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CNN Live At Daybreak
Pakistan, India Hoping to Improve Relations Through Sport
Aired March 10, 2004 - 05:30 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Later today we will hear some fighting words from President Bush about jobs and trade. He is heading to Ohio later today to defend his economic policies. As you know, Ohio is a battleground state that has lost 160,000 manufacturing jobs and has an unemployment rate well above the national average. On his trip, the president is targeting women. He will tour a high tech female owned business and he will deliver a speech to a women's forum.
President Bush now has enough delegates, by the way, to clinch the Republican nomination, no surprise there. Results from Tuesday's four primaries put the president over the top with more than 1,300 delegates. That's more than the 1,255 needed for the nomination.
On the Democratic side, John Kerry only has to win a handful of delegates before he can claim the Democratic nomination. And he will clinch that no later than next week's Illinois primary. Kerry easily won Tuesday's primaries in Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. And he is steadily criticizing President Bush's policies.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: George Bush is running on the slogan of steady leadership. But I think -- I think if you measure the last four years and the failed policies, what you really have is stubborn leadership. What you have is a president who stubbornly insists on cutting taxes one more time, one more time, for the wealthiest people in the country, steadily losing millions of jobs in America and that's why today voters said change is coming to America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kerry, by the way, is due to meet separately this week with his former rivals for the Democratic presidential nominations, Howard Dean and John Edwards. Will he choose either one as his running mate? That's the big question going around town.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: When's he going to say?
COSTELLO: I don't know, but we're going to delve into that issue in the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK. We're going to have some folks from Washington talking about that very topic.
MYERS: Well I'm not going anywhere. I'll just tell you that right now. COSTELLO: So you'll be around for that conversation.
MYERS: That's a good one, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: More American service members are returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have come home. This is Fort Hood, Texas, where more than 180 members of the 4th Infantry Division and Military Police Battalion returned on Tuesday.
In San Diego, thousands of sailors and Marines from the Expeditionary Strike Group -- Strike Group 1, I should say, got a similar reception from family and friends. Five ships docked Tuesday, much to the delight of their fans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly, man, this is like the best moment right here, pulling back in. I love it. Yes, feeling good for sure. It was a good day today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are crying up a storm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I am, but it's, oh God, he's home. It's time for him to be home. He is safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All these guys are coming home to new kids. It's just heartbreaking. I love it. I love seeing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The Marines and sailors were deployed for more than six months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war on terrorism.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, the scandal that tarnished "The New York Times." Just wait until you hear what former "Times" reporter Jayson Blair now has to say.
Also, how could a game with player positions such as Silly Point, Short Leg and Fine Leg improve relations between nuclear neighbors Pakistan and India? We'll have that for you in a live report from the sub-Asian continent.
This is DAYBREAK for Wednesday, March 10.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARION ASNES, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": Denver has become a national airline hub. And because of that, it's loaded with discount airfares and that's why "Money" chose it as one of the great places to go visit this summer.
Denver, the Mile High City, is located right at the base of the Colorado Rockies. As a result, you've got a city that has so much outdoor activity, as well as the many sophisticated delights of a big town. There are 90 miles of biking trails where you can go to work off a great steak dinner or microbrewed beer. Denver is a big sports town and the Colorado Rockies have been having some great seasons. So this is a great place to go see some baseball.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: "Best Places to Vacation in Summer" is sponsored by Hampton Inn. For reservations, visit us online at HamptonInn.com or call 1-800-HAMPTON. To get more information on the most popular summer vacation destinations, log on to Money.com/summer and pick up "Money" magazine on newsstands March 15.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: He has admitted to being a liar and a plagiarist. Now Jayson Blair is hoping you will buy his book. The former "New York Times" reporter resigned last May in the aftermath of a scandal that eventually led to the ousting of two top editors. Now he has written a tell-all memoir called "Burning Down My Master's House." In it Blair says he is not the only "Times" reporter who has played fast and loose with the facts.
Here is what he told CNN's Larry King.
030900CN.V22
COSTELLO: "New York Times" isn't talking about the book except for this short statement. "The author is an admitted fabricator. We don't intend to respond to Jayson or his book." That's from "The New York Times."
5:42 Eastern Time, time to take a quick look at the top stories in our DAYBREAK 'Early Briefing.'
President Bush takes his economic plan to Ohio today. It's a key battleground state where unemployment is nearly 1 percent higher than the national average.
A clean sweep for John Kerry, he won all four southern primaries Tuesday and is now just a few delegates shy of clinching the Democratic nomination.
And top baseball and players union officials are expected to appear before the Senate Commerce Committee today. They will hear a plea from Congress for more rigorous drug testing.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:00 Eastern.
Let's talk a little sports now, shall we. For the first time in 14 years, India's national cricket team is in Pakistan to play a full test series with the Pakistani team. There are hopes this will help bolster a fragile peace process between the two nuclear neighbors.
Our correspondents Ash-Har Quraishi is in -- is in Islamabad this morning and Satinder Bindra is in New Delhi. Let's start with Ash-Har in Pakistan's capital to talk about the game itself.
Good morning.
ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Now this has been a series that's been anticipated for quite some time now. The rival with politically -- the rivalry between India and Pakistan really instigates the rivalry on the cricket field as well. And for the first time in more than 14 years, as you mentioned, India is touring Pakistan.
Now they arrived this afternoon in the eastern city of Lahore amidst heavy anticipation and heavy security. That being one of the main concerns of the Indian Cricket Board, the security, the safety of their players as they are traveling around here in Pakistan. We understand more than 3,000 security personnel, uniformed and plain- clothes officers, will be handling that security detail. It's been described as the kind of security that's only given to heads of state.
They will be traveling all over the country and playing some five one-day matches and three test series. Those are the longer series in cricket. And they have been restricting those one-day matches in Karachi and Kashara (ph) where there have been concerns of security. But they will be playing longer matches in other cities like Lahore.
And this has been a series that everybody has been waiting for, particularly here in Pakistan. The fans are excited and everyone is really excited to see these two players play amidst the goodwill and the optimism that's been carried through by these peace processes between the two countries of the last few months and the next coming months -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It is amazing how sports can bring countries together even.
Satinder, I wanted to ask you, will fans be traveling to Pakistan to watch the game or are they not allowed to do that?
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: No, Carol, fans will be traveling to Pakistan to watch the games. And every day here at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi there are long lineups for visas. There's a lot of excitement here. In fact, many sports commentators predicting that this cricket series will draw in more television eyeballs than perhaps even the Olympic Games due in this part of the world.
You mentioned peace. The hope is that this series may bring out better relations between these neighbors, but then there is the chance that you know the fans might get too personal, they might get carried away. And in one sense, if things go against the expectations and wishes of fans then it might even hurt the momentum that has been built up towards peace here in the subcontinent.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: Boy, I hope you are wrong about that, Satinder. We saw some politicians involved, too. Will they be at the game?
BINDRA: Yes, there will be politicians at these games. Some politicians from India will visit. And there is a political consideration to this series as well. India has a general election coming up in just a few weeks. And certainly the ruling Indian party here, the BJP, will be hoping if this tour goes along well, and if the team actually does win, there is a hope and belief that perhaps it will help its election chances -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
Ash-Har, will President Musharraf be at the game?
QURAISHI: Well it's unclear. I'm sure he will be watching. But because of the security concerns around President Musharraf, there's been no word of him actually being at the games to see these players and these fans.
There will be heavy security inside the stadiums as well. They are putting in closed circuit television, which will allow them to monitor the activities of all of the spectators in the stadium at any given time. And as Satinder mentioned, they will be watching out for any type of unsavory incidents that could derail this cricket series, which many are looking to to help smooth over relations between India and Pakistan and really to increase the people-to-people contact between Indians and Pakistanis.
There have been some 8,000 visas, we say -- we hear from officials, being issued for the Indian visitors to come to these games that will be played in various cities across Pakistan. So it's really something that's seen with great enthusiasm and optimism. And the cricketiers here are going to be under a lot of pressure from both these countries to win -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And I know both of you will be following the game as well. Ash-Har Quraishi from Islamabad, Pakistan, Satinder Bindra from New Delhi in India, thanks to both of you for joining us early on DAYBREAK.
We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with much more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time for newspapers across America on DAYBREAK. Are you ready -- Chad?
MYERS: I've seen a couple of them. I'm ready. COSTELLO: Pretty interesting this morning. This one is from the "Daily Record" out of New Jersey, and you know they are performing gay marriages in Asbury Park, at least the mayor and I think it's called the assistant mayor there. But the attorney general has gotten really upset about this and has threatened to file criminal charges against the mayor if he doesn't stop performing gay marriages there. So we'll see what happens there.
MYERS: New twist on "Greetings from Asbury Park."
COSTELLO: You got that right.
Listen to this story, crazy radar. I'm going to read the first paragraph of the article for you. "Pennsylvania State Troopers have written thousands of speeding tickets with radar guns that a State Police expert says are so defective they would clock a roadside rock at 70 miles per hour." So apparently there is something wrong with the Genesis radar gun that police are using. So if you get a ticket in Pennsylvania, or anywhere else that -- for that matter, you should challenge it in court.
MYERS: If you get busted by a laser, forget about it,...
COSTELLO: Yes, about a laser...
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I like that.
MYERS: ... they are accurate.
COSTELLO: "Orlando Sentinel," I'm sure you know about this since your parents live in that area, allergy season is in full bloom already because...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... of, what, a warm winter there. And it's dry and windy now and its blowing that stuff all around.
MYERS: Yes, even the pollen count here is 183 in Atlanta today. They call extreme 120 or higher. So all across the southeast things are blooming.
COSTELLO: Yes, they -- you know the trees are in bloom.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I was driving down the road and noticed that yesterday.
MYERS: Aren't they beautiful here?
COSTELLO: They are gorgeous.
MYERS: Yes. I mean that's why there is something called Peachtree Street, Peachtree Court, Peachtree Court Way and it just goes on and on and on, because when you -- when you see the peach trees blossom, they are pretty amazing.
COSTELLO: Beautiful.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: So how is the weather across the rest of the nation?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Some health news to share with you this morning. It's still being tested, but doctors at a medical conference in New Orleans say a new pill could help people quit smoking and lose weight at the same time. Obesity and smoking are two of the nation's biggest killers. But you should know the research was funded by the French company that developed the drug.
May be hard to believe, but one of McDonald's new salads may have more fat in it than a cheeseburger. The fast food firm's new menu includes a Caesar Salad with chicken premiere (ph). The salad has 18.4 grams of fat. McDonald's standard cheeseburger has 11.5 grams. So have the burger instead.
Go on, pour yourself another Cup of Joe. It could help you ward off adult diabetes. That's according to a study involving more than 14,000 people in Finland. Women who consume three to four cups of coffee daily had a 29 percent reduced risk for Type 2 diabetes. Among men, the figure was 27 percent. Finland is the world's heaviest coffee drinking country.
We'll get more on that study, by the way, in the next hour of DAYBREAK when we talk with our nutritionist Lisa Drayer.
And we will be back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: You know we like to make you laugh here on DAYBREAK, because it's early and we know you are heading off to work.
So, Chad, join in with me on this.
MYERS: I'm here.
COSTELLO: David Letterman, I know you didn't watch it last night. I didn't either, because it's on so late for us.
MYERS: I hear you.
COSTELLO: But David Letterman is taking on President Bush's plan to send a man to Mars. Here's his Top 10 List.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID LETTERMAN, TV SHOW HOST: Top 10 reasons George W. Bush wants to put a man on Mars. Here we go.
No. 10: Dick Cheney needs a new undisclosed location.
No. 9: It's part of his "No Planet Left Behind" initiative.
No. 8: Great deal on the off-season airfare right now at Expedia.com.
No. 7: Maybe we'll find some weapons of mass destruction there.
No. 6: We've run out of places on earth to drill for oil.
No. 5: Hoping to get Mork's autograph.
No. 4: We cannot back down until the people of Mars hold free elections.
No. 3: Dude! Free Mars Bars!
No. 2: Why not? It's not like we have an enormous debt or failing economy.
And the No. 1 reason George W. Bush wants to put a man on Mars, Pete Rose betting we wouldn't do it.
There you go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It is pretty funny, don't you think?
MYERS: That is pretty good. You know he's got some great writers.
COSTELLO: He does.
MYERS: Sometimes I would shuffle those around a little bit. Some of the first ones were -- that -- the Dick Cheney undisclosed location was...
COSTELLO: That was a good one. And the leaving "no planet behind" was a good one too.
MYERS: Exactly.
COSTELLO: A little Hawaii action you got going there behind you?
MYERS: Winter storm warning, Carol. How often do we ever get to talk about weather storm watches, winter storm warnings, whatever it might be here in Hawaii?
(WEATHER REPORT)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired March 10, 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: Later today we will hear some fighting words from President Bush about jobs and trade. He is heading to Ohio later today to defend his economic policies. As you know, Ohio is a battleground state that has lost 160,000 manufacturing jobs and has an unemployment rate well above the national average. On his trip, the president is targeting women. He will tour a high tech female owned business and he will deliver a speech to a women's forum.
President Bush now has enough delegates, by the way, to clinch the Republican nomination, no surprise there. Results from Tuesday's four primaries put the president over the top with more than 1,300 delegates. That's more than the 1,255 needed for the nomination.
On the Democratic side, John Kerry only has to win a handful of delegates before he can claim the Democratic nomination. And he will clinch that no later than next week's Illinois primary. Kerry easily won Tuesday's primaries in Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. And he is steadily criticizing President Bush's policies.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: George Bush is running on the slogan of steady leadership. But I think -- I think if you measure the last four years and the failed policies, what you really have is stubborn leadership. What you have is a president who stubbornly insists on cutting taxes one more time, one more time, for the wealthiest people in the country, steadily losing millions of jobs in America and that's why today voters said change is coming to America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kerry, by the way, is due to meet separately this week with his former rivals for the Democratic presidential nominations, Howard Dean and John Edwards. Will he choose either one as his running mate? That's the big question going around town.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: When's he going to say?
COSTELLO: I don't know, but we're going to delve into that issue in the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK. We're going to have some folks from Washington talking about that very topic.
MYERS: Well I'm not going anywhere. I'll just tell you that right now. COSTELLO: So you'll be around for that conversation.
MYERS: That's a good one, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: More American service members are returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have come home. This is Fort Hood, Texas, where more than 180 members of the 4th Infantry Division and Military Police Battalion returned on Tuesday.
In San Diego, thousands of sailors and Marines from the Expeditionary Strike Group -- Strike Group 1, I should say, got a similar reception from family and friends. Five ships docked Tuesday, much to the delight of their fans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly, man, this is like the best moment right here, pulling back in. I love it. Yes, feeling good for sure. It was a good day today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are crying up a storm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I am, but it's, oh God, he's home. It's time for him to be home. He is safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All these guys are coming home to new kids. It's just heartbreaking. I love it. I love seeing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The Marines and sailors were deployed for more than six months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war on terrorism.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, the scandal that tarnished "The New York Times." Just wait until you hear what former "Times" reporter Jayson Blair now has to say.
Also, how could a game with player positions such as Silly Point, Short Leg and Fine Leg improve relations between nuclear neighbors Pakistan and India? We'll have that for you in a live report from the sub-Asian continent.
This is DAYBREAK for Wednesday, March 10.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARION ASNES, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": Denver has become a national airline hub. And because of that, it's loaded with discount airfares and that's why "Money" chose it as one of the great places to go visit this summer.
Denver, the Mile High City, is located right at the base of the Colorado Rockies. As a result, you've got a city that has so much outdoor activity, as well as the many sophisticated delights of a big town. There are 90 miles of biking trails where you can go to work off a great steak dinner or microbrewed beer. Denver is a big sports town and the Colorado Rockies have been having some great seasons. So this is a great place to go see some baseball.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: "Best Places to Vacation in Summer" is sponsored by Hampton Inn. For reservations, visit us online at HamptonInn.com or call 1-800-HAMPTON. To get more information on the most popular summer vacation destinations, log on to Money.com/summer and pick up "Money" magazine on newsstands March 15.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: He has admitted to being a liar and a plagiarist. Now Jayson Blair is hoping you will buy his book. The former "New York Times" reporter resigned last May in the aftermath of a scandal that eventually led to the ousting of two top editors. Now he has written a tell-all memoir called "Burning Down My Master's House." In it Blair says he is not the only "Times" reporter who has played fast and loose with the facts.
Here is what he told CNN's Larry King.
030900CN.V22
COSTELLO: "New York Times" isn't talking about the book except for this short statement. "The author is an admitted fabricator. We don't intend to respond to Jayson or his book." That's from "The New York Times."
5:42 Eastern Time, time to take a quick look at the top stories in our DAYBREAK 'Early Briefing.'
President Bush takes his economic plan to Ohio today. It's a key battleground state where unemployment is nearly 1 percent higher than the national average.
A clean sweep for John Kerry, he won all four southern primaries Tuesday and is now just a few delegates shy of clinching the Democratic nomination.
And top baseball and players union officials are expected to appear before the Senate Commerce Committee today. They will hear a plea from Congress for more rigorous drug testing.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:00 Eastern.
Let's talk a little sports now, shall we. For the first time in 14 years, India's national cricket team is in Pakistan to play a full test series with the Pakistani team. There are hopes this will help bolster a fragile peace process between the two nuclear neighbors.
Our correspondents Ash-Har Quraishi is in -- is in Islamabad this morning and Satinder Bindra is in New Delhi. Let's start with Ash-Har in Pakistan's capital to talk about the game itself.
Good morning.
ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Now this has been a series that's been anticipated for quite some time now. The rival with politically -- the rivalry between India and Pakistan really instigates the rivalry on the cricket field as well. And for the first time in more than 14 years, as you mentioned, India is touring Pakistan.
Now they arrived this afternoon in the eastern city of Lahore amidst heavy anticipation and heavy security. That being one of the main concerns of the Indian Cricket Board, the security, the safety of their players as they are traveling around here in Pakistan. We understand more than 3,000 security personnel, uniformed and plain- clothes officers, will be handling that security detail. It's been described as the kind of security that's only given to heads of state.
They will be traveling all over the country and playing some five one-day matches and three test series. Those are the longer series in cricket. And they have been restricting those one-day matches in Karachi and Kashara (ph) where there have been concerns of security. But they will be playing longer matches in other cities like Lahore.
And this has been a series that everybody has been waiting for, particularly here in Pakistan. The fans are excited and everyone is really excited to see these two players play amidst the goodwill and the optimism that's been carried through by these peace processes between the two countries of the last few months and the next coming months -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It is amazing how sports can bring countries together even.
Satinder, I wanted to ask you, will fans be traveling to Pakistan to watch the game or are they not allowed to do that?
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: No, Carol, fans will be traveling to Pakistan to watch the games. And every day here at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi there are long lineups for visas. There's a lot of excitement here. In fact, many sports commentators predicting that this cricket series will draw in more television eyeballs than perhaps even the Olympic Games due in this part of the world.
You mentioned peace. The hope is that this series may bring out better relations between these neighbors, but then there is the chance that you know the fans might get too personal, they might get carried away. And in one sense, if things go against the expectations and wishes of fans then it might even hurt the momentum that has been built up towards peace here in the subcontinent.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: Boy, I hope you are wrong about that, Satinder. We saw some politicians involved, too. Will they be at the game?
BINDRA: Yes, there will be politicians at these games. Some politicians from India will visit. And there is a political consideration to this series as well. India has a general election coming up in just a few weeks. And certainly the ruling Indian party here, the BJP, will be hoping if this tour goes along well, and if the team actually does win, there is a hope and belief that perhaps it will help its election chances -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
Ash-Har, will President Musharraf be at the game?
QURAISHI: Well it's unclear. I'm sure he will be watching. But because of the security concerns around President Musharraf, there's been no word of him actually being at the games to see these players and these fans.
There will be heavy security inside the stadiums as well. They are putting in closed circuit television, which will allow them to monitor the activities of all of the spectators in the stadium at any given time. And as Satinder mentioned, they will be watching out for any type of unsavory incidents that could derail this cricket series, which many are looking to to help smooth over relations between India and Pakistan and really to increase the people-to-people contact between Indians and Pakistanis.
There have been some 8,000 visas, we say -- we hear from officials, being issued for the Indian visitors to come to these games that will be played in various cities across Pakistan. So it's really something that's seen with great enthusiasm and optimism. And the cricketiers here are going to be under a lot of pressure from both these countries to win -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And I know both of you will be following the game as well. Ash-Har Quraishi from Islamabad, Pakistan, Satinder Bindra from New Delhi in India, thanks to both of you for joining us early on DAYBREAK.
We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with much more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time for newspapers across America on DAYBREAK. Are you ready -- Chad?
MYERS: I've seen a couple of them. I'm ready. COSTELLO: Pretty interesting this morning. This one is from the "Daily Record" out of New Jersey, and you know they are performing gay marriages in Asbury Park, at least the mayor and I think it's called the assistant mayor there. But the attorney general has gotten really upset about this and has threatened to file criminal charges against the mayor if he doesn't stop performing gay marriages there. So we'll see what happens there.
MYERS: New twist on "Greetings from Asbury Park."
COSTELLO: You got that right.
Listen to this story, crazy radar. I'm going to read the first paragraph of the article for you. "Pennsylvania State Troopers have written thousands of speeding tickets with radar guns that a State Police expert says are so defective they would clock a roadside rock at 70 miles per hour." So apparently there is something wrong with the Genesis radar gun that police are using. So if you get a ticket in Pennsylvania, or anywhere else that -- for that matter, you should challenge it in court.
MYERS: If you get busted by a laser, forget about it,...
COSTELLO: Yes, about a laser...
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: I like that.
MYERS: ... they are accurate.
COSTELLO: "Orlando Sentinel," I'm sure you know about this since your parents live in that area, allergy season is in full bloom already because...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... of, what, a warm winter there. And it's dry and windy now and its blowing that stuff all around.
MYERS: Yes, even the pollen count here is 183 in Atlanta today. They call extreme 120 or higher. So all across the southeast things are blooming.
COSTELLO: Yes, they -- you know the trees are in bloom.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I was driving down the road and noticed that yesterday.
MYERS: Aren't they beautiful here?
COSTELLO: They are gorgeous.
MYERS: Yes. I mean that's why there is something called Peachtree Street, Peachtree Court, Peachtree Court Way and it just goes on and on and on, because when you -- when you see the peach trees blossom, they are pretty amazing.
COSTELLO: Beautiful.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: So how is the weather across the rest of the nation?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Some health news to share with you this morning. It's still being tested, but doctors at a medical conference in New Orleans say a new pill could help people quit smoking and lose weight at the same time. Obesity and smoking are two of the nation's biggest killers. But you should know the research was funded by the French company that developed the drug.
May be hard to believe, but one of McDonald's new salads may have more fat in it than a cheeseburger. The fast food firm's new menu includes a Caesar Salad with chicken premiere (ph). The salad has 18.4 grams of fat. McDonald's standard cheeseburger has 11.5 grams. So have the burger instead.
Go on, pour yourself another Cup of Joe. It could help you ward off adult diabetes. That's according to a study involving more than 14,000 people in Finland. Women who consume three to four cups of coffee daily had a 29 percent reduced risk for Type 2 diabetes. Among men, the figure was 27 percent. Finland is the world's heaviest coffee drinking country.
We'll get more on that study, by the way, in the next hour of DAYBREAK when we talk with our nutritionist Lisa Drayer.
And we will be back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: You know we like to make you laugh here on DAYBREAK, because it's early and we know you are heading off to work.
So, Chad, join in with me on this.
MYERS: I'm here.
COSTELLO: David Letterman, I know you didn't watch it last night. I didn't either, because it's on so late for us.
MYERS: I hear you.
COSTELLO: But David Letterman is taking on President Bush's plan to send a man to Mars. Here's his Top 10 List.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID LETTERMAN, TV SHOW HOST: Top 10 reasons George W. Bush wants to put a man on Mars. Here we go.
No. 10: Dick Cheney needs a new undisclosed location.
No. 9: It's part of his "No Planet Left Behind" initiative.
No. 8: Great deal on the off-season airfare right now at Expedia.com.
No. 7: Maybe we'll find some weapons of mass destruction there.
No. 6: We've run out of places on earth to drill for oil.
No. 5: Hoping to get Mork's autograph.
No. 4: We cannot back down until the people of Mars hold free elections.
No. 3: Dude! Free Mars Bars!
No. 2: Why not? It's not like we have an enormous debt or failing economy.
And the No. 1 reason George W. Bush wants to put a man on Mars, Pete Rose betting we wouldn't do it.
There you go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It is pretty funny, don't you think?
MYERS: That is pretty good. You know he's got some great writers.
COSTELLO: He does.
MYERS: Sometimes I would shuffle those around a little bit. Some of the first ones were -- that -- the Dick Cheney undisclosed location was...
COSTELLO: That was a good one. And the leaving "no planet behind" was a good one too.
MYERS: Exactly.
COSTELLO: A little Hawaii action you got going there behind you?
MYERS: Winter storm warning, Carol. How often do we ever get to talk about weather storm watches, winter storm warnings, whatever it might be here in Hawaii?
(WEATHER REPORT)
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