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CNN Live At Daybreak

Fallujah Attacks Kills Five U.S. Troops, Four Others; Coffey Talk: Michael Jackson

Aired March 31, 2004 - 06:30   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: The U.S. death toll in Iraq has now reached 605 more American forces killed today. It has been a bloody day there this morning with several new attacks.
Live to Baghdad and Jim Clancy.

Jim -- tell us about those attacks.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, as you say, a bloody day. Anti-coalition violence claimed at least nine lives.

First, near Fallujah -- that is about 60 kilometers west of Baghdad -- the U.S. military now confirming at least five U.S. troops were killed when the vehicle in which they were riding in a convoy was hit by a bomb that was apparently hidden underneath the roadway.

Now, we are not getting any more details that might give us an indication of what branch of the service they from. The U.S. Marines have taken over control of Fallujah and the surrounding area, but it is not confirmed that they were Marines; again, five U.S. soldiers dead.

Meantime, inside Fallujah, as you put it, chilling video that showed the fiery end for at least four civilians, what are believed to be civilians, who were killed in these two vehicles. They were set alight, according to an eyewitness who told CNN sources in Fallujah.

The incident happened like this: The vehicle came from a U.S. military base that was east of Fallujah. As it was coming into Fallujah, it attempted to make a turn, and two groups -- one group that had split into two -- of young men wearing masks attacked both vehicles with hand grenades that set the vehicles alight. Then they sprayed them with small-arms fire. Some of those inside were wearing bullet-proof vests. Those are common with journalists, with people, contractors, private security guards working with the Coalition Provisional Authority. The type of vehicle is also used by a lot of the contractors with the Civilian Provisional Authority.

But as of yet, we don’t have any definite information about how many people were killed -- as I say, eyewitnesses could confirm four -- or what the identities or nationalities of these victims were.

A group of Iraqis, an angry crowd gathered around the burning vehicles. They hurled stones and bricks or chunks of cement at the vehicles, venting their rage against the coalition. Fallujah a hot spot of anti-coalition sentiment. Also, north of Baghdad in the town of Baquba, that's about 50 kilometers north of Baghdad, seven civilians received minor injuries when a roadside bomb exploded near the entrance to this city and a government building there. They were treated at a local hospital and released.

But this is turning out to be a bloody Wednesday here in Iraq -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jim, can we go back to that -- those pictures of those vehicles on fire in Fallujah, because we had reported earlier that some of the victims from that car bombing were out on the streets, and their bodies were being abused by people standing on the streets. Can you tell us more about that?

CLANCY: Yes. Well, as has been the case in other instances of this type of a thing, after the attack has been completed, the insurgents may leave, the local residents come out who may not be taking part in the attacks, but certainly were celebrating them in the streets.

As we've said, there's a lot of anti-coalition sentiment here, and eyewitnesses told a CNN source there in Fallujah that indeed at least one of those bodies was taken out and dragged through the streets by the crowd that had gathered there.

This isn't unprecedented. At the same time, you have to know it's very disturbing to see.

COSTELLO: Certainly so. Jim Clancy reporting live from Baghdad for us this morning.

Phone calls from Timothy McVeigh are at the top of our DAYBREAK "Legal Briefs" this Wednesday morning. Testimony in the Terry Nichols murder trial are centering on Timothy McVeigh and his attempts to buy explosives. McVeigh made those inquiries from a phone inside of Nichols' home. Nichols is charged with 161 counts of murder for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.

Scott Peterson's attorney is accusing a potential juror of saying his client is guilty as hell and should get everything he deservers. The juror denies the accusation, but has ordered her -- but the court has ordered her to return to the court in May. Peterson is accused of killing his wife and unborn son.

A psychiatrist testified that a Texas mother did not know right from wrong when she killed two of her children. Deanna Laney admitted to killing the children with large rocks, but she has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Excuse me. It is working. The grand jury meeting out in California hashing out the Michael Jackson case has been virtually media-intrusive-free. Santa Barbara jurors will decide if there's enough evidence to send Jackson's molestation case to trial.

Time for some "Coffey Talk" now. Legal analyst Kendall Coffey joins us live on the phone now.

Good morning -- Kendall.

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, the chief prosecutor, Tom Sneddon, has gone to extreme measures to keep this procedure under wraps. Do we -- we do know that Jackson's accuser testified. Is there any way of knowing how lengthy the testimony was or any details about it?

COFFEY: Well, some of that may come out at the trial itself down the road, but for now the grand jury deliberations are secret. And one thing to emphasize is that even Jackson's own attorneys aren't inside those grand jury proceedings. This is the prosecution presenting the evidence that it wants the grand jury to see, and while the grand jury has some discretion under California law to ask for additional evidence, by and large this is a one-sided show.

COSTELLO: Will Jackson testify himself?

COFFEY: Almost assuredly not. Even if he wanted to, his attorneys would definitely lock him up and keep him from doing it. There is nothing to be gained by the obvious defendant and target from testifying at a grand jury proceeding like this.

COSTELLO: An interesting twist that happened yesterday, Jackson made a trip to Capitol Hill. He's actually still there this morning. He's meeting with members of Congress. Should we read anything more into this than his trying to highlight the problem of AIDS in Africa?

COFFEY: Well, he's trying to be normal, I guess, and do something to preserve his public image in what is obviously the most abnormal situation possible. Most attorneys would tell him, lie low, listen to your lawyers, and focus on getting through this trial, if you can.

COSTELLO: Kendall Coffey live on the phone for DAYBREAK this morning. Thank you.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, religious dress in schools.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They can wear crosses, so why can't I wear my hijab.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Twelve years old and at the center of a civil rights debate. We'll have one girl's story for you.

And why has all of the work stopped at the site of the Summer Games?

Plus, log on to your computer and drive off in a Porsche. You've got to hear how this contest came to be. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In Oklahoma, a Muslim girl has found an ally in her fight to wear a headscarf to class. The Justice Department has come to her defense.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EYVINE HEARN, STUDENT'S FATHER: We explained to the teacher that we were Muslims, and this is, you know, how she dressed.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eyvine Hearn was taken aback last September when his 12-year-old daughter, Nashala, was told she couldn't wear a hijab, or headscarf, at her elementary school in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Nashala been wearing the hijab for a month, but was told the headdress was a violation of the district's ban on headwear in school. She refused to take it off and was suspended twice.

(on camera): What does that make you feel like after that?

NASHALA HEARN, SUSPENDED FOR WEARING MUSLIM HEADSCARF: Very sad and angry. Like, they can wear crosses, so why can't I wear my hijab?

OPPENHEIM: You don't think it's fair.

N. HEARN: No.

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Neither did her parents, who filed a lawsuit. Now, the U.S. Justice Department is backing the Hearns and will intervene on their behalf in federal court.

ALEX ACOSTA, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: And the Constitution says every American has the right to worship as they see fit, as they choose. A student shouldn't leave that right at the schoolhouse door.

OPPENHEIM: Muskogee school officials say they're actually following existing federal guidelines. They say they're not attacking freedom of religion.

(on camera): They say they're protecting it, arguing that if one religious group violates the rules of the dress code, then other groups could do the same.

DR. ELDON GLEICHMAN, MUSKOGEE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: They would have the Satanists there immediately. They would have long coats. They would have pierced bodies all over the place. And they'd want a room to go in, and they'd probably kill their chickens and do all of that stuff in the rooms.

OPPENHEIM: Now with a bigger government body challenging a smaller one, this case could be a test for whether Americans can defy a dress code in the name of religious freedom.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Muskogee, Oklahoma.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:41 Eastern Time. Here's what all new this morning.

Violence in Iraq against civilians and Americans. Coalition officials say five U.S. military personnel were killed near Fallujah.

A massive one-day strike by the largest labor union in Greece has put the Olympic Summer Games preparations on hold.

A judge's ruling gives prosecutors another two months to prepare charges against Charles McCoy, Jr. in the Columbus highway shootings case. McCoy's mother testified she found several of her son's guns.

In money news, OPEC ministers meeting in Vienna are divided on whether to go ahead with proposed production cuts or to postpone the changes until summer.

In sports, the University of Minnesota is heading to its first- ever women's final four appearance after beating Duke. In other regionals, Tennessee advances to its third straight final four win -- final four, rather, with a win over Stanford.

In culture, TV's "Will & Grace" star, Debra Messing, has been told by her doctor to stay home during the final months of her pregnancy -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Carol, if you are traveling today, you could have some problems around here, potential delays in Atlanta with low cloud cover. Boston with rain and fog. Obviously, it's been raining New York City most of the night. The same rain and fog in Cincinnati and Cleveland. Those clouds hang around for Detroit, New York City Metro, Philadelphia and D.C. It could be slow up there today.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Chad.

Those are the latest headlines.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, breakfast with us. We have a lot of opinions in the cereal aisle.

And you've probably heard about potential cancer-causing ingredients in cereal. Well, our nutrition expert helps us put the warnings in perspective.

Plus, a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about dollars?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.

You know, it has been a very violent day in Iraq. We want to head to "AMERICAN MORNING" now to New York City and Bill and Soledad, because you have some guests that may put things in perspective for us this morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Carol, you talked with Jim Clancy a few moments ago. We'll go back to Baghdad live to get Jim's thoughts on what's happening over there.

Also, General Ray Ordierno (ph) is going to be with us, 4th I.D., 4th Infantry Division. He's live here in New York, just returning from the region. He'll talk about the violence we're seeing today in this videotape and also what, if anything, the coalition forces are going to do to avoid incidents like this. So, we'll get to that this morning.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, as you well know, Condoleezza Rice is now set to testify publicly under oath. We're going to get some analysis on that from Jeff Greenfield this morning.

And also, the 9/11 Commission chair, Governor Tom Kean will join us to tell us exactly what he wants to hear from Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

HEMMER: Also, guess where Michael Jackson was yesterday?

O'BRIEN: It's hard to guess. Here's a hint.

HEMMER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: The marble wall.

HEMMER: The marble wall will give it away. You're going to talk with somebody from Congress who met with him yesterday, right?

O'BRIEN: Yes, a big brouhaha. He wanted to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus. Many members said actually they didn't feel -- said off the record actually they didn't feel it did them much good politically to be in photographs with Michael Jackson. And so, they declined, thank you very much, but there were some congressmen who met with him. And we're going to talk to them about exactly what they thought.

HEMMER: Also, Jack has got a date today with Al Franken. We'll let you know what's happening on that in about 12 minutes. We'll see you, Carol.

COSTELLO: He's got a date with Al Franken?

HEMMER: Well, we'll explain that in a little bit.

COSTELLO: OK. Thanks so much.

HEMMER: Bye.

COSTELLO: We'll see you in about, oh, 10 minutes.

Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener" right now. We start with t-shirt that has business leaders up in arms. In Highpoint, North Carolina, civic leaders want production stopped on this controversial t-shirt, which they say is offending NAACP members. The chamber of commerce says the county commissioner is behind the shirts. He denies that.

Well-known attorney Gloria Allred has taken up the case of five women who say they were secretly videotaped in various forms of undress. The alleged tapings took place while the women were applying for jobs at a Los Angeles-area Hooters restaurant. The women filed a civil suit seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

Students at one Orange County, California, high school have been told to be on the lookout for a young mountain lion. Do you see him there? He was spotted in the area of the school. The animal is visible. That's security camera footage, of course, you're seeing. Cougar sightings are normal on the outskirts of communities, but they rarely venture into heavily-populated areas, like this one.

MYERS: Hmmm, they kept moving the camera, too. So, somebody was actually watching that little guy.

COSTELLO: Interesting. He just seems to be sniffing around.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Checking things out.

You know, Chad, yesterday we had on Neal Boortz, who is a syndicated radio talk show host. He's based here in Atlanta.

MYERS: Admitted Libertarian conservative.

COSTELLO: Conservative.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: Boy, did he make people mad.

MYERS: He sure did. E-mails lit up yesterday.

COSTELLO: We got so many angry e-mails we decided to share some with you this morning. So here goes.

This first one is from Patrick from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He said: "Couldn't you find someone a tad more neutral than a vowed conservative Boortz to comment on the new liberal talk radio venture -- a credible academic from the Annenberg School perhaps? CNN's credibility suffers when it caters so shamefully to those right-wing demi-gods."

MYERS: Hmmm.

COSTELLO: Whew!

MYERS: What side of the aisle are you on, Patrick? "It's unbelievable to me that you had this conservative talk show host on spewing his politics and trashing the new liberal talk show." Obviously, we're talking about that. "How about offering a counterpoint to this guy? And what on earth did you expect him to say? If you can't present both sides, don't present any at all." From Paulo from Fairfield.

COSTELLO: Paulo, very interesting.

And this from Richard from Austin, Texas. He said, "Carol, you do a great job." Thank you, Richard. I appreciate that. "But you should tell Boortz that liberal is defined in the dictionary as generous. It's a wonderful Christian word and an attribute of Christ himself. It is not selfish or self-serving."

You know, Boortz will be on again next Tuesday, so we're prepared right now, and we will, of course, always try to get the other side.

MYERS: Hopefully, computers are on in the morning, and they need to be on now. Here's your chance to win that DAYBREAK coffee mug. Here are the DAYBREAK quiz questions of the day.

In Oklahoma, a public school district suspended a girl for wearing a headscarf. We saw that picture literally just 10 minutes ago. The family has filed a lawsuit. What grade is the girl in?

COSTELLO: Ooh!

MYERS: And OPEC stands for what?

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: E-mail your answers to Daybreak@CNN.com, and we'll have the cup for you in the mail tomorrow.

COSTELLO: Yes, where are the cups? They're in storage, because people have been...

MYERS: We're shipping them.

COSTELLO: We're shipping. Oh. The shipping process has begun. We like that.

Are you one of those trying to lose weight with a diet low in carbs?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, I know you are, Chad. But can a low-carb diet decrease the risk of cancer, as well as help you lose weight?

With some answers, we turn to our dietician, Lisa Drayer, who is in New York this morning.

Hello, Lisa. Tell us about this.

LISA DRAYER, REGISTERED DIETICIAN: Hi, Carol.

Yes, that's right. Interestingly, carbohydrate-rich foods have been associated with acrylamide consumption; that is foods like cereal, French fries and potato chips, not necessarily the healthiest carbohydrates in our diet.

But we do have some good news. That is research this week presented at the American Chemical Society's national meeting reveals that there is no association between increased dietary acrylamide from these foods and increased risks for five specific cancers in humans.

So, individuals -- that is, individuals in Sweden were studied. They looked at the population in Sweden, and they conducted four different studies, and they found that after controlling for factors such as AIDS, smoking and (UNINTELLIGIBLE), there was no association seen between acrylamide consumption and increased risks for breast cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, rectum cancer and kidney cancer.

So, the research does look promising. We don't have to be so scared, at least not at this point.

COSTELLO: You know, I remember that study coming out saying it was dangerous to eat French fries because of the oil that the French fries are cooked in.

DRAYER: Right.

COSTELLO: But you shouldn't go hog wild though, should you?

DRAYER: No, absolutely not. And, in fact, like I said earlier, if you look at some of these goods, they're not exactly the healthiest of foods. We know that foods like French fries and potato chips contribute trans-fat and saturated fats in the diet.

So, the FDA is saying, you know, you still want to limit all foods that are high in trans-fats and saturated fats and focus on a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

COSTELLO: Lisa Drayer joining us live from New York this morning to put things in perspective. As always, we appreciate it.

Chad will join me for "The Lightning Round." That's coming up after the break, but first the latest headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, I wish the music could go on. Where's your lightning sound effect? I didn't hear it.

MYERS: I don't know. There it is. You've got to count the seconds, because if you see lightning and you don't hear it for five seconds, that means it's one mile away.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's what you were doing, huh?

MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: OK, thanks, Chad. It is time for our "Lightning Round."

Guess what, Chad?

MYERS: What?

COSTELLO: Rolls Royce turns 100 this week.

MYERS: Wow!

COSTELLO: Are you getting a free one?

MYERS: No.

COSTELLO: I'm not either. The company celebrated the century mark in Moscow by unveiling the latest. Take a look (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MYERS: Square headlights.

COSTELLO: This is the latest. Square headlights, is that new?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: I'm not up to date on my Rolls Royce knowledge.

MYERS: Yes, it kind of looks like a Bentley.

COSTELLO: It's pretty.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: I wonder how much it costs?

MYERS: A lot.

COSTELLO: I bet. Ooh, look there.

MYERS: Just for that little winged lady.

COSTELLO: You've got wheels. Let's talk about another really expensive car. AOL took this 2002 Porsche Boxter as part of a settlement with a man who earned millions from spamming AOL users with junk e-mail. Well, now AOL is giving away that Porsche. Or is it Porsche?

MYERS: It is Porsche.

COSTELLO: Porsche.

MYERS: I'll let you get away with it for most of the day, but it is actually Porsche.

COSTELLO: They're giving away this Porsche.

MYERS: It looks good, too. It might be an "S," because it has the brumble (ph) brakes on it, the -- yes, there it is. It's a Boxter-S, which is another $16,000 on top of the Porsche.

COSTELLO: That's just crazy. You know, that's just like Jaguar, and you know, if you listen to the commercials, they pronounce it Jaguar.

MYERS: Jaguar, correct.

COSTELLO: I hate that.

Let's move on to this painting by the Dutch artist, Vermeer. It will be his first to go on public sale in more than 80 years, and when it hits the auction block in July, the starting price will be about five and a half million bucks.

MYERS: Yikes!

COSTELLO: He's the guy who painted the girl with the pearl earring. You know, the subject of the movie and the best-selling book. That might drive up the price.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: You never know.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "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 31, 2004 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. death toll in Iraq has now reached 605 more American forces killed today. It has been a bloody day there this morning with several new attacks.
Live to Baghdad and Jim Clancy.

Jim -- tell us about those attacks.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, as you say, a bloody day. Anti-coalition violence claimed at least nine lives.

First, near Fallujah -- that is about 60 kilometers west of Baghdad -- the U.S. military now confirming at least five U.S. troops were killed when the vehicle in which they were riding in a convoy was hit by a bomb that was apparently hidden underneath the roadway.

Now, we are not getting any more details that might give us an indication of what branch of the service they from. The U.S. Marines have taken over control of Fallujah and the surrounding area, but it is not confirmed that they were Marines; again, five U.S. soldiers dead.

Meantime, inside Fallujah, as you put it, chilling video that showed the fiery end for at least four civilians, what are believed to be civilians, who were killed in these two vehicles. They were set alight, according to an eyewitness who told CNN sources in Fallujah.

The incident happened like this: The vehicle came from a U.S. military base that was east of Fallujah. As it was coming into Fallujah, it attempted to make a turn, and two groups -- one group that had split into two -- of young men wearing masks attacked both vehicles with hand grenades that set the vehicles alight. Then they sprayed them with small-arms fire. Some of those inside were wearing bullet-proof vests. Those are common with journalists, with people, contractors, private security guards working with the Coalition Provisional Authority. The type of vehicle is also used by a lot of the contractors with the Civilian Provisional Authority.

But as of yet, we don’t have any definite information about how many people were killed -- as I say, eyewitnesses could confirm four -- or what the identities or nationalities of these victims were.

A group of Iraqis, an angry crowd gathered around the burning vehicles. They hurled stones and bricks or chunks of cement at the vehicles, venting their rage against the coalition. Fallujah a hot spot of anti-coalition sentiment. Also, north of Baghdad in the town of Baquba, that's about 50 kilometers north of Baghdad, seven civilians received minor injuries when a roadside bomb exploded near the entrance to this city and a government building there. They were treated at a local hospital and released.

But this is turning out to be a bloody Wednesday here in Iraq -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jim, can we go back to that -- those pictures of those vehicles on fire in Fallujah, because we had reported earlier that some of the victims from that car bombing were out on the streets, and their bodies were being abused by people standing on the streets. Can you tell us more about that?

CLANCY: Yes. Well, as has been the case in other instances of this type of a thing, after the attack has been completed, the insurgents may leave, the local residents come out who may not be taking part in the attacks, but certainly were celebrating them in the streets.

As we've said, there's a lot of anti-coalition sentiment here, and eyewitnesses told a CNN source there in Fallujah that indeed at least one of those bodies was taken out and dragged through the streets by the crowd that had gathered there.

This isn't unprecedented. At the same time, you have to know it's very disturbing to see.

COSTELLO: Certainly so. Jim Clancy reporting live from Baghdad for us this morning.

Phone calls from Timothy McVeigh are at the top of our DAYBREAK "Legal Briefs" this Wednesday morning. Testimony in the Terry Nichols murder trial are centering on Timothy McVeigh and his attempts to buy explosives. McVeigh made those inquiries from a phone inside of Nichols' home. Nichols is charged with 161 counts of murder for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.

Scott Peterson's attorney is accusing a potential juror of saying his client is guilty as hell and should get everything he deservers. The juror denies the accusation, but has ordered her -- but the court has ordered her to return to the court in May. Peterson is accused of killing his wife and unborn son.

A psychiatrist testified that a Texas mother did not know right from wrong when she killed two of her children. Deanna Laney admitted to killing the children with large rocks, but she has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Excuse me. It is working. The grand jury meeting out in California hashing out the Michael Jackson case has been virtually media-intrusive-free. Santa Barbara jurors will decide if there's enough evidence to send Jackson's molestation case to trial.

Time for some "Coffey Talk" now. Legal analyst Kendall Coffey joins us live on the phone now.

Good morning -- Kendall.

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, the chief prosecutor, Tom Sneddon, has gone to extreme measures to keep this procedure under wraps. Do we -- we do know that Jackson's accuser testified. Is there any way of knowing how lengthy the testimony was or any details about it?

COFFEY: Well, some of that may come out at the trial itself down the road, but for now the grand jury deliberations are secret. And one thing to emphasize is that even Jackson's own attorneys aren't inside those grand jury proceedings. This is the prosecution presenting the evidence that it wants the grand jury to see, and while the grand jury has some discretion under California law to ask for additional evidence, by and large this is a one-sided show.

COSTELLO: Will Jackson testify himself?

COFFEY: Almost assuredly not. Even if he wanted to, his attorneys would definitely lock him up and keep him from doing it. There is nothing to be gained by the obvious defendant and target from testifying at a grand jury proceeding like this.

COSTELLO: An interesting twist that happened yesterday, Jackson made a trip to Capitol Hill. He's actually still there this morning. He's meeting with members of Congress. Should we read anything more into this than his trying to highlight the problem of AIDS in Africa?

COFFEY: Well, he's trying to be normal, I guess, and do something to preserve his public image in what is obviously the most abnormal situation possible. Most attorneys would tell him, lie low, listen to your lawyers, and focus on getting through this trial, if you can.

COSTELLO: Kendall Coffey live on the phone for DAYBREAK this morning. Thank you.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, religious dress in schools.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They can wear crosses, so why can't I wear my hijab.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Twelve years old and at the center of a civil rights debate. We'll have one girl's story for you.

And why has all of the work stopped at the site of the Summer Games?

Plus, log on to your computer and drive off in a Porsche. You've got to hear how this contest came to be. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In Oklahoma, a Muslim girl has found an ally in her fight to wear a headscarf to class. The Justice Department has come to her defense.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EYVINE HEARN, STUDENT'S FATHER: We explained to the teacher that we were Muslims, and this is, you know, how she dressed.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eyvine Hearn was taken aback last September when his 12-year-old daughter, Nashala, was told she couldn't wear a hijab, or headscarf, at her elementary school in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Nashala been wearing the hijab for a month, but was told the headdress was a violation of the district's ban on headwear in school. She refused to take it off and was suspended twice.

(on camera): What does that make you feel like after that?

NASHALA HEARN, SUSPENDED FOR WEARING MUSLIM HEADSCARF: Very sad and angry. Like, they can wear crosses, so why can't I wear my hijab?

OPPENHEIM: You don't think it's fair.

N. HEARN: No.

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Neither did her parents, who filed a lawsuit. Now, the U.S. Justice Department is backing the Hearns and will intervene on their behalf in federal court.

ALEX ACOSTA, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: And the Constitution says every American has the right to worship as they see fit, as they choose. A student shouldn't leave that right at the schoolhouse door.

OPPENHEIM: Muskogee school officials say they're actually following existing federal guidelines. They say they're not attacking freedom of religion.

(on camera): They say they're protecting it, arguing that if one religious group violates the rules of the dress code, then other groups could do the same.

DR. ELDON GLEICHMAN, MUSKOGEE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: They would have the Satanists there immediately. They would have long coats. They would have pierced bodies all over the place. And they'd want a room to go in, and they'd probably kill their chickens and do all of that stuff in the rooms.

OPPENHEIM: Now with a bigger government body challenging a smaller one, this case could be a test for whether Americans can defy a dress code in the name of religious freedom.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Muskogee, Oklahoma.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:41 Eastern Time. Here's what all new this morning.

Violence in Iraq against civilians and Americans. Coalition officials say five U.S. military personnel were killed near Fallujah.

A massive one-day strike by the largest labor union in Greece has put the Olympic Summer Games preparations on hold.

A judge's ruling gives prosecutors another two months to prepare charges against Charles McCoy, Jr. in the Columbus highway shootings case. McCoy's mother testified she found several of her son's guns.

In money news, OPEC ministers meeting in Vienna are divided on whether to go ahead with proposed production cuts or to postpone the changes until summer.

In sports, the University of Minnesota is heading to its first- ever women's final four appearance after beating Duke. In other regionals, Tennessee advances to its third straight final four win -- final four, rather, with a win over Stanford.

In culture, TV's "Will & Grace" star, Debra Messing, has been told by her doctor to stay home during the final months of her pregnancy -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Carol, if you are traveling today, you could have some problems around here, potential delays in Atlanta with low cloud cover. Boston with rain and fog. Obviously, it's been raining New York City most of the night. The same rain and fog in Cincinnati and Cleveland. Those clouds hang around for Detroit, New York City Metro, Philadelphia and D.C. It could be slow up there today.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Chad.

Those are the latest headlines.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, breakfast with us. We have a lot of opinions in the cereal aisle.

And you've probably heard about potential cancer-causing ingredients in cereal. Well, our nutrition expert helps us put the warnings in perspective.

Plus, a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about dollars?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.

You know, it has been a very violent day in Iraq. We want to head to "AMERICAN MORNING" now to New York City and Bill and Soledad, because you have some guests that may put things in perspective for us this morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Carol, you talked with Jim Clancy a few moments ago. We'll go back to Baghdad live to get Jim's thoughts on what's happening over there.

Also, General Ray Ordierno (ph) is going to be with us, 4th I.D., 4th Infantry Division. He's live here in New York, just returning from the region. He'll talk about the violence we're seeing today in this videotape and also what, if anything, the coalition forces are going to do to avoid incidents like this. So, we'll get to that this morning.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, as you well know, Condoleezza Rice is now set to testify publicly under oath. We're going to get some analysis on that from Jeff Greenfield this morning.

And also, the 9/11 Commission chair, Governor Tom Kean will join us to tell us exactly what he wants to hear from Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

HEMMER: Also, guess where Michael Jackson was yesterday?

O'BRIEN: It's hard to guess. Here's a hint.

HEMMER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: The marble wall.

HEMMER: The marble wall will give it away. You're going to talk with somebody from Congress who met with him yesterday, right?

O'BRIEN: Yes, a big brouhaha. He wanted to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus. Many members said actually they didn't feel -- said off the record actually they didn't feel it did them much good politically to be in photographs with Michael Jackson. And so, they declined, thank you very much, but there were some congressmen who met with him. And we're going to talk to them about exactly what they thought.

HEMMER: Also, Jack has got a date today with Al Franken. We'll let you know what's happening on that in about 12 minutes. We'll see you, Carol.

COSTELLO: He's got a date with Al Franken?

HEMMER: Well, we'll explain that in a little bit.

COSTELLO: OK. Thanks so much.

HEMMER: Bye.

COSTELLO: We'll see you in about, oh, 10 minutes.

Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener" right now. We start with t-shirt that has business leaders up in arms. In Highpoint, North Carolina, civic leaders want production stopped on this controversial t-shirt, which they say is offending NAACP members. The chamber of commerce says the county commissioner is behind the shirts. He denies that.

Well-known attorney Gloria Allred has taken up the case of five women who say they were secretly videotaped in various forms of undress. The alleged tapings took place while the women were applying for jobs at a Los Angeles-area Hooters restaurant. The women filed a civil suit seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

Students at one Orange County, California, high school have been told to be on the lookout for a young mountain lion. Do you see him there? He was spotted in the area of the school. The animal is visible. That's security camera footage, of course, you're seeing. Cougar sightings are normal on the outskirts of communities, but they rarely venture into heavily-populated areas, like this one.

MYERS: Hmmm, they kept moving the camera, too. So, somebody was actually watching that little guy.

COSTELLO: Interesting. He just seems to be sniffing around.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Checking things out.

You know, Chad, yesterday we had on Neal Boortz, who is a syndicated radio talk show host. He's based here in Atlanta.

MYERS: Admitted Libertarian conservative.

COSTELLO: Conservative.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: Boy, did he make people mad.

MYERS: He sure did. E-mails lit up yesterday.

COSTELLO: We got so many angry e-mails we decided to share some with you this morning. So here goes.

This first one is from Patrick from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He said: "Couldn't you find someone a tad more neutral than a vowed conservative Boortz to comment on the new liberal talk radio venture -- a credible academic from the Annenberg School perhaps? CNN's credibility suffers when it caters so shamefully to those right-wing demi-gods."

MYERS: Hmmm.

COSTELLO: Whew!

MYERS: What side of the aisle are you on, Patrick? "It's unbelievable to me that you had this conservative talk show host on spewing his politics and trashing the new liberal talk show." Obviously, we're talking about that. "How about offering a counterpoint to this guy? And what on earth did you expect him to say? If you can't present both sides, don't present any at all." From Paulo from Fairfield.

COSTELLO: Paulo, very interesting.

And this from Richard from Austin, Texas. He said, "Carol, you do a great job." Thank you, Richard. I appreciate that. "But you should tell Boortz that liberal is defined in the dictionary as generous. It's a wonderful Christian word and an attribute of Christ himself. It is not selfish or self-serving."

You know, Boortz will be on again next Tuesday, so we're prepared right now, and we will, of course, always try to get the other side.

MYERS: Hopefully, computers are on in the morning, and they need to be on now. Here's your chance to win that DAYBREAK coffee mug. Here are the DAYBREAK quiz questions of the day.

In Oklahoma, a public school district suspended a girl for wearing a headscarf. We saw that picture literally just 10 minutes ago. The family has filed a lawsuit. What grade is the girl in?

COSTELLO: Ooh!

MYERS: And OPEC stands for what?

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: E-mail your answers to Daybreak@CNN.com, and we'll have the cup for you in the mail tomorrow.

COSTELLO: Yes, where are the cups? They're in storage, because people have been...

MYERS: We're shipping them.

COSTELLO: We're shipping. Oh. The shipping process has begun. We like that.

Are you one of those trying to lose weight with a diet low in carbs?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, I know you are, Chad. But can a low-carb diet decrease the risk of cancer, as well as help you lose weight?

With some answers, we turn to our dietician, Lisa Drayer, who is in New York this morning.

Hello, Lisa. Tell us about this.

LISA DRAYER, REGISTERED DIETICIAN: Hi, Carol.

Yes, that's right. Interestingly, carbohydrate-rich foods have been associated with acrylamide consumption; that is foods like cereal, French fries and potato chips, not necessarily the healthiest carbohydrates in our diet.

But we do have some good news. That is research this week presented at the American Chemical Society's national meeting reveals that there is no association between increased dietary acrylamide from these foods and increased risks for five specific cancers in humans.

So, individuals -- that is, individuals in Sweden were studied. They looked at the population in Sweden, and they conducted four different studies, and they found that after controlling for factors such as AIDS, smoking and (UNINTELLIGIBLE), there was no association seen between acrylamide consumption and increased risks for breast cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, rectum cancer and kidney cancer.

So, the research does look promising. We don't have to be so scared, at least not at this point.

COSTELLO: You know, I remember that study coming out saying it was dangerous to eat French fries because of the oil that the French fries are cooked in.

DRAYER: Right.

COSTELLO: But you shouldn't go hog wild though, should you?

DRAYER: No, absolutely not. And, in fact, like I said earlier, if you look at some of these goods, they're not exactly the healthiest of foods. We know that foods like French fries and potato chips contribute trans-fat and saturated fats in the diet.

So, the FDA is saying, you know, you still want to limit all foods that are high in trans-fats and saturated fats and focus on a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

COSTELLO: Lisa Drayer joining us live from New York this morning to put things in perspective. As always, we appreciate it.

Chad will join me for "The Lightning Round." That's coming up after the break, but first the latest headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, I wish the music could go on. Where's your lightning sound effect? I didn't hear it.

MYERS: I don't know. There it is. You've got to count the seconds, because if you see lightning and you don't hear it for five seconds, that means it's one mile away.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's what you were doing, huh?

MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: OK, thanks, Chad. It is time for our "Lightning Round."

Guess what, Chad?

MYERS: What?

COSTELLO: Rolls Royce turns 100 this week.

MYERS: Wow!

COSTELLO: Are you getting a free one?

MYERS: No.

COSTELLO: I'm not either. The company celebrated the century mark in Moscow by unveiling the latest. Take a look (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MYERS: Square headlights.

COSTELLO: This is the latest. Square headlights, is that new?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: I'm not up to date on my Rolls Royce knowledge.

MYERS: Yes, it kind of looks like a Bentley.

COSTELLO: It's pretty.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: I wonder how much it costs?

MYERS: A lot.

COSTELLO: I bet. Ooh, look there.

MYERS: Just for that little winged lady.

COSTELLO: You've got wheels. Let's talk about another really expensive car. AOL took this 2002 Porsche Boxter as part of a settlement with a man who earned millions from spamming AOL users with junk e-mail. Well, now AOL is giving away that Porsche. Or is it Porsche?

MYERS: It is Porsche.

COSTELLO: Porsche.

MYERS: I'll let you get away with it for most of the day, but it is actually Porsche.

COSTELLO: They're giving away this Porsche.

MYERS: It looks good, too. It might be an "S," because it has the brumble (ph) brakes on it, the -- yes, there it is. It's a Boxter-S, which is another $16,000 on top of the Porsche.

COSTELLO: That's just crazy. You know, that's just like Jaguar, and you know, if you listen to the commercials, they pronounce it Jaguar.

MYERS: Jaguar, correct.

COSTELLO: I hate that.

Let's move on to this painting by the Dutch artist, Vermeer. It will be his first to go on public sale in more than 80 years, and when it hits the auction block in July, the starting price will be about five and a half million bucks.

MYERS: Yikes!

COSTELLO: He's the guy who painted the girl with the pearl earring. You know, the subject of the movie and the best-selling book. That might drive up the price.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: You never know.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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