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CNN Live At Daybreak
Train Blasts in Spain
Aired March 11, 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
It is Thursday, March 11.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
Four explosions hit the Madrid train system at rush hour this morning. The death toll has more than doubled in the last few minutes. More than 131 people were killed. Four hundred now reported injured. We're going to have a live report out of Madrid for you in just a few minutes.
Four people presumed dead in the crash of a military plane that was attempting to land at a Marine Corps air station in San Diego last night.
Meat produced on a Canadian pig farm may now be contaminated with human DNA. The remains of as many as 23 women have been found on the farm. The owner of the farm has been charged with murder.
They were detainees for more than two years at Guantanamo Bay. But less than 24 hours after their return home to Britain, all five are free men this morning.
The question before a U.S. House subcommittee this morning -- should the government get involved in allegations of sex being used to recruit college athletes? The hearing begins at 8:00 Eastern this morning.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:15 Eastern.
Our top story this morning, the train blasts in Spain. More than 130 are dead, many more injured. The Basque separatist group ETA has a long history of attacks in that country.
Terrorism expert Sajjan Gomel of the Asia-Pacific Foundation joins us live from London with more on this group.
Thank you for joining us this morning.
I just interviewed the Spanish foreign minister. She became very upset when we did not refer to this group as a terrorist group.
Why is she so defensive? SAJJAN GOMEL, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Well, I think we do know for a long time that ETA has been a recognized terrorist group, not just in the European Union, but in the United States. It has waged a bloody campaign since 1968 against the Spanish government. Over 800 people have been killed. And I think it's only natural that the Spanish people have been severely affected by this terrorist group for many decades.
COSTELLO: As far as this latest attack, can you tell us in some detail how it went down? Because it was quite different from previous attacks conducted by this group, ETA.
GOMEL: Well, yes, indeed. This is a very new, dangerous type of attack we're witnessing from ETA. Previously, they were more into killing judges, police officials. They were behind car bomb attacks.
But this is a far more well planned, coordinated, sophisticated, mass casualty attack, a very powerful one. And it seemed that it had been planned long well in advance to coincide with the Spanish general elections, which are taking place over the weekend.
And it's -- if this does prove to be ETA, then it shows that they have developed a new dangerous level in their ability to carry out terrorist attacks.
COSTELLO: Al Goodman reported earlier from Madrid that they actually planted bombs, he thinks, in plastic bags aboard separate train cars and then they exploded simultaneously. It kind of, you know, there's a lot of people who use commuter trains here in the United States.
Is that a new tactics, do you think, in general for terrorist groups other than ETA?
GOMEL: Well, certainly we know, for example, transnational terrorist groups like al Qaeda and its affiliates, that they aim primarily for mass casualty attacks. So they look to target areas where there is large segments of the population, where security might be lax or minimal or non-existent. And they will aim to target at specific periods of the day, like during the rush hour, as we've witnessed today.
So, yes, I think, unfortunately, this is going to become a trait within terrorist groups, to look at these type of areas of attack, because they are, for them, the most successful and for us the most devastating.
COSTELLO: You know, Spain has been on high alert because there are Spanish troops in Iraq. Spain has been a good friend of the United States in its efforts against Saddam Hussein. So, Spain was already on high alert, yet it could not stop this terrorist attack.
Does this illustrate how difficult it is for governments to stop this kind of thing?
GOMEL: Well, not even the best intelligence or security in the world can stop a terrorist attack. What we have to remember is that we have to be successful 100 percent of the time, because a 99.9 percent success rate still amounts to a failure, because that .01 percent will still result in mass casualties, maximum devastation. All we can ever do is make sure that our security is high, our intelligence networks are operating properly, that we are able to crack down on the way these groups are operating, where the cells are planning attacks.
But we can never stop terrorist attacks, unfortunately. And this is the unsafe and unclear world that we live in today, where terrorists will always try to exploit gaps in security to strike.
COSTELLO: Sajjan Gomel joining us live from London.
Many thanks to you.
We have Al Goodman, CNN's Al Goodman, on the phone lines now, live from Madrid -- Al, can you brings us up to date?
We heard the death toll has risen dramatically now.
AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, just since the last moments when we've spoken, the security minister of the Madrid regional government, Mr. Pedro Calvo (ph), has come out and told reporters the latest tolls -- 131 dead, 400 injured in these series of coordinated bomb attacks against a series of three commuter trains pulling into the southern Atocha train station in Madrid.
The one that was closest to the Atocha train station took one of the biggest hits. Many dead on that train and injured. But two other commuter trains hit somewhat farther out, on the southeastern flank of the capital. They would have been heading in, apparently, to Atocha train station, as well.
This just before eight o'clock local time, Carol, which would have been when the trains would have been standing room only packed.
And the blame right now being placed on the Basque separatist group ETA by officials. ETA, the organization, of course, is listed as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Certainly. It just brings to mind, again, the lack of security on board most commuter trains, because as I said to you before, here in the United States you can pretty much get on board the train, nobody checks out your luggage. And you said there are similar, it's similar in Spain.
GOODMAN: Indeed. The only train that is really thoroughly checked as if it were airport security is the bullet train that goes to the south of Spain and now there's a new bullet train going to the northeastern region, which probably has similar security. I've been aboard the bullet train many times. You have to put all of your luggage through a scanner. They really take a solid look at you before they let you on that train. But, you know, several, tens of thousands of people riding the commuter trains and the metros every day in this capital of five million people, that is, the city itself, of Madrid, and the surrounding region. They have never tried to establish that kind of airport type security on these trains.
And just on Christmas Eve, last Christmas Eve, the police say they thwarted an ETA attempt to blow up a train at the northern station here in Madrid, the Chamartin station. On that occasion, they arrested two men. One of them had already placed, the police said, an explosive device in sort of a backpack on the train and had just left it there. And luckily they got to it in time. Unfortunately, they did not get to these in time. The interior minister of the nation says there was no warning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So it seems, Alan -- I'm probably getting into areas where you're not expert, so tell me if I am -- that commuter trains are sort of soft targets. The thing that I'm wondering about, if Spain was on high alert because they have Spanish troops in Iraq and they're an ally of the United States, an attack like this has been tried before on a commuter train.
So, was there extra security in place or none?
GOODMAN: Oh, there very much was extra security throughout the nation. The national elections for parliament and prime minister are this Sunday. There's been a much visible, very visible stepped up police presence on the streets of the capital, where you see police vans and blue, dark blue uniformed national police officers from the elite units standing guard at various intersections and round about where they are not usually on duty.
We were just in the northern city of Zaragosa a couple of days ago to cover the campaign rally of the conservative Popular Party candidate. And as we came into that town, there was a spot, a sudden police check that involved several police vehicles zigzagged across the street, checking people.
They pulled over a car with a couple of young guys. Everybody else had to go through this look that was a very serious look by police officers who had machine guns in their hands.
So there has been stepped up security, but in terms of presence on -- to prevent people or check everybody getting into commuter trains, we haven't seen anything like that, Carol. That's a daunting task.
COSTELLO: I can only imagine.
Al Goodman reporting live from Madrid, Spain this morning.
Again, the death toll has now risen to 131 dead, 400 injured.
Here in the States, it is round two in Massachusetts today. The very divisive issue of same-sex marriage comes up at the constitutional convention, which will reconvene this morning. Last night, proponents held a vigil at the statehouse. Lawmakers will consider a constitutional ban on such marriages. The proposed amendment would allow civil unions, however.
To put the issue in some context, here's a little more information for you. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in November that it's unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to gay couples. The Vermont Supreme Court issued a similar ruling in 1999, but it allowed the legislature to establish civil unions. And California has a domestic partnership registry. It goes into effect next year and will extend many of the same rights of marriage to same sex couples.
Former President Bill Clinton, who signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, has some reaction to the same-sex marriage issue.
Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM NY1)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: The country is going through this dramatic reassessment and we've come a very long way on this issue. Keep in mind, when I tried to get gays in the military in '93, it was one of the major reasons that I lost the Congress in '94. We have come a long way and I think -- and the culture is different in different communities, different states. We will work through it and it will continue broadening the circle of rights in America. It'll be fine. I'm not too worried about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Bill Clinton also said he's talked with John Kerry about choosing a running mate, but he did not disclose what was said about that, because, you know, there's that rumor flying about that Bill Clinton could be his V.P.
In the meantime, Kerry is meeting with former rivals for the presidential nomination. He met in Washington with Howard Dean, who later said he would work closely with Kerry to unseat Bush. And tonight Kerry will be the guest of John Edwards at a thank you party for the 100 biggest donors to the Edwards campaign. Edwards will ask those donors to now give their money to Kerry.
Senator Kerry courts top Democrats on Capitol Hill, too, today. He'll meet with House Democratic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Kerry came to Washington from Chicago, where there was an unguarded moment during his meeting with workers at a sheet metal plant.
Here's what he had to say when the cameras were not -- when he thought the cameras weren't on him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. We're going to keep pounding, let me tell you. We're just beginning to fight here. These guys are, these guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group that I've ever seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A spokesman later said Kerry was referring to the Republican attack machine and not President Bush directly.
The Bush campaign heads today for New York, where the president will discuss the economy at USA Industries in Bay Shore.
In Cleveland, Mr. Bush painted a bright economic picture.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks, in large part, to your hard work, our economy is expanding. Productivity is strong. Unemployment has been falling. Incomes are rising. And we're going to stay on this path of growth and prosperity in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president accuses Democrats of following what he calls a tired, defeatist mind set in their economic proposals.
To the forecast center, where it's only nine days until spring.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is.
COSTELLO: That sounds so nice.
MYERS: I was listening to Mr. Kerry's off the -- what he thought was off the mike. And I'll give him one recommendation. If you go to the wash room, always turn the microphone off, because that will get you embarrassed.
COSTELLO: I think you should send him a note, because he needs to hear that.
MYERS: Oh, I -- and people on TV sometimes don't. We have these wireless microphones on the back and you can go other places that you shouldn't be going when those things are on. So pull the battery out.
COSTELLO: Thanks for taking us down to that point.
MYERS: Sure. That's what I'm good at, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: And it's only nine days till spring.
MYERS: And you're going to remind me of that all the way until spring.
COSTELLO: I'm going to call you later this afternoon just to say it again.
MYERS: Then we're going to go only 91 days till summer.
COSTELLO: Yes, that's a good idea.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: A crackdown on corporate America -- could Martha Stewart's conviction trigger changes in the way some companies do business?
Plus, the hunt for Osama bin Laden. That's not the only operation under way in Afghanistan. We will take you there live.
Also ahead, speed limits are not the norm on the autobahn. But would Germans prefer a slower pace, as in a speed limit?
And forget fast driving, how about flying to the edge of space? I'll talk to an American woman who made one incredible trip.
This is DAYBREAK for March 11.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 6:16 Eastern time.
Time to take a quick look at our top stories.
The Massachusetts legislature reconvenes today to consider a ban on same-sex marriage. While the constitutional amendment will ban such marriages, it would allow civil unions.
A U.S. House committee holds a hearing this morning into reports that sex has been used to recruit athletes to the University of Colorado.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:30 Eastern.
Time for a little business buzz now.
Your company may soon be pushing good ethics at the office.
Carrie Lee joins us live from the NASDAQ market site.
That sounds so nice to me, good ethics at the office.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Doesn't it, Carol?
COSTELLO: It doesn't happen often, in other offices besides CNN, of course.
LEE: Yes, that's right. Well, a new survey finds that looking at portfolio managers and analysts, they find that ethical behavior is crucial for all companies, not just news organizations, but big and small companies, as well. They're actually finding that good ethics makes profitable business sense and that is because of a couple of reasons here.
A little bit of background. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, going back to 2002, this is legislation actually requiring publicly traded companies to create independent boards, to report more detailed information to the SEC and to have their top executives sign off on financial documents relating to the company.
Now, this new survey from the rival research group and Stuart Levine & Associates found that 69 percent of respondents agreed that Sarbanes-Oxley would prompt more ethical behavior by corporations.
One of the authors of this study, Carol, says it's very important for companies to sort of institute a system here so that if people have an issue or an ethical question, they can go right to the top, that people are free to express their opinions. The feeling here is that if there are open channels of communication then we won't have some of these recent problems ethically that we have in corporate America -- back to you.
COSTELLO: It sounds really good, but sometimes those simple things are the hardest to implement. So...
LEE: Exactly. Exactly. And then you have people feeling a certain way. They feel as though maybe their jobs are in jeopardy, they can't say something they should. So, in theory, it sounds good, but at least that's a start.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.
If you think America's interstates have unsafe speeds, as in high speed limits, then you can imagine the criticism some Germans have when it comes to their autobahn. No speed limit on the autobahn. Is it time to put the brakes on autobahn speeds?
And check out our debate Photo of the Day. What is this? We'll have the answer for you, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: What is this? The debate Photo of the Day.
Chad, any guesses?
MYERS: Carol, that's either a sunrise or a sunset over water with a breaking wave. That's an easy one.
COSTELLO: I know. We decided to go easy on people today since it's Thursday and they've had a tough week.
But look at the whole picture. Isn't that beautiful?
MYERS: Oh, it's a moon.
COSTELLO: Yes, it's a moonlit beach and...
MYERS: Well, see, just when you think you're smart, you get whipped.
COSTELLO: Well, this is in California.
MYERS: Nice.
COSTELLO: And the mother and daughter in this picture are enjoying record breaking temperatures, as you know, Chad, in southern California, what it's been, like, 80 degrees on the coast?
MYERS: It has been.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
In Germany, a recent traffic death on the autobahn has sparked heated debate over a national speed limit, something Germany doesn't have on every stretch of highway like we do here in the United States. No speed limit on the autobahn. I don't know if you've ever driven it, but it's scary, at least for an American to drive.
CNN's Stephanie Halasz joins us live from Berlin to talk more about this.
How fast do people go on the autobahn?
STEPHANIE HALASZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, they go very fast, sometimes as much as 130 miles an hour. And you're right, last month a reckless, very fast driver was sentenced to one and a half years in prison and for basically pushing off a mother and her baby off the road. He had driven up to them very fast and scared them so much that they veered to the right, died. And this has rejuvenated a national debate on whether a speed limit should be introduced here.
Of course, as you said, on about two thirds of German highways or autobahns there is no speed limit. And that basically means that people go so very fast.
Now, I mean we've talked to supporters of a speed limit, of the introduction of a speed limit, and, of course, they argue that although the fatality rate here is about the European average and actually much lower than on American highways, with a speed limit, the fatality rate would be even lower. And, of course, they also have environmental concerns.
While opponents of the speed limit, for example, car clubs, the car industry, which is incredibly powerful here, say it is not fast but reckless drivers who cause those fatalities. Now, just to give you some statistics, a slight majority of Germans actually favor a speed limit, 51 percent; while 47 percent of Germans say there is no reason for speed control on German highways -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, I just want to get into how scary it is to drive on the autobahn and what you're talking about, because when you're in the left hand lane of that highway, people who want to drive faster come within centimeters of your bumper, very aggressive driving.
Are there many deaths on Germany's highways?
HALASZ: There are about 800 people who die on German highways a year, which is actually much lower, as I said, than on the American highways. Basically, we went onto the highway yesterday. We wanted to drive quite fast for some time. So I drove about 125 miles an hour for about 10 minutes. And you really have to concentrate very much just to make sure that nothing happens in front of you, nothing happens behind you. And you really have to concentrate and I was quite exhausted after those 10 minutes.
Now, what basically happens is, of course, as you said, is that the right lanes are really only used for slower cars and the left lanes are used for taking over. But if you want to take over those left cars, you already have to be driving very fast on the, to get onto the left lane and perhaps to interfere with the fast cars coming at you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, we'll keep following the story to see if there will one day be a speed limit on the autobahn.
Stephanie Halasz reporting live from Berlin, Germany this morning.
In Afghanistan, the hunt for Osama bin Laden is going strong. We'll head live to Kabul to hear what else the U.S. military is focusing on there.
Plus, security in the Magic Kingdom, reality comes to fantasy land.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired March 11, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
It is Thursday, March 11.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
Four explosions hit the Madrid train system at rush hour this morning. The death toll has more than doubled in the last few minutes. More than 131 people were killed. Four hundred now reported injured. We're going to have a live report out of Madrid for you in just a few minutes.
Four people presumed dead in the crash of a military plane that was attempting to land at a Marine Corps air station in San Diego last night.
Meat produced on a Canadian pig farm may now be contaminated with human DNA. The remains of as many as 23 women have been found on the farm. The owner of the farm has been charged with murder.
They were detainees for more than two years at Guantanamo Bay. But less than 24 hours after their return home to Britain, all five are free men this morning.
The question before a U.S. House subcommittee this morning -- should the government get involved in allegations of sex being used to recruit college athletes? The hearing begins at 8:00 Eastern this morning.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:15 Eastern.
Our top story this morning, the train blasts in Spain. More than 130 are dead, many more injured. The Basque separatist group ETA has a long history of attacks in that country.
Terrorism expert Sajjan Gomel of the Asia-Pacific Foundation joins us live from London with more on this group.
Thank you for joining us this morning.
I just interviewed the Spanish foreign minister. She became very upset when we did not refer to this group as a terrorist group.
Why is she so defensive? SAJJAN GOMEL, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Well, I think we do know for a long time that ETA has been a recognized terrorist group, not just in the European Union, but in the United States. It has waged a bloody campaign since 1968 against the Spanish government. Over 800 people have been killed. And I think it's only natural that the Spanish people have been severely affected by this terrorist group for many decades.
COSTELLO: As far as this latest attack, can you tell us in some detail how it went down? Because it was quite different from previous attacks conducted by this group, ETA.
GOMEL: Well, yes, indeed. This is a very new, dangerous type of attack we're witnessing from ETA. Previously, they were more into killing judges, police officials. They were behind car bomb attacks.
But this is a far more well planned, coordinated, sophisticated, mass casualty attack, a very powerful one. And it seemed that it had been planned long well in advance to coincide with the Spanish general elections, which are taking place over the weekend.
And it's -- if this does prove to be ETA, then it shows that they have developed a new dangerous level in their ability to carry out terrorist attacks.
COSTELLO: Al Goodman reported earlier from Madrid that they actually planted bombs, he thinks, in plastic bags aboard separate train cars and then they exploded simultaneously. It kind of, you know, there's a lot of people who use commuter trains here in the United States.
Is that a new tactics, do you think, in general for terrorist groups other than ETA?
GOMEL: Well, certainly we know, for example, transnational terrorist groups like al Qaeda and its affiliates, that they aim primarily for mass casualty attacks. So they look to target areas where there is large segments of the population, where security might be lax or minimal or non-existent. And they will aim to target at specific periods of the day, like during the rush hour, as we've witnessed today.
So, yes, I think, unfortunately, this is going to become a trait within terrorist groups, to look at these type of areas of attack, because they are, for them, the most successful and for us the most devastating.
COSTELLO: You know, Spain has been on high alert because there are Spanish troops in Iraq. Spain has been a good friend of the United States in its efforts against Saddam Hussein. So, Spain was already on high alert, yet it could not stop this terrorist attack.
Does this illustrate how difficult it is for governments to stop this kind of thing?
GOMEL: Well, not even the best intelligence or security in the world can stop a terrorist attack. What we have to remember is that we have to be successful 100 percent of the time, because a 99.9 percent success rate still amounts to a failure, because that .01 percent will still result in mass casualties, maximum devastation. All we can ever do is make sure that our security is high, our intelligence networks are operating properly, that we are able to crack down on the way these groups are operating, where the cells are planning attacks.
But we can never stop terrorist attacks, unfortunately. And this is the unsafe and unclear world that we live in today, where terrorists will always try to exploit gaps in security to strike.
COSTELLO: Sajjan Gomel joining us live from London.
Many thanks to you.
We have Al Goodman, CNN's Al Goodman, on the phone lines now, live from Madrid -- Al, can you brings us up to date?
We heard the death toll has risen dramatically now.
AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, just since the last moments when we've spoken, the security minister of the Madrid regional government, Mr. Pedro Calvo (ph), has come out and told reporters the latest tolls -- 131 dead, 400 injured in these series of coordinated bomb attacks against a series of three commuter trains pulling into the southern Atocha train station in Madrid.
The one that was closest to the Atocha train station took one of the biggest hits. Many dead on that train and injured. But two other commuter trains hit somewhat farther out, on the southeastern flank of the capital. They would have been heading in, apparently, to Atocha train station, as well.
This just before eight o'clock local time, Carol, which would have been when the trains would have been standing room only packed.
And the blame right now being placed on the Basque separatist group ETA by officials. ETA, the organization, of course, is listed as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Certainly. It just brings to mind, again, the lack of security on board most commuter trains, because as I said to you before, here in the United States you can pretty much get on board the train, nobody checks out your luggage. And you said there are similar, it's similar in Spain.
GOODMAN: Indeed. The only train that is really thoroughly checked as if it were airport security is the bullet train that goes to the south of Spain and now there's a new bullet train going to the northeastern region, which probably has similar security. I've been aboard the bullet train many times. You have to put all of your luggage through a scanner. They really take a solid look at you before they let you on that train. But, you know, several, tens of thousands of people riding the commuter trains and the metros every day in this capital of five million people, that is, the city itself, of Madrid, and the surrounding region. They have never tried to establish that kind of airport type security on these trains.
And just on Christmas Eve, last Christmas Eve, the police say they thwarted an ETA attempt to blow up a train at the northern station here in Madrid, the Chamartin station. On that occasion, they arrested two men. One of them had already placed, the police said, an explosive device in sort of a backpack on the train and had just left it there. And luckily they got to it in time. Unfortunately, they did not get to these in time. The interior minister of the nation says there was no warning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So it seems, Alan -- I'm probably getting into areas where you're not expert, so tell me if I am -- that commuter trains are sort of soft targets. The thing that I'm wondering about, if Spain was on high alert because they have Spanish troops in Iraq and they're an ally of the United States, an attack like this has been tried before on a commuter train.
So, was there extra security in place or none?
GOODMAN: Oh, there very much was extra security throughout the nation. The national elections for parliament and prime minister are this Sunday. There's been a much visible, very visible stepped up police presence on the streets of the capital, where you see police vans and blue, dark blue uniformed national police officers from the elite units standing guard at various intersections and round about where they are not usually on duty.
We were just in the northern city of Zaragosa a couple of days ago to cover the campaign rally of the conservative Popular Party candidate. And as we came into that town, there was a spot, a sudden police check that involved several police vehicles zigzagged across the street, checking people.
They pulled over a car with a couple of young guys. Everybody else had to go through this look that was a very serious look by police officers who had machine guns in their hands.
So there has been stepped up security, but in terms of presence on -- to prevent people or check everybody getting into commuter trains, we haven't seen anything like that, Carol. That's a daunting task.
COSTELLO: I can only imagine.
Al Goodman reporting live from Madrid, Spain this morning.
Again, the death toll has now risen to 131 dead, 400 injured.
Here in the States, it is round two in Massachusetts today. The very divisive issue of same-sex marriage comes up at the constitutional convention, which will reconvene this morning. Last night, proponents held a vigil at the statehouse. Lawmakers will consider a constitutional ban on such marriages. The proposed amendment would allow civil unions, however.
To put the issue in some context, here's a little more information for you. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in November that it's unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to gay couples. The Vermont Supreme Court issued a similar ruling in 1999, but it allowed the legislature to establish civil unions. And California has a domestic partnership registry. It goes into effect next year and will extend many of the same rights of marriage to same sex couples.
Former President Bill Clinton, who signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, has some reaction to the same-sex marriage issue.
Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM NY1)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: The country is going through this dramatic reassessment and we've come a very long way on this issue. Keep in mind, when I tried to get gays in the military in '93, it was one of the major reasons that I lost the Congress in '94. We have come a long way and I think -- and the culture is different in different communities, different states. We will work through it and it will continue broadening the circle of rights in America. It'll be fine. I'm not too worried about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Bill Clinton also said he's talked with John Kerry about choosing a running mate, but he did not disclose what was said about that, because, you know, there's that rumor flying about that Bill Clinton could be his V.P.
In the meantime, Kerry is meeting with former rivals for the presidential nomination. He met in Washington with Howard Dean, who later said he would work closely with Kerry to unseat Bush. And tonight Kerry will be the guest of John Edwards at a thank you party for the 100 biggest donors to the Edwards campaign. Edwards will ask those donors to now give their money to Kerry.
Senator Kerry courts top Democrats on Capitol Hill, too, today. He'll meet with House Democratic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Kerry came to Washington from Chicago, where there was an unguarded moment during his meeting with workers at a sheet metal plant.
Here's what he had to say when the cameras were not -- when he thought the cameras weren't on him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. We're going to keep pounding, let me tell you. We're just beginning to fight here. These guys are, these guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group that I've ever seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A spokesman later said Kerry was referring to the Republican attack machine and not President Bush directly.
The Bush campaign heads today for New York, where the president will discuss the economy at USA Industries in Bay Shore.
In Cleveland, Mr. Bush painted a bright economic picture.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks, in large part, to your hard work, our economy is expanding. Productivity is strong. Unemployment has been falling. Incomes are rising. And we're going to stay on this path of growth and prosperity in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president accuses Democrats of following what he calls a tired, defeatist mind set in their economic proposals.
To the forecast center, where it's only nine days until spring.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is.
COSTELLO: That sounds so nice.
MYERS: I was listening to Mr. Kerry's off the -- what he thought was off the mike. And I'll give him one recommendation. If you go to the wash room, always turn the microphone off, because that will get you embarrassed.
COSTELLO: I think you should send him a note, because he needs to hear that.
MYERS: Oh, I -- and people on TV sometimes don't. We have these wireless microphones on the back and you can go other places that you shouldn't be going when those things are on. So pull the battery out.
COSTELLO: Thanks for taking us down to that point.
MYERS: Sure. That's what I'm good at, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: And it's only nine days till spring.
MYERS: And you're going to remind me of that all the way until spring.
COSTELLO: I'm going to call you later this afternoon just to say it again.
MYERS: Then we're going to go only 91 days till summer.
COSTELLO: Yes, that's a good idea.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: A crackdown on corporate America -- could Martha Stewart's conviction trigger changes in the way some companies do business?
Plus, the hunt for Osama bin Laden. That's not the only operation under way in Afghanistan. We will take you there live.
Also ahead, speed limits are not the norm on the autobahn. But would Germans prefer a slower pace, as in a speed limit?
And forget fast driving, how about flying to the edge of space? I'll talk to an American woman who made one incredible trip.
This is DAYBREAK for March 11.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 6:16 Eastern time.
Time to take a quick look at our top stories.
The Massachusetts legislature reconvenes today to consider a ban on same-sex marriage. While the constitutional amendment will ban such marriages, it would allow civil unions.
A U.S. House committee holds a hearing this morning into reports that sex has been used to recruit athletes to the University of Colorado.
We update the top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:30 Eastern.
Time for a little business buzz now.
Your company may soon be pushing good ethics at the office.
Carrie Lee joins us live from the NASDAQ market site.
That sounds so nice to me, good ethics at the office.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Doesn't it, Carol?
COSTELLO: It doesn't happen often, in other offices besides CNN, of course.
LEE: Yes, that's right. Well, a new survey finds that looking at portfolio managers and analysts, they find that ethical behavior is crucial for all companies, not just news organizations, but big and small companies, as well. They're actually finding that good ethics makes profitable business sense and that is because of a couple of reasons here.
A little bit of background. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, going back to 2002, this is legislation actually requiring publicly traded companies to create independent boards, to report more detailed information to the SEC and to have their top executives sign off on financial documents relating to the company.
Now, this new survey from the rival research group and Stuart Levine & Associates found that 69 percent of respondents agreed that Sarbanes-Oxley would prompt more ethical behavior by corporations.
One of the authors of this study, Carol, says it's very important for companies to sort of institute a system here so that if people have an issue or an ethical question, they can go right to the top, that people are free to express their opinions. The feeling here is that if there are open channels of communication then we won't have some of these recent problems ethically that we have in corporate America -- back to you.
COSTELLO: It sounds really good, but sometimes those simple things are the hardest to implement. So...
LEE: Exactly. Exactly. And then you have people feeling a certain way. They feel as though maybe their jobs are in jeopardy, they can't say something they should. So, in theory, it sounds good, but at least that's a start.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.
If you think America's interstates have unsafe speeds, as in high speed limits, then you can imagine the criticism some Germans have when it comes to their autobahn. No speed limit on the autobahn. Is it time to put the brakes on autobahn speeds?
And check out our debate Photo of the Day. What is this? We'll have the answer for you, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: What is this? The debate Photo of the Day.
Chad, any guesses?
MYERS: Carol, that's either a sunrise or a sunset over water with a breaking wave. That's an easy one.
COSTELLO: I know. We decided to go easy on people today since it's Thursday and they've had a tough week.
But look at the whole picture. Isn't that beautiful?
MYERS: Oh, it's a moon.
COSTELLO: Yes, it's a moonlit beach and...
MYERS: Well, see, just when you think you're smart, you get whipped.
COSTELLO: Well, this is in California.
MYERS: Nice.
COSTELLO: And the mother and daughter in this picture are enjoying record breaking temperatures, as you know, Chad, in southern California, what it's been, like, 80 degrees on the coast?
MYERS: It has been.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
In Germany, a recent traffic death on the autobahn has sparked heated debate over a national speed limit, something Germany doesn't have on every stretch of highway like we do here in the United States. No speed limit on the autobahn. I don't know if you've ever driven it, but it's scary, at least for an American to drive.
CNN's Stephanie Halasz joins us live from Berlin to talk more about this.
How fast do people go on the autobahn?
STEPHANIE HALASZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, they go very fast, sometimes as much as 130 miles an hour. And you're right, last month a reckless, very fast driver was sentenced to one and a half years in prison and for basically pushing off a mother and her baby off the road. He had driven up to them very fast and scared them so much that they veered to the right, died. And this has rejuvenated a national debate on whether a speed limit should be introduced here.
Of course, as you said, on about two thirds of German highways or autobahns there is no speed limit. And that basically means that people go so very fast.
Now, I mean we've talked to supporters of a speed limit, of the introduction of a speed limit, and, of course, they argue that although the fatality rate here is about the European average and actually much lower than on American highways, with a speed limit, the fatality rate would be even lower. And, of course, they also have environmental concerns.
While opponents of the speed limit, for example, car clubs, the car industry, which is incredibly powerful here, say it is not fast but reckless drivers who cause those fatalities. Now, just to give you some statistics, a slight majority of Germans actually favor a speed limit, 51 percent; while 47 percent of Germans say there is no reason for speed control on German highways -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, I just want to get into how scary it is to drive on the autobahn and what you're talking about, because when you're in the left hand lane of that highway, people who want to drive faster come within centimeters of your bumper, very aggressive driving.
Are there many deaths on Germany's highways?
HALASZ: There are about 800 people who die on German highways a year, which is actually much lower, as I said, than on the American highways. Basically, we went onto the highway yesterday. We wanted to drive quite fast for some time. So I drove about 125 miles an hour for about 10 minutes. And you really have to concentrate very much just to make sure that nothing happens in front of you, nothing happens behind you. And you really have to concentrate and I was quite exhausted after those 10 minutes.
Now, what basically happens is, of course, as you said, is that the right lanes are really only used for slower cars and the left lanes are used for taking over. But if you want to take over those left cars, you already have to be driving very fast on the, to get onto the left lane and perhaps to interfere with the fast cars coming at you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, we'll keep following the story to see if there will one day be a speed limit on the autobahn.
Stephanie Halasz reporting live from Berlin, Germany this morning.
In Afghanistan, the hunt for Osama bin Laden is going strong. We'll head live to Kabul to hear what else the U.S. military is focusing on there.
Plus, security in the Magic Kingdom, reality comes to fantasy land.
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