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CNN Live At Daybreak

Hearings Resume Today in 9/11 Investigation; Countdown in Iraq to June 30 Handover

Aired March 24, 2004 - 06:31   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. Welcome back to DAYBREAK. I'm Carol Costello. It is Wednesday, March 24. Thanks for joining us this morning.
Former White House terrorism advisor Richard Clarke appears before the 9/11 Commission today. Clarke's new book is highly critical of President Bush's leadership.

Kobe Bryant will face his accuser today. She testifies in a closed preliminary hearing. The judge is trying to decide of the woman's sexual history is relevant in the rape case against Bryant.

Rescue crews are searching five states for a small plane carrying NASCAR fans. The plane disappeared Sunday night while traveling to South Carolina to Illinois.

More than a dozen world leaders are in Madrid this morning. You're looking at live pictures from outside of the cathedral. They're attending a memorial service for the 190 people killed in the terror attacks in Spain. Secretary of State Colin Powell already inside.

We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:45 Eastern.

You can be sure White House officials will be watching closely when Richard Clarke testifies before the 9/11 Commission today. The former counterterrorism chief accuses the administration of pre- and post-9/11 mistakes in the war on terror.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr live on the phone with DAYBREAK with more on today's session.

Good morning to you, Barbara. It should be pretty heated, shouldn't it?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It should be, Carol. It's going to be day two of the hearings. Of course, Richard Clarke will wrap it up this afternoon with several hours of scheduled testimony, a lot of tough questions likely to come his way.

But, you know, there were a lot of tough questions yesterday for the secretaries of state in both the Clinton and Bush administration, and the secretaries of defense in both of the administrations. A lot of very tough questioning for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld by the end of the day about why, if the administration thought al Qaeda was such a threat, why they didn't do something about it before the 9/11 attacks.

One of the most interesting things, of course, that we learned is the commission staff detailed three instances, three times in 1998 and 1999 -- of course, during the Clinton administration -- when officials thought they might have bin Laden in their crosshairs, they planned missions to go out and carry out some airstrikes to try and kill him. But at the last minute, it was the CIA that called off all three missions, saying the intelligence just wasn't solid enough.

So, still it came back to the question of those two words we keep hearing: actionable intelligence -- the tough business of really trying to get the intelligence in time to do something about it.

COSTELLO: You know, we've been getting a lot of e-mails from our viewers. They really want the commission members to ask very heated, pointed questions, and viewers don't really think they're doing that.

STARR: Well, it -- I suppose it depends if you watched all eight hours of testimony or not yesterday. There was one time that really struck me, I have to tell you. In two separate cases, there were very tough questions about why National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice did not appear in public before the commission. She, of course, has exerted executive privilege, saying that she will not testify publicly.

But the commissioners were raising -- or at least some commissioners were raising very tough questions if she is appearing so much on television, why won't she appear before the commission? And in both cases, members of the audience who, of course, many of them are the family members of people who were killed on 9/11, they broke into applause on support of the commissioners saying Condoleezza Rice should come and testify in public.

COSTELLO: Interesting. It should be fascinating testimony today, especially when Richard Clarke begins his testimony. Barbara Starr, thanks for joining us live on DAYBREAK this morning.

Remember, you can follow our live hourly coverage of today's hearing. It starts at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

Overseas now, there is a lot going on in Iraq today, including a countdown to the scheduled handover of control to Iraq by the U.S.-led coalition; plus, a key speech by the man in charge of the coalition.

CNN's Jim Clancy has more on that for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The hard-charging U.S. administrator of Iraq is literally flying toward a date with history. With the Bush administration's entire Iraq policy on the line, Ambassador Paul Bremer is battling an insurrection, bickering politicians, and doubts among Iraqis themselves.

"The only thing Bremer accomplished," said this merchant, "is increasing the tanks and troops on the streets." Adding, "The Americans don't know the conditions Iraqis face in everyday life."

Others complain, things seem to change so fast, they don't know what to expect next.

On the political front, the makeup of a new, larger Governing Council is far from certain. Politicians left on the sidelines snipe at the current group appointed by the U.S. while clawing for membership and a share of power. They favor the June 30 handover that will give them the chance.

HATEM MUKHLIS, IRAQI NATIONAL MOVEMENT: I think Iraq is ready, and I think Iraq needs it. But it needs a different formula from what we've got, the Interim Governing Council, which has been branded as the impotent Governing Council. We need to change.

CLANCY: Clearly needed: an end to attacks on coalition and Iraqi security forces. U.S. officials insist the Iraqis themselves are better able to tackle the problem, but Iraq's interior minister warns he isn't ready. Some U.S. military men concede he has a point.

BRIG. GEN. CARTER R. HAM, U.S. ARMY: There are training, organizational and equipment shortfalls in Iraqi security forces. There's no question about that.

CLANCY: Ambassador Bremer has gained respect from Iraqis for the hard work he's done to rebuild the infrastructure and plant the seeds of democracy at the grassroots level. U.S. officials stress democracy-building is second only to security on their list of priorities, and ultimately may prove more important than who is chosen to serve in any new Governing Council.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

In Washington's view, it is important right now that it keep its words. In other words, it promised it was going to hand over control back to the Iraqis at the end of June, the 1st of July. It intends to do just that.

Now, one update, Carol, and that's for you on the latest on the military situation on the ground in the town of Fallujah, about 1:30 this morning a coalition convoy was hit by a roadside device, then attacked with small-arms fire. Two coalition members reported wounded. We don't have the nationalities of these.

At the same time, an Iraqi doctor telling CNN that six Iraqis were killed, five seriously wounded in that exchange of gunfire.

So, we're continuing to follow that story as well. Difficult times here at some points and junctures, especially there in the Sunni triangle, as it's called.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: All right, Jim Clancy live from Baghdad for us this morning.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, another football team may be getting a new place to play. We'll tell you -- well, we gave you a clue right there.

And the bush man is back in business. You've got to stick around to hear why this guy's off the hook.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:43 Eastern Time. Here are the latest headlines for you.

Former White House terrorism advisory Richard Clarke testifies before the 9/11 Commission today. Clarke served under four administrations.

A Baghdad hotel housing American contractors and media has been hit by a rocket. No casualties reported this morning.

Was there ever water on Mars? NASA scientists have reviewed data for the rover Opportunity and say now they're positive that there was once flowing water on Mars. They just don't know how much there was.

Your money again with the gas prices. The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded jumped to record levels. The average is nearly $1.74 per gallon.

In sports, the New York Jets may be coming back to the city from their home in New Jersey. A new $1.4 billion stadium plan may be announced as early as this week.

In culture, a bit of shock for listeners of National Public Radio. Bob Edwards, host of "Morning Edition" for the past 25 years, will be stepping down at the end of the month. "Variety" reports he'll be a senior correspondent.

And in weather, more rain expected in the Midwest today.

Those are the headlines. Your next update coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING" at the top of the hour.

All right, put down your coffee for just a second and think about that cold beer you're going to have after work. Do you know how many carbs are in that can? Coming up, Lisa Drayer, our own dietician, breaks down the beer barrier for all of you dieters.

And they call him bush man, and he's free to keep scaring people.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Some health headlines for you this morning. The FDA has approved generic versions of the controversial painkiller, Oxycontin. This should greatly reduce the drug's cost. The drug has been linked to about 100 deaths and carries a warning label saying it can be as addictive at morphine.

Asthma sufferers beware. Researchers have found that an ingredient used in inhalers may counteract the benefits of other asthma drugs. Experts say that may explain why some patients who use the inhalers actually get worse over time.

And you are never too old to start eating right. A new study shows that a low-calorie diet can help increase your lifespan regardless of when the dietary change takes place. In the study -- they used older mice in this -- older mice that were placed on a restricted calorie diet lived 42 percent longer than litter mates who continued to eat a standard diet.

But forget about eating less. How about drinking more -- in moderation that is -- beer? Many dieters watching their carbs think they have to say bye-bye to the brewskies, but one company -- a brewery -- says that ain't so.

Registered dietician Lisa Drayer is here to explain it all.

LISA DRAYER: Good morning, Carol.

That's right. Anheuser-Busch is claiming that many low- carbohydrate diet books, like "The South Beach Diet" and Suzanne Somer's "Fast and Easy," are providing incorrect information about beer.

COSTELLO: Get out!

DRAYER: No. They have a new pamphlet out. It's beer carbohydrates, the real story. I brought it with me here. It's going out to over 600 of the company's wholesalers this week, and it explains some of the refutes that they're making.

COSTELLO: OK. So, let's talk about the myth busters. What are they?

DRAYER: Right. Well, the first one is that beer is high in sugar. Anheuser-Busch is saying this is not true that beer is high in sugar.

Now, beer does contain the sugar maltose in the early stages of brewing. This is from the barley malt. But, in fact, this sugar does get converted to alcohol. Yeasts are added to convert the sugar to alcohol.

So, in the end, there is very little sugar in the beer. And many experts I spoke with did agree with this.

COSTELLO: Oh...

(CROSSTALK)

DRAYER: However, it still does contain some carbohydrates in the end, so we're not necessarily talking a carb-free beer. In fact, if we look at a regular beer has 13 grams of carbohydrates, a light beer, 4.6. So, if you're drinking a regular beer, that's almost the same amount that you would have in a slice of bread.

COSTELLO: So, watch your low-carb beers.

Let's see, what other claims. Beer has a high glycemic index. You kind of went over that.

DRAYER: Right. Exactly. A lot of these folks are saying avoid beer because of the glycemic index. That is, it would cause a spike in blood sugar, and therefore should be avoided. But, in fact, Anheuser-Busch is arguing there is no glycemic index on beer.

Now, I spoke with David Jenkins (ph). He is at the University of Toronto. He's credited with inventing the glycemic index, and he agrees with this. In fact, he says it would take about five to eight beers to even measure on the glycemic index.

COSTELLO: Well, no one ever drinks five to eight beers.

DRAYER: Right. That wouldn't be (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COSTELLO: The other claim that Anheuser-Busch is refuting, beer bellies come from beer.

DRAYER: That's right. They are arguing that beer bellies come from a combination of excess calories, not necessarily beer calories, and also genetics can also play a role and where the fat gets deposited.

Now, I did speak with experts on this, and they did agree. In fact, Eric Rym (ph) at Harvard, who did a lot of alcohol research, says if you were to eat too much pizza, you would have a pizza belly.

So, it's not the beer per se. But, of course, we know that beer has calories.

COSTELLO: Might this little pamphlet be coming out because Anheuser-Busch is just releasing this big PR campaign to sell their low-carb beer?

DRAYER: Well, possibly. In fact, I believe we do have the commercial clip from their treadmill commercial. Let's take a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that our beer is made with all- natural ingredients and is low in carbs. So few, in fact, it's easy to burn the carbs in one Bud Light. That's why we've created the mini-treadmill 2010. Use your treadmill at home, on the town, even in the gym.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It's very funny and probably pretty effective. And thanks for straightening us out on low-car beer, and if it really is low-carb and if it really does help your diet. And the answer is... DRAYER: Right.

COSTELLO: The final answer is?

DRAYER: The calories count. But moderate consumption of alcohol, one to two beverages a day, should not sabotage your weight loss efforts. But do read the labels to see how many carbs and how many calories are in beer.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Lisa Drayer. As always, we appreciate it.

DRAYER: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Are we heading up to the forecast center now to check in with Chad for the big...

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I am...

COSTELLO: ... questions of the day?

MYERS: I am here, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. We are ready for the questions of the DAYBREAK mug contest of the morning.

MYERS: I was anxiously listening to that conversation.

COSTELLO: I bet you were.

MYERS: I've switched to Miller Lite now, because it's 3.2. I did ultra at 2.6, but I think...

COSTELLO: Would you get to the questions?

MYERS: I'm sorry. I (UNINTELLIGIBLE), of course.

Hey, here are the questions now. Yes, let's see. The third person in with the correct this morning will win a DAYBREAK mug.

A British balloonist says he soared 42,000 feet over Denver Tuesday, breaking the world record. But how cold was it when he was way up there at the top? And let me tell you, it was cold.

And the Colorado lodge that Kobe Bryant stayed in is selling furniture that was in his room. Some of it was. Some of it wasn't. Some of the pieces have a label on them. What does the label say?

COSTELLO: Oh, they are hard questions!

MYERS: Very hard, Carol.

COSTELLO: I don't even know the answer to No. 2.

MYERS: You had to be watching, and you were reading. You were a little busy when that was up. And thanks to Ann Holmes (ph) for creating our DAYBREAK "win a CNN DAYBREAK coffee mug" graphic.

COSTELLO: That's because we have no budget here on DAYBREAK.

MYERS: That's right.

COSTELLO: We needed some graphics, so we have our viewers make them for us.

MYERS: That's right.

COSTELLO: We've discovered something. Are we heading to a break now? No, we're doing business now.

We have everything in this block. Time for a little business buzz right now.

The European Union rules Microsoft broke antitrust laws and slaps the software giant with a giant fine.

Stacy Tisdale has more live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Tell us about this -- Stacy.

STACY TISDALE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not quite time for a break just yet, Carol. This is almost a breaking news story at a little more than an hour.

European regulators have slapped a record fine on Microsoft. The company must pay more than $600 million for antitrust violations. The fine could have been as much as $3 billion.

But the bigger problems for Microsoft come with the conditions of the ruling. Microsoft has to supply technical information to rivals within 120 days. This will allow competitors to create products that are compatible with Windows.

In addition, Microsoft has 90 days to offer a version of Windows without the Media Player. The company is going to appeal, Carol, but that could take years.

And that's what's going to be the big story we're watching today.

Now back over to you.

COSTELLO: All right, Stacy, many thanks -- live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

An update on the whale story for you now. Scientists are hoping to get back into the water today to rescue an endangered whale from certain death. The whale was discovered last week tangled in some fishing lines. Experts say if it isn't freed soon, the 34-foot endangered whale will surely die.

We'll have more updates for you throughout the week, throughout the day. DAYBREAK will be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, it is time for "The Lightning Round." Let's get going, shall we, Chad?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Britney. Take a look, Chad. She's back.

MYERS: Wonder Woman.

COSTELLO: She does look like Wonder Woman. Yes. Britney Spears' Onyx Hotel tour checked into Atlanta last night in front of 15,000 screaming fans made up of mostly 13-year-old girls dressed like Britney. Look at them. Those girls are 12. It's amazing.

MYERS: No wonder why there was traffic. All of the 12-year-olds were driving.

COSTELLO: The 12-year-olds were stopping traffic because they were dressed as 35-year-olds.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: OK. This is no fish tale, Chad. A man in Wisconsin caught a 73-pound buffalo head fish. Have you ever heard of that kind of fish?

MYERS: No, but I was looking it up, and he caught that sucker on eight pound (UNINTELLIGIBLE). In fact, it is part of the sucker family, the carp family.

COSTELLO: So, can you eat that?

MYERS: He said great fish, good smoked, nice tender flesh.

COSTELLO: And it looks so delicious right now, doesn't it?

MYERS: No.

COSTELLO: The International Fishing Hall of Fame verifies that this is the heaviest fish caught. It will be a world record. Congrats.

The bush man cannot be stopped. This prankster who makes it his job to scare people at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf was put on trial for being a public nuisance, but a judge says he's not. So, he can go on scaring people.

MYERS: Have a great day, Carol.

COSTELLO: You, too, Chad. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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 24, 2004 - 06:31   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. Welcome back to DAYBREAK. I'm Carol Costello. It is Wednesday, March 24. Thanks for joining us this morning.
Former White House terrorism advisor Richard Clarke appears before the 9/11 Commission today. Clarke's new book is highly critical of President Bush's leadership.

Kobe Bryant will face his accuser today. She testifies in a closed preliminary hearing. The judge is trying to decide of the woman's sexual history is relevant in the rape case against Bryant.

Rescue crews are searching five states for a small plane carrying NASCAR fans. The plane disappeared Sunday night while traveling to South Carolina to Illinois.

More than a dozen world leaders are in Madrid this morning. You're looking at live pictures from outside of the cathedral. They're attending a memorial service for the 190 people killed in the terror attacks in Spain. Secretary of State Colin Powell already inside.

We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:45 Eastern.

You can be sure White House officials will be watching closely when Richard Clarke testifies before the 9/11 Commission today. The former counterterrorism chief accuses the administration of pre- and post-9/11 mistakes in the war on terror.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr live on the phone with DAYBREAK with more on today's session.

Good morning to you, Barbara. It should be pretty heated, shouldn't it?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It should be, Carol. It's going to be day two of the hearings. Of course, Richard Clarke will wrap it up this afternoon with several hours of scheduled testimony, a lot of tough questions likely to come his way.

But, you know, there were a lot of tough questions yesterday for the secretaries of state in both the Clinton and Bush administration, and the secretaries of defense in both of the administrations. A lot of very tough questioning for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld by the end of the day about why, if the administration thought al Qaeda was such a threat, why they didn't do something about it before the 9/11 attacks.

One of the most interesting things, of course, that we learned is the commission staff detailed three instances, three times in 1998 and 1999 -- of course, during the Clinton administration -- when officials thought they might have bin Laden in their crosshairs, they planned missions to go out and carry out some airstrikes to try and kill him. But at the last minute, it was the CIA that called off all three missions, saying the intelligence just wasn't solid enough.

So, still it came back to the question of those two words we keep hearing: actionable intelligence -- the tough business of really trying to get the intelligence in time to do something about it.

COSTELLO: You know, we've been getting a lot of e-mails from our viewers. They really want the commission members to ask very heated, pointed questions, and viewers don't really think they're doing that.

STARR: Well, it -- I suppose it depends if you watched all eight hours of testimony or not yesterday. There was one time that really struck me, I have to tell you. In two separate cases, there were very tough questions about why National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice did not appear in public before the commission. She, of course, has exerted executive privilege, saying that she will not testify publicly.

But the commissioners were raising -- or at least some commissioners were raising very tough questions if she is appearing so much on television, why won't she appear before the commission? And in both cases, members of the audience who, of course, many of them are the family members of people who were killed on 9/11, they broke into applause on support of the commissioners saying Condoleezza Rice should come and testify in public.

COSTELLO: Interesting. It should be fascinating testimony today, especially when Richard Clarke begins his testimony. Barbara Starr, thanks for joining us live on DAYBREAK this morning.

Remember, you can follow our live hourly coverage of today's hearing. It starts at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

Overseas now, there is a lot going on in Iraq today, including a countdown to the scheduled handover of control to Iraq by the U.S.-led coalition; plus, a key speech by the man in charge of the coalition.

CNN's Jim Clancy has more on that for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The hard-charging U.S. administrator of Iraq is literally flying toward a date with history. With the Bush administration's entire Iraq policy on the line, Ambassador Paul Bremer is battling an insurrection, bickering politicians, and doubts among Iraqis themselves.

"The only thing Bremer accomplished," said this merchant, "is increasing the tanks and troops on the streets." Adding, "The Americans don't know the conditions Iraqis face in everyday life."

Others complain, things seem to change so fast, they don't know what to expect next.

On the political front, the makeup of a new, larger Governing Council is far from certain. Politicians left on the sidelines snipe at the current group appointed by the U.S. while clawing for membership and a share of power. They favor the June 30 handover that will give them the chance.

HATEM MUKHLIS, IRAQI NATIONAL MOVEMENT: I think Iraq is ready, and I think Iraq needs it. But it needs a different formula from what we've got, the Interim Governing Council, which has been branded as the impotent Governing Council. We need to change.

CLANCY: Clearly needed: an end to attacks on coalition and Iraqi security forces. U.S. officials insist the Iraqis themselves are better able to tackle the problem, but Iraq's interior minister warns he isn't ready. Some U.S. military men concede he has a point.

BRIG. GEN. CARTER R. HAM, U.S. ARMY: There are training, organizational and equipment shortfalls in Iraqi security forces. There's no question about that.

CLANCY: Ambassador Bremer has gained respect from Iraqis for the hard work he's done to rebuild the infrastructure and plant the seeds of democracy at the grassroots level. U.S. officials stress democracy-building is second only to security on their list of priorities, and ultimately may prove more important than who is chosen to serve in any new Governing Council.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

In Washington's view, it is important right now that it keep its words. In other words, it promised it was going to hand over control back to the Iraqis at the end of June, the 1st of July. It intends to do just that.

Now, one update, Carol, and that's for you on the latest on the military situation on the ground in the town of Fallujah, about 1:30 this morning a coalition convoy was hit by a roadside device, then attacked with small-arms fire. Two coalition members reported wounded. We don't have the nationalities of these.

At the same time, an Iraqi doctor telling CNN that six Iraqis were killed, five seriously wounded in that exchange of gunfire.

So, we're continuing to follow that story as well. Difficult times here at some points and junctures, especially there in the Sunni triangle, as it's called.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: All right, Jim Clancy live from Baghdad for us this morning.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, another football team may be getting a new place to play. We'll tell you -- well, we gave you a clue right there.

And the bush man is back in business. You've got to stick around to hear why this guy's off the hook.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:43 Eastern Time. Here are the latest headlines for you.

Former White House terrorism advisory Richard Clarke testifies before the 9/11 Commission today. Clarke served under four administrations.

A Baghdad hotel housing American contractors and media has been hit by a rocket. No casualties reported this morning.

Was there ever water on Mars? NASA scientists have reviewed data for the rover Opportunity and say now they're positive that there was once flowing water on Mars. They just don't know how much there was.

Your money again with the gas prices. The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded jumped to record levels. The average is nearly $1.74 per gallon.

In sports, the New York Jets may be coming back to the city from their home in New Jersey. A new $1.4 billion stadium plan may be announced as early as this week.

In culture, a bit of shock for listeners of National Public Radio. Bob Edwards, host of "Morning Edition" for the past 25 years, will be stepping down at the end of the month. "Variety" reports he'll be a senior correspondent.

And in weather, more rain expected in the Midwest today.

Those are the headlines. Your next update coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING" at the top of the hour.

All right, put down your coffee for just a second and think about that cold beer you're going to have after work. Do you know how many carbs are in that can? Coming up, Lisa Drayer, our own dietician, breaks down the beer barrier for all of you dieters.

And they call him bush man, and he's free to keep scaring people.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Some health headlines for you this morning. The FDA has approved generic versions of the controversial painkiller, Oxycontin. This should greatly reduce the drug's cost. The drug has been linked to about 100 deaths and carries a warning label saying it can be as addictive at morphine.

Asthma sufferers beware. Researchers have found that an ingredient used in inhalers may counteract the benefits of other asthma drugs. Experts say that may explain why some patients who use the inhalers actually get worse over time.

And you are never too old to start eating right. A new study shows that a low-calorie diet can help increase your lifespan regardless of when the dietary change takes place. In the study -- they used older mice in this -- older mice that were placed on a restricted calorie diet lived 42 percent longer than litter mates who continued to eat a standard diet.

But forget about eating less. How about drinking more -- in moderation that is -- beer? Many dieters watching their carbs think they have to say bye-bye to the brewskies, but one company -- a brewery -- says that ain't so.

Registered dietician Lisa Drayer is here to explain it all.

LISA DRAYER: Good morning, Carol.

That's right. Anheuser-Busch is claiming that many low- carbohydrate diet books, like "The South Beach Diet" and Suzanne Somer's "Fast and Easy," are providing incorrect information about beer.

COSTELLO: Get out!

DRAYER: No. They have a new pamphlet out. It's beer carbohydrates, the real story. I brought it with me here. It's going out to over 600 of the company's wholesalers this week, and it explains some of the refutes that they're making.

COSTELLO: OK. So, let's talk about the myth busters. What are they?

DRAYER: Right. Well, the first one is that beer is high in sugar. Anheuser-Busch is saying this is not true that beer is high in sugar.

Now, beer does contain the sugar maltose in the early stages of brewing. This is from the barley malt. But, in fact, this sugar does get converted to alcohol. Yeasts are added to convert the sugar to alcohol.

So, in the end, there is very little sugar in the beer. And many experts I spoke with did agree with this.

COSTELLO: Oh...

(CROSSTALK)

DRAYER: However, it still does contain some carbohydrates in the end, so we're not necessarily talking a carb-free beer. In fact, if we look at a regular beer has 13 grams of carbohydrates, a light beer, 4.6. So, if you're drinking a regular beer, that's almost the same amount that you would have in a slice of bread.

COSTELLO: So, watch your low-carb beers.

Let's see, what other claims. Beer has a high glycemic index. You kind of went over that.

DRAYER: Right. Exactly. A lot of these folks are saying avoid beer because of the glycemic index. That is, it would cause a spike in blood sugar, and therefore should be avoided. But, in fact, Anheuser-Busch is arguing there is no glycemic index on beer.

Now, I spoke with David Jenkins (ph). He is at the University of Toronto. He's credited with inventing the glycemic index, and he agrees with this. In fact, he says it would take about five to eight beers to even measure on the glycemic index.

COSTELLO: Well, no one ever drinks five to eight beers.

DRAYER: Right. That wouldn't be (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COSTELLO: The other claim that Anheuser-Busch is refuting, beer bellies come from beer.

DRAYER: That's right. They are arguing that beer bellies come from a combination of excess calories, not necessarily beer calories, and also genetics can also play a role and where the fat gets deposited.

Now, I did speak with experts on this, and they did agree. In fact, Eric Rym (ph) at Harvard, who did a lot of alcohol research, says if you were to eat too much pizza, you would have a pizza belly.

So, it's not the beer per se. But, of course, we know that beer has calories.

COSTELLO: Might this little pamphlet be coming out because Anheuser-Busch is just releasing this big PR campaign to sell their low-carb beer?

DRAYER: Well, possibly. In fact, I believe we do have the commercial clip from their treadmill commercial. Let's take a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that our beer is made with all- natural ingredients and is low in carbs. So few, in fact, it's easy to burn the carbs in one Bud Light. That's why we've created the mini-treadmill 2010. Use your treadmill at home, on the town, even in the gym.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It's very funny and probably pretty effective. And thanks for straightening us out on low-car beer, and if it really is low-carb and if it really does help your diet. And the answer is... DRAYER: Right.

COSTELLO: The final answer is?

DRAYER: The calories count. But moderate consumption of alcohol, one to two beverages a day, should not sabotage your weight loss efforts. But do read the labels to see how many carbs and how many calories are in beer.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Lisa Drayer. As always, we appreciate it.

DRAYER: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Are we heading up to the forecast center now to check in with Chad for the big...

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I am...

COSTELLO: ... questions of the day?

MYERS: I am here, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. We are ready for the questions of the DAYBREAK mug contest of the morning.

MYERS: I was anxiously listening to that conversation.

COSTELLO: I bet you were.

MYERS: I've switched to Miller Lite now, because it's 3.2. I did ultra at 2.6, but I think...

COSTELLO: Would you get to the questions?

MYERS: I'm sorry. I (UNINTELLIGIBLE), of course.

Hey, here are the questions now. Yes, let's see. The third person in with the correct this morning will win a DAYBREAK mug.

A British balloonist says he soared 42,000 feet over Denver Tuesday, breaking the world record. But how cold was it when he was way up there at the top? And let me tell you, it was cold.

And the Colorado lodge that Kobe Bryant stayed in is selling furniture that was in his room. Some of it was. Some of it wasn't. Some of the pieces have a label on them. What does the label say?

COSTELLO: Oh, they are hard questions!

MYERS: Very hard, Carol.

COSTELLO: I don't even know the answer to No. 2.

MYERS: You had to be watching, and you were reading. You were a little busy when that was up. And thanks to Ann Holmes (ph) for creating our DAYBREAK "win a CNN DAYBREAK coffee mug" graphic.

COSTELLO: That's because we have no budget here on DAYBREAK.

MYERS: That's right.

COSTELLO: We needed some graphics, so we have our viewers make them for us.

MYERS: That's right.

COSTELLO: We've discovered something. Are we heading to a break now? No, we're doing business now.

We have everything in this block. Time for a little business buzz right now.

The European Union rules Microsoft broke antitrust laws and slaps the software giant with a giant fine.

Stacy Tisdale has more live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Tell us about this -- Stacy.

STACY TISDALE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not quite time for a break just yet, Carol. This is almost a breaking news story at a little more than an hour.

European regulators have slapped a record fine on Microsoft. The company must pay more than $600 million for antitrust violations. The fine could have been as much as $3 billion.

But the bigger problems for Microsoft come with the conditions of the ruling. Microsoft has to supply technical information to rivals within 120 days. This will allow competitors to create products that are compatible with Windows.

In addition, Microsoft has 90 days to offer a version of Windows without the Media Player. The company is going to appeal, Carol, but that could take years.

And that's what's going to be the big story we're watching today.

Now back over to you.

COSTELLO: All right, Stacy, many thanks -- live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

An update on the whale story for you now. Scientists are hoping to get back into the water today to rescue an endangered whale from certain death. The whale was discovered last week tangled in some fishing lines. Experts say if it isn't freed soon, the 34-foot endangered whale will surely die.

We'll have more updates for you throughout the week, throughout the day. DAYBREAK will be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, it is time for "The Lightning Round." Let's get going, shall we, Chad?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Britney. Take a look, Chad. She's back.

MYERS: Wonder Woman.

COSTELLO: She does look like Wonder Woman. Yes. Britney Spears' Onyx Hotel tour checked into Atlanta last night in front of 15,000 screaming fans made up of mostly 13-year-old girls dressed like Britney. Look at them. Those girls are 12. It's amazing.

MYERS: No wonder why there was traffic. All of the 12-year-olds were driving.

COSTELLO: The 12-year-olds were stopping traffic because they were dressed as 35-year-olds.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: OK. This is no fish tale, Chad. A man in Wisconsin caught a 73-pound buffalo head fish. Have you ever heard of that kind of fish?

MYERS: No, but I was looking it up, and he caught that sucker on eight pound (UNINTELLIGIBLE). In fact, it is part of the sucker family, the carp family.

COSTELLO: So, can you eat that?

MYERS: He said great fish, good smoked, nice tender flesh.

COSTELLO: And it looks so delicious right now, doesn't it?

MYERS: No.

COSTELLO: The International Fishing Hall of Fame verifies that this is the heaviest fish caught. It will be a world record. Congrats.

The bush man cannot be stopped. This prankster who makes it his job to scare people at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf was put on trial for being a public nuisance, but a judge says he's not. So, he can go on scaring people.

MYERS: Have a great day, Carol.

COSTELLO: You, too, Chad. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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