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CNN Live At Daybreak
Violence in Iraq; 10th Anniversary Genocide in Rwanda; Drugs From Canada; Foot Fetish
Aired April 06, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As U.S. troops launch a massive offensive, we'll get a firsthand look at the face of the new enemy in Iraq.
Good morning to you, welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK. It is Tuesday, April 6. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Let me bring you up to date.
In Baghdad, U.S. soldiers killed an estimated 60 Iraqis overnight in a string of battles with fighters from the army of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Things are getting worse in flood-ravaged northern Mexico. Officials there say rising waters triggered by heavy thunderstorms have killed at least 31 people. Dozens more remain missing.
Attorney Kenneth Starr has been named Dean of California's Pepperdine Law School. Starr, who led the investigation into then President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky, begins work on August 1.
About a dozen U.S. Husky fans are waking up in jail this morning. Last night's NCAA Championship sent thousands of students into the streets where they set fires and overturned cars.
See, I spoke too soon, Chad, they did set fires.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, that's probably why they got arrested.
COSTELLO: Disappointing. True.
MYERS: That's not good. You shouldn't do that.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: But you know, anyway.
Hey, good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: U.S. military says at least 60 Iraqis were killed overnight in a series of firefights in Sadr City. These are the latest pictures from that battle. We just got them in about an hour ago. An Army captain says the shootout lasted three hours.
Also new this morning, U.S. soldiers were fighting elements from radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's army. No reports of U.S. casualties in this fighting. A weekend battle with Sadr's militia left eight American troops dead, though.
That Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is the new most wanted man in Iraq right now. The U.S. is vowing to arrest the radical religious leader. So just who is he?
Jim Clancy takes a look for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Moqtada al-Sadr was all but unknown outside Iraq when the U.S.-led coalition invaded a year ago. The 31-year-old Shia leader is the son of a respected cleric, killed under the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Some say in a way he is also a son of Saddam for Moqtada al-Sadr has undeniably inherited the ability to parlay his political savvy and ruthlessness into power. An outlaw is how U.S. Civilian Administrator Paul Bremer describes al-Sadr. It's an opinion not formed yesterday. A year ago, the U.S. brought Abdel-Majid al-Khoei to Najaf. An Iraqi exile, al-Khoei was pro-Western, anti-Saddam and he had impressive Shia credentials. He also had CIA money to pay city salaries. With U.S. and British support, he seemed destined to play a major role in a new Iraq. But in time measured only in days, Abdel-Majid al-Khoei was dead.
(on camera): All accounts say the pro-Western al-Khoei was hacked to death with knives after being chased by a mob from inside the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf. Many say it was an internal power struggle among Iraq's Shia Muslims, pointing a finger at Muqtada al- Sadr and his militant supporters. Sadr vehemently denies it. But one year later, arrest warrants are pointing in that same direction.
DAN SENOR, COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY: An Iraqi judge issued an arrest warrant for Muqtada al-Sadr. And that is based on evidence that connects Muqtada al-Sadr to the brutal murder of Mr. al- Khoei.
CLANCY (voice-over): The weekend clashes in four Iraqi cities coincided with mounting concern after the arrest of one of al-Sadr's key aides. Rumors that he also would be charged had certainly reached Muqtada al-Sadr himself.
In the streets of Sadr City on Monday, after a night of clashes, Sadr supporters stressed the urgency of the situation. Wearing a hood and clutching a hand grenade, one said they would make Iraq the Americans' graveyard. "We have seven American prisoners and we'll trade them for our prisoners," he declared, a claim the U.S. military flatly denied. Muqtada al-Sadr has retreated to his mosque in Kufa, surrounded by his followers and not within easy reach of Iraqi police.
But the militant young cleric can also count on his network of supporters across Iraq, who chant "long, long, long live Sadr." Charitable groups he inherited from his father have distributed aid to the needy. He's been against the occupation from the start. He has challenged its authority, setting up his own courts and his own prisons. Now he has challenged it with guns on the streets.
BRIG. GEN. MARK HERTLING, U.S. ARMY: He's trying to intimidate people, as the political process continues on.
CLANCY: Some argue al-Sadr is inpatient, that he misjudged the coalition badly. But the real question yet to be answered is whether Muqtada al-Sadr will emerge from it all stronger or weaker.
Jim Clancy, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And that is the question, isn't it?
We have our senior international editor David Clinch here to help us sort through this.
How many armed men does al-Sadr have at his disposal?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, many, many thousands. It's not clear exactly how directly he is controlling them. And one of the interesting points Jim bringing up there from Baghdad is that we were told yesterday that there is an arrest warrant for Sadr, but the interesting thing is we were told that this arrest warrant had actually existed since last year. They revealed it to us yesterday because of the violence that he has inspired over the last few days. But the question of whether they will go and arrest him, I mean there are strong indications that they know exactly where he is, holed up in a mosque near Najaf.
COSTELLO: And he is probably surrounded by armed men.
CLINCH: He certainly was on Friday when we last saw him there. Whether he is still there or not is not a question. But the question is given the fact that a lot of this violence came from the fact that they shut down his newspaper and arrested his deputy, the question of whether they would actively seek to arrest him, whether he is in a mosque or not, is a very serious question for the coalition.
COSTELLO: Well we're going to ask General Grange about that in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
CLINCH: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: I wanted to talk about casualties and deaths.
CLINCH: Yes.
COSTELLO: Sixty-three Iraqis killed near Sadr City. How did that happen?
CLINCH: Well we are told that there was an operation last night in which some Sadr supporters tried to take over a police station in Sadr City. Different from what we were talking about yesterday morning with the helicopter hitting the militia in Sadr City. An operation late in the day Monday in which the U.S. forces repelled the militia and they tell us that as many as 63 Iraqis may have been killed. We are looking into that.
The fact is that we are being told on both sides we're now up to a total of, we believe, 21 U.S. soldiers killed in April alone so far. And reports even just based on the coalition estimate of more than 100, close to 200 Iraqis killed throughout Iraq.
And that brings up another point, we're seeing clashes, not just in Baghdad and involving the Americans, and in Fallujah, obviously, going -- continuing there with the Marines, but also dotted around southern Iraq with the British, the Italians, the Poles and others...
COSTELLO: That's right, because there was fighting near Nasiriya, too.
CLINCH: Today involving the Italians, which we have just confirmed. And that brings up a question, no crisis yet, but definitely concerns amongst these coalition partners. They were in cities, which were relatively quiet up to now. They have forces that are not necessarily capable of fighting those militia in the same way as the Americans are. So concerns. The British have just confirmed...
COSTELLO: But you know what's interesting, you know President Bush declared an end to active combat.
CLINCH: Yes.
COSTELLO: When does it become active combat again?
CLINCH: All right, not for me to say, but that is definitely a question what could be defined as active combat and this question of more troops. We have had the British today confirm that they are sending more troops, but they are making it clear that -- 4,500 extra troops -- but they will replace troops that are there. Certainly will be nice to have those 4,500 extra there as soon as possible. So a question of more troops. So Iraq definitely the dominating story for us today.
COSTELLO: All right. Thank you very much -- David.
CLINCH: OK.
COSTELLO: We appreciate it.
The world watched and did nothing as nearly one million people were slaughtered in Rwanda. The genocide began unfolding 10 years ago today when the plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were shot down by rocket fire.
Our Jeff Koinange joins us live from Kigali to tell us more about this grim anniversary. Hello -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Carol, and you're right, that key event that triggered off the genocide was a plane being downed in the streets of Kigali. Twelve hours later, members of the majority tribe here called Hutu set about on a campaign of exterminating the minority Tutsis and some moderate Hutus. By the time it was over 100 days later, close to a million of them laid dead or dying.
Now 10 years later, Carol, the country still grieves. New nightmares are appearing. Thousands of women who were brutally raped and abused 10 years ago now suffer from AIDS. Exhumations are happening all over the country, bringing to bear new nightmares. And the government has released admitted killers into society and some of these killers are actually living side by side with victims and survivors.
So 10 years later, the physical scars may have healed. The mental scars, Carol, the ones that no medicine can ever heal, those will probably take a lifetime -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jeff Koinange reporting live for us from Africa this morning.
DAYBREAK will return with much more. You stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:43 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.
Five U.S. Marines in all have died in the past 24 hours in Fallujah. The action follows last week's killing and mutilation of four American security guards. That action, of course the lockdown of the city.
Gas prices have hit a record high for the second time in a row. Prices increased more than 2 cents per gallon. Analysts say they expect prices to go even higher.
In money news, Bank of America announced plans to cut more than 12,000 jobs over the next two years. The cuts are a result of their merger with Fleet Bank.
In sports, the Connecticut and Tennessee women's basketball teams are scheduled to battle for the NCAA battle tonight. Connecticut shooting for its third straight title and a double win following the defeat of Georgia Tech by the Connecticut men's team last night.
In culture, "The Passion of the Christ" is expected to receive a warm welcome in Italy. The film opens there tomorrow -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines. You know it is against the law in the United States, but that is not stopping New Hampshire's governor. Craig Benson says his state's official Web site has a link to a Canadian pharmacy. Seniors can use the link to buy cheaper drugs than they can here at home.
Let's check in with WOKQ Radio Morning Waking Crew -- gosh, that's hard to say -- Mark Ericson and Danielle Carrier.
Good morning -- Mark and Danielle.
DANIELLE CARRIER, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Morning, Carol.
MARK ERICSON, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Good morning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: This is something else. This could start something.
CARRIER: It already has, I think. It's got a lot of people talking, and I would have to say it's almost split. Some people are frustrated with the prices, others are kind of scared because they are little more conservative than others.
ERICSON: The governor is -- he came from the high tech sector and you need to remember, too, that the governor term in the state of New Hampshire is two years. So every year is an election year kind of thing, and he is trying to make sure that the seniors, in his words, can get the medications they need at prices they can afford.
COSTELLO: How much cheaper can you get prescription drugs from this Web site?
ERICSON: Well, you know the -- it -- because there are so many different types of drugs out there, we do know that the governor, as part of his testing procedure for this, he ordered a half dozen different medications himself from Canada. And he says he saved $550 on just six prescriptions.
COSTELLO: But isn't he putting the whole state at risk? I mean what if a senior buys drugs from this Web site, this Canadian Web site, the drugs are bad, can't they sue the state?
ERICSON: Well the New Hampshire Pharmacist Association says health and safety are more important than dollars and cents. And they say that the governor may be putting the state at some liability risk as a result of this link on the official state Web site.
COSTELLO: But you know the desperation that some seniors feel to not being able to afford prescription drugs, it's like -- it's unbelievable that it exists in this country.
I want to read something that your governor said, which I think will strike many people. He says the pharmaceutical industry here has balanced their books on the backs of seniors for too long. They line their pockets through scare tactics and misinformation. ERICSON: Indeed that's the governor's position in all of this. He says that he has sent two pharmacists to Winnipeg, which is where this one particular site -- and let's clarify, too, that the state link is providing a link to one and right now only one site in Canada. The site is called Canadadrugs.com. The official state site has information for other Canadian distributors to hop on board. But as of right now, there really is only one link to one site that the governor says he has checked out.
COSTELLO: Well you know it makes you wonder if this is illegal what might happen to the governor and the state and to those buying drugs off of this Canadian Web site link.
ERICSON: The liability factor is a question. However, it's also important to remember that New Hampshire is not the only state to have done this. Minnesota and Wisconsin have got similar Web sites set up.
COSTELLO: Mark and Danielle, thanks, as always, for joining us on DAYBREAK. We appreciate it.
Stories making headlines across the states straight ahead. But first, fancy footwork. The "Sex and the City" savvy are going to extremes to be fashionably fit. You will not believe how extreme. I'm telling you, you will not believe it. We'll show you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK. 'Health Headlines' for you this morning.
Former President Bill Clinton is part of a group announcing plans to buy and distribute cheap AIDS drugs in four countries. The U.N., World Bank and Global Fund to fight AIDS are also part of that initiative. The groups says it's arranged discounts of 50 percent or more.
A top manufacturer of human rabies vaccine is recalling thousands of doses after discovering that one unit contained the live virus, which could actually harm your health. A spokesman for Aventis Pasteur says only those who received the vaccine need to contact their doctor and right now we might add.
Heading to the doctor's office yourself, well make sure you have some cash. Some doctors who are fed up with the red tape of managed care insurance companies are accepting only cash payments. Isn't that special? One ethics expert calls it a terrible indictment of the collapsing health care system.
For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address CNN.com/Health.
Well the hit show "Sex and the City" has inspired a lot of you women out there to go ahead and buy that trendy footwear, those high heels with the pointy toes. I know I have. But some of you are going to extremes to pamper your peds.
Wait until you see this story from CNN's Holly Firfer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It used to be Jimmy who and now it's Jimmy Choo a girl can't live without thanks to four single shoe addicted gals in New York.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are pretty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm looking for comfortable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then I'll try these for you.
FIRFER: But comfort isn't key for the girls of HBO's "Sex and the City" who have footed a fetish for a stunning stiletto.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, lover.
DR. SUZANNE LEVINE, INSTITUTE BEAUTE: I think your feet are the new face.
FIRFER: So how far would you go for that strappy sandal? Would you shorten a toe, shave down a bone, inject collagen into your heel? Did you even know there was such a thing as toe cleavage?
LEVINE: I think there's a psychology that goes with wearing high heeled shoes, it makes you feel good immediately. It's the one clothing item that you can put on if you are 10 pounds overweight.
FIRFER: Doctors in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons report within the last six months half their patients were asking for surgery to make their high heels fit better. A Gallup Poll survey showed 37 percent of women said they would continue to wear heels even if they were uncomfortable. Using restilin injections to cushion the balls of the feet at $500, lightening nails for $250, injecting Botox to prevent sweating about $480. And performing surgery to shave down bones for the perfect peds, Dr. Suzanne Levine says cosmetic foot surgery is a lucrative business.
LEVINE: I built my practice on being -- patients being able to wear any pair of shoes. And I think women, it's like saying to someone, don't have chocolates, you know. Women certainly consider shoes an important part of their wardrobe.
FIRFER: Just ask Jennifer Davidson.
JENNIFER DAVIDSON, PATIENT: These are all my shoes.
FIRFER: She had the bone next to her big toe shaved down so she could fit into her high heels without any pain.
DAVIDSON: I like to wear, you know, interesting style of shoes. So it just wasn't going to happen. I wouldn't wear sneakers all the time.
FIRFER: The American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons says more than half of its members have treated patients with problems related to cosmetic foot surgery.
DR. KIMBERLY EICKMEIER, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF FOOT & ANKLE SURGEONS: Performing surgery solely for the purpose of changing the appearance or size of the foot or ankle carries with it medical risks.
FIRFER: Too squeamish for surgery? Well then pamper those peds with a foot facial. Exfoliate, scrape, mask and massage so you can shimmy into a Jimmy.
Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That's just wrong. That's just wrong. That's crazy.
MYERS: Leave your feet alone.
COSTELLO: Yes, please, don't do that.
MYERS: The most important part of your body down there, I mean just because your putting all your weight on them all the day long.
COSTELLO: It's just...
MYERS: Can you imagine taking some bones out of there or something like that...
COSTELLO: No. And you know I wear those high heeled shoes, I do,...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... because I love shoes just as much as the next woman. But I don't think I'd ever go to that extreme.
MYERS: Fifty percent of the people...
COSTELLO: I know.
MYERS: ... that were going to that doctor, 50 percent were asking for this surgery.
COSTELLO: Who has -- who had that line face -- the feet are the new face.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: What is that about?
MYERS: I'm not sure, but.
COSTELLO: I'm not either.
MYERS: You know high heels just make all the girls taller than me, so I don't -- I like flats. That's...
COSTELLO: That's why I like to wear them around Chad.
News from the States now.
MYERS: Ready.
COSTELLO: OK. This is from the "Johnson City Press" out of Tennessee. You can see the headline there, free ice cream. Is she not cute?
MYERS: She is. But they haven't had free ice cream since 1957 when they passed a law that said no free ice cream available in Johnson City or Tennessee for that matter.
COSTELLO: Yes, but thanks to a beautiful bipartisan effort, the Republicans and the Democrats got together in the state of Tennessee to overturn that bill by passing the free ice cream bill.
MYERS: They were dumping, back in the '50s, ice cream companies were dumping ice cream on the market to try to drive out the competition. Give it away so that no one else could make money on it and so they stopped that.
COSTELLO: Not anymore.
MYERS: Nothing, so (ph).
COSTELLO: Free ice cream for all the kids.
MYERS: Now it's back.
COSTELLO: Yes, right.
"Akron Beacon Journal" has a very interesting story about a supreme speller. These are kids that are trying to make it to the National Spelling Bee. And it's an emotional story. I had tears in my eyes after I read this. This is Marissa Patterson, the girl on the front. This 12-year-old girl with an overall IQ of 134.
MYERS: Yikes!
COSTELLO: Really trying to win and she just can't do it. And this is about her story. And at the end, she makes good friends. And I'm telling you I had tears rolling down my face.
MYERS: You did -- you made semi-finals, the regionals or something in the spelling bee.
COSTELLO: I may -- I failed in the regionals, Chad, please don't bring that up.
MYERS: That's good enough. That's a win.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: All right, March Madness is over,...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... as you probably know, but that did not stop rowdy fans from showing their support for the nation's No. 1 team. In the next half -- in the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll get into The Zone. You stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The U.S. military on a mission to root out the people behind those violent attacks in Iraq. This is the face of their new enemy.
Good morning to you, from the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for April 6. I am Carol Costello.
Much more on the developments in Iraq ahead in this hour, but first, the latest headlines for you.
We have just gotten word that three U.S. soldiers were killed in separate incidents overnight in Baghdad. Elsewhere, U.S. soldiers killed at least 60 Iraqis during firefights in the Sadr City district of Baghdad.
And in Fallujah, four U.S. Marines were killed overnight. That makes five in all killed near Fallujah. Marines in that area, of course, involved in Operation Vigilant Resolve.
At least a dozen people remain missing after flashfloods swept through a town on the U.S.-Mexico border. Flooding there has killed 31 people so far.
The ACLU is expected to announce a class action lawsuit challenging the government's no-fly list.
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Aired April 6, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As U.S. troops launch a massive offensive, we'll get a firsthand look at the face of the new enemy in Iraq.
Good morning to you, welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK. It is Tuesday, April 6. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Let me bring you up to date.
In Baghdad, U.S. soldiers killed an estimated 60 Iraqis overnight in a string of battles with fighters from the army of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Things are getting worse in flood-ravaged northern Mexico. Officials there say rising waters triggered by heavy thunderstorms have killed at least 31 people. Dozens more remain missing.
Attorney Kenneth Starr has been named Dean of California's Pepperdine Law School. Starr, who led the investigation into then President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky, begins work on August 1.
About a dozen U.S. Husky fans are waking up in jail this morning. Last night's NCAA Championship sent thousands of students into the streets where they set fires and overturned cars.
See, I spoke too soon, Chad, they did set fires.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, that's probably why they got arrested.
COSTELLO: Disappointing. True.
MYERS: That's not good. You shouldn't do that.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: But you know, anyway.
Hey, good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: U.S. military says at least 60 Iraqis were killed overnight in a series of firefights in Sadr City. These are the latest pictures from that battle. We just got them in about an hour ago. An Army captain says the shootout lasted three hours.
Also new this morning, U.S. soldiers were fighting elements from radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's army. No reports of U.S. casualties in this fighting. A weekend battle with Sadr's militia left eight American troops dead, though.
That Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is the new most wanted man in Iraq right now. The U.S. is vowing to arrest the radical religious leader. So just who is he?
Jim Clancy takes a look for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Moqtada al-Sadr was all but unknown outside Iraq when the U.S.-led coalition invaded a year ago. The 31-year-old Shia leader is the son of a respected cleric, killed under the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Some say in a way he is also a son of Saddam for Moqtada al-Sadr has undeniably inherited the ability to parlay his political savvy and ruthlessness into power. An outlaw is how U.S. Civilian Administrator Paul Bremer describes al-Sadr. It's an opinion not formed yesterday. A year ago, the U.S. brought Abdel-Majid al-Khoei to Najaf. An Iraqi exile, al-Khoei was pro-Western, anti-Saddam and he had impressive Shia credentials. He also had CIA money to pay city salaries. With U.S. and British support, he seemed destined to play a major role in a new Iraq. But in time measured only in days, Abdel-Majid al-Khoei was dead.
(on camera): All accounts say the pro-Western al-Khoei was hacked to death with knives after being chased by a mob from inside the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf. Many say it was an internal power struggle among Iraq's Shia Muslims, pointing a finger at Muqtada al- Sadr and his militant supporters. Sadr vehemently denies it. But one year later, arrest warrants are pointing in that same direction.
DAN SENOR, COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY: An Iraqi judge issued an arrest warrant for Muqtada al-Sadr. And that is based on evidence that connects Muqtada al-Sadr to the brutal murder of Mr. al- Khoei.
CLANCY (voice-over): The weekend clashes in four Iraqi cities coincided with mounting concern after the arrest of one of al-Sadr's key aides. Rumors that he also would be charged had certainly reached Muqtada al-Sadr himself.
In the streets of Sadr City on Monday, after a night of clashes, Sadr supporters stressed the urgency of the situation. Wearing a hood and clutching a hand grenade, one said they would make Iraq the Americans' graveyard. "We have seven American prisoners and we'll trade them for our prisoners," he declared, a claim the U.S. military flatly denied. Muqtada al-Sadr has retreated to his mosque in Kufa, surrounded by his followers and not within easy reach of Iraqi police.
But the militant young cleric can also count on his network of supporters across Iraq, who chant "long, long, long live Sadr." Charitable groups he inherited from his father have distributed aid to the needy. He's been against the occupation from the start. He has challenged its authority, setting up his own courts and his own prisons. Now he has challenged it with guns on the streets.
BRIG. GEN. MARK HERTLING, U.S. ARMY: He's trying to intimidate people, as the political process continues on.
CLANCY: Some argue al-Sadr is inpatient, that he misjudged the coalition badly. But the real question yet to be answered is whether Muqtada al-Sadr will emerge from it all stronger or weaker.
Jim Clancy, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And that is the question, isn't it?
We have our senior international editor David Clinch here to help us sort through this.
How many armed men does al-Sadr have at his disposal?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, many, many thousands. It's not clear exactly how directly he is controlling them. And one of the interesting points Jim bringing up there from Baghdad is that we were told yesterday that there is an arrest warrant for Sadr, but the interesting thing is we were told that this arrest warrant had actually existed since last year. They revealed it to us yesterday because of the violence that he has inspired over the last few days. But the question of whether they will go and arrest him, I mean there are strong indications that they know exactly where he is, holed up in a mosque near Najaf.
COSTELLO: And he is probably surrounded by armed men.
CLINCH: He certainly was on Friday when we last saw him there. Whether he is still there or not is not a question. But the question is given the fact that a lot of this violence came from the fact that they shut down his newspaper and arrested his deputy, the question of whether they would actively seek to arrest him, whether he is in a mosque or not, is a very serious question for the coalition.
COSTELLO: Well we're going to ask General Grange about that in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
CLINCH: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: I wanted to talk about casualties and deaths.
CLINCH: Yes.
COSTELLO: Sixty-three Iraqis killed near Sadr City. How did that happen?
CLINCH: Well we are told that there was an operation last night in which some Sadr supporters tried to take over a police station in Sadr City. Different from what we were talking about yesterday morning with the helicopter hitting the militia in Sadr City. An operation late in the day Monday in which the U.S. forces repelled the militia and they tell us that as many as 63 Iraqis may have been killed. We are looking into that.
The fact is that we are being told on both sides we're now up to a total of, we believe, 21 U.S. soldiers killed in April alone so far. And reports even just based on the coalition estimate of more than 100, close to 200 Iraqis killed throughout Iraq.
And that brings up another point, we're seeing clashes, not just in Baghdad and involving the Americans, and in Fallujah, obviously, going -- continuing there with the Marines, but also dotted around southern Iraq with the British, the Italians, the Poles and others...
COSTELLO: That's right, because there was fighting near Nasiriya, too.
CLINCH: Today involving the Italians, which we have just confirmed. And that brings up a question, no crisis yet, but definitely concerns amongst these coalition partners. They were in cities, which were relatively quiet up to now. They have forces that are not necessarily capable of fighting those militia in the same way as the Americans are. So concerns. The British have just confirmed...
COSTELLO: But you know what's interesting, you know President Bush declared an end to active combat.
CLINCH: Yes.
COSTELLO: When does it become active combat again?
CLINCH: All right, not for me to say, but that is definitely a question what could be defined as active combat and this question of more troops. We have had the British today confirm that they are sending more troops, but they are making it clear that -- 4,500 extra troops -- but they will replace troops that are there. Certainly will be nice to have those 4,500 extra there as soon as possible. So a question of more troops. So Iraq definitely the dominating story for us today.
COSTELLO: All right. Thank you very much -- David.
CLINCH: OK.
COSTELLO: We appreciate it.
The world watched and did nothing as nearly one million people were slaughtered in Rwanda. The genocide began unfolding 10 years ago today when the plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were shot down by rocket fire.
Our Jeff Koinange joins us live from Kigali to tell us more about this grim anniversary. Hello -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Carol, and you're right, that key event that triggered off the genocide was a plane being downed in the streets of Kigali. Twelve hours later, members of the majority tribe here called Hutu set about on a campaign of exterminating the minority Tutsis and some moderate Hutus. By the time it was over 100 days later, close to a million of them laid dead or dying.
Now 10 years later, Carol, the country still grieves. New nightmares are appearing. Thousands of women who were brutally raped and abused 10 years ago now suffer from AIDS. Exhumations are happening all over the country, bringing to bear new nightmares. And the government has released admitted killers into society and some of these killers are actually living side by side with victims and survivors.
So 10 years later, the physical scars may have healed. The mental scars, Carol, the ones that no medicine can ever heal, those will probably take a lifetime -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jeff Koinange reporting live for us from Africa this morning.
DAYBREAK will return with much more. You stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:43 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.
Five U.S. Marines in all have died in the past 24 hours in Fallujah. The action follows last week's killing and mutilation of four American security guards. That action, of course the lockdown of the city.
Gas prices have hit a record high for the second time in a row. Prices increased more than 2 cents per gallon. Analysts say they expect prices to go even higher.
In money news, Bank of America announced plans to cut more than 12,000 jobs over the next two years. The cuts are a result of their merger with Fleet Bank.
In sports, the Connecticut and Tennessee women's basketball teams are scheduled to battle for the NCAA battle tonight. Connecticut shooting for its third straight title and a double win following the defeat of Georgia Tech by the Connecticut men's team last night.
In culture, "The Passion of the Christ" is expected to receive a warm welcome in Italy. The film opens there tomorrow -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines. You know it is against the law in the United States, but that is not stopping New Hampshire's governor. Craig Benson says his state's official Web site has a link to a Canadian pharmacy. Seniors can use the link to buy cheaper drugs than they can here at home.
Let's check in with WOKQ Radio Morning Waking Crew -- gosh, that's hard to say -- Mark Ericson and Danielle Carrier.
Good morning -- Mark and Danielle.
DANIELLE CARRIER, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Morning, Carol.
MARK ERICSON, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Good morning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: This is something else. This could start something.
CARRIER: It already has, I think. It's got a lot of people talking, and I would have to say it's almost split. Some people are frustrated with the prices, others are kind of scared because they are little more conservative than others.
ERICSON: The governor is -- he came from the high tech sector and you need to remember, too, that the governor term in the state of New Hampshire is two years. So every year is an election year kind of thing, and he is trying to make sure that the seniors, in his words, can get the medications they need at prices they can afford.
COSTELLO: How much cheaper can you get prescription drugs from this Web site?
ERICSON: Well, you know the -- it -- because there are so many different types of drugs out there, we do know that the governor, as part of his testing procedure for this, he ordered a half dozen different medications himself from Canada. And he says he saved $550 on just six prescriptions.
COSTELLO: But isn't he putting the whole state at risk? I mean what if a senior buys drugs from this Web site, this Canadian Web site, the drugs are bad, can't they sue the state?
ERICSON: Well the New Hampshire Pharmacist Association says health and safety are more important than dollars and cents. And they say that the governor may be putting the state at some liability risk as a result of this link on the official state Web site.
COSTELLO: But you know the desperation that some seniors feel to not being able to afford prescription drugs, it's like -- it's unbelievable that it exists in this country.
I want to read something that your governor said, which I think will strike many people. He says the pharmaceutical industry here has balanced their books on the backs of seniors for too long. They line their pockets through scare tactics and misinformation. ERICSON: Indeed that's the governor's position in all of this. He says that he has sent two pharmacists to Winnipeg, which is where this one particular site -- and let's clarify, too, that the state link is providing a link to one and right now only one site in Canada. The site is called Canadadrugs.com. The official state site has information for other Canadian distributors to hop on board. But as of right now, there really is only one link to one site that the governor says he has checked out.
COSTELLO: Well you know it makes you wonder if this is illegal what might happen to the governor and the state and to those buying drugs off of this Canadian Web site link.
ERICSON: The liability factor is a question. However, it's also important to remember that New Hampshire is not the only state to have done this. Minnesota and Wisconsin have got similar Web sites set up.
COSTELLO: Mark and Danielle, thanks, as always, for joining us on DAYBREAK. We appreciate it.
Stories making headlines across the states straight ahead. But first, fancy footwork. The "Sex and the City" savvy are going to extremes to be fashionably fit. You will not believe how extreme. I'm telling you, you will not believe it. We'll show you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK. 'Health Headlines' for you this morning.
Former President Bill Clinton is part of a group announcing plans to buy and distribute cheap AIDS drugs in four countries. The U.N., World Bank and Global Fund to fight AIDS are also part of that initiative. The groups says it's arranged discounts of 50 percent or more.
A top manufacturer of human rabies vaccine is recalling thousands of doses after discovering that one unit contained the live virus, which could actually harm your health. A spokesman for Aventis Pasteur says only those who received the vaccine need to contact their doctor and right now we might add.
Heading to the doctor's office yourself, well make sure you have some cash. Some doctors who are fed up with the red tape of managed care insurance companies are accepting only cash payments. Isn't that special? One ethics expert calls it a terrible indictment of the collapsing health care system.
For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address CNN.com/Health.
Well the hit show "Sex and the City" has inspired a lot of you women out there to go ahead and buy that trendy footwear, those high heels with the pointy toes. I know I have. But some of you are going to extremes to pamper your peds.
Wait until you see this story from CNN's Holly Firfer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It used to be Jimmy who and now it's Jimmy Choo a girl can't live without thanks to four single shoe addicted gals in New York.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are pretty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm looking for comfortable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then I'll try these for you.
FIRFER: But comfort isn't key for the girls of HBO's "Sex and the City" who have footed a fetish for a stunning stiletto.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, lover.
DR. SUZANNE LEVINE, INSTITUTE BEAUTE: I think your feet are the new face.
FIRFER: So how far would you go for that strappy sandal? Would you shorten a toe, shave down a bone, inject collagen into your heel? Did you even know there was such a thing as toe cleavage?
LEVINE: I think there's a psychology that goes with wearing high heeled shoes, it makes you feel good immediately. It's the one clothing item that you can put on if you are 10 pounds overweight.
FIRFER: Doctors in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons report within the last six months half their patients were asking for surgery to make their high heels fit better. A Gallup Poll survey showed 37 percent of women said they would continue to wear heels even if they were uncomfortable. Using restilin injections to cushion the balls of the feet at $500, lightening nails for $250, injecting Botox to prevent sweating about $480. And performing surgery to shave down bones for the perfect peds, Dr. Suzanne Levine says cosmetic foot surgery is a lucrative business.
LEVINE: I built my practice on being -- patients being able to wear any pair of shoes. And I think women, it's like saying to someone, don't have chocolates, you know. Women certainly consider shoes an important part of their wardrobe.
FIRFER: Just ask Jennifer Davidson.
JENNIFER DAVIDSON, PATIENT: These are all my shoes.
FIRFER: She had the bone next to her big toe shaved down so she could fit into her high heels without any pain.
DAVIDSON: I like to wear, you know, interesting style of shoes. So it just wasn't going to happen. I wouldn't wear sneakers all the time.
FIRFER: The American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons says more than half of its members have treated patients with problems related to cosmetic foot surgery.
DR. KIMBERLY EICKMEIER, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF FOOT & ANKLE SURGEONS: Performing surgery solely for the purpose of changing the appearance or size of the foot or ankle carries with it medical risks.
FIRFER: Too squeamish for surgery? Well then pamper those peds with a foot facial. Exfoliate, scrape, mask and massage so you can shimmy into a Jimmy.
Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: That's just wrong. That's just wrong. That's crazy.
MYERS: Leave your feet alone.
COSTELLO: Yes, please, don't do that.
MYERS: The most important part of your body down there, I mean just because your putting all your weight on them all the day long.
COSTELLO: It's just...
MYERS: Can you imagine taking some bones out of there or something like that...
COSTELLO: No. And you know I wear those high heeled shoes, I do,...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... because I love shoes just as much as the next woman. But I don't think I'd ever go to that extreme.
MYERS: Fifty percent of the people...
COSTELLO: I know.
MYERS: ... that were going to that doctor, 50 percent were asking for this surgery.
COSTELLO: Who has -- who had that line face -- the feet are the new face.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: What is that about?
MYERS: I'm not sure, but.
COSTELLO: I'm not either.
MYERS: You know high heels just make all the girls taller than me, so I don't -- I like flats. That's...
COSTELLO: That's why I like to wear them around Chad.
News from the States now.
MYERS: Ready.
COSTELLO: OK. This is from the "Johnson City Press" out of Tennessee. You can see the headline there, free ice cream. Is she not cute?
MYERS: She is. But they haven't had free ice cream since 1957 when they passed a law that said no free ice cream available in Johnson City or Tennessee for that matter.
COSTELLO: Yes, but thanks to a beautiful bipartisan effort, the Republicans and the Democrats got together in the state of Tennessee to overturn that bill by passing the free ice cream bill.
MYERS: They were dumping, back in the '50s, ice cream companies were dumping ice cream on the market to try to drive out the competition. Give it away so that no one else could make money on it and so they stopped that.
COSTELLO: Not anymore.
MYERS: Nothing, so (ph).
COSTELLO: Free ice cream for all the kids.
MYERS: Now it's back.
COSTELLO: Yes, right.
"Akron Beacon Journal" has a very interesting story about a supreme speller. These are kids that are trying to make it to the National Spelling Bee. And it's an emotional story. I had tears in my eyes after I read this. This is Marissa Patterson, the girl on the front. This 12-year-old girl with an overall IQ of 134.
MYERS: Yikes!
COSTELLO: Really trying to win and she just can't do it. And this is about her story. And at the end, she makes good friends. And I'm telling you I had tears rolling down my face.
MYERS: You did -- you made semi-finals, the regionals or something in the spelling bee.
COSTELLO: I may -- I failed in the regionals, Chad, please don't bring that up.
MYERS: That's good enough. That's a win.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: All right, March Madness is over,...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... as you probably know, but that did not stop rowdy fans from showing their support for the nation's No. 1 team. In the next half -- in the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll get into The Zone. You stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The U.S. military on a mission to root out the people behind those violent attacks in Iraq. This is the face of their new enemy.
Good morning to you, from the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for April 6. I am Carol Costello.
Much more on the developments in Iraq ahead in this hour, but first, the latest headlines for you.
We have just gotten word that three U.S. soldiers were killed in separate incidents overnight in Baghdad. Elsewhere, U.S. soldiers killed at least 60 Iraqis during firefights in the Sadr City district of Baghdad.
And in Fallujah, four U.S. Marines were killed overnight. That makes five in all killed near Fallujah. Marines in that area, of course, involved in Operation Vigilant Resolve.
At least a dozen people remain missing after flashfloods swept through a town on the U.S.-Mexico border. Flooding there has killed 31 people so far.
The ACLU is expected to announce a class action lawsuit challenging the government's no-fly list.
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