thursday, March 4.
Here's the headlines.
In Germany, an appeals court has just ordered a retrial for the only person convicted in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Mounir El Motassadeq was accused of aiding the Hamburg cell of hijackers.
And the jury in the trial of Martha Stewart returns for more deliberations today. That comes as Stewart's namesake company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, reports quarterly results before the start of trading this morning.
And jury selection begins today in Scott Peterson's double murder trial. Potential jury members will be asked to answer almost 30 pages of questions.
In 1992, the Supreme Court came extremely close to overturning the "Roe v. Wade" abortion decision and the late Justice Harry Blackmun's notes and papers are being released today. They say that Justice Anthony Kennedy changed his mind at the last minute.
Playwright Neil Simon recovering in a New York hospital after receiving a kidney transplant from his publicist. The 76-year-old Simon had been undergoing kidney dialysis now for about a year and a half.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. Our next update, of course, coming up about 6:45 Eastern time this morning.
It is only March, but there's a hint of fall in the air.
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