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CNN Live At Daybreak
Day Two of Operation Vigilant Resolve
Aired April 06, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for Tuesday, April 6. I'm Carol Costello
Here are the latest headlines for you.
U.S. soldiers killed an estimated 60 Iraqis during firefights in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. And in Falluja, four U.S. Marines were killed. Marines in the area are involved in Operation Vigilant Resolve.
At least a dozen people remain missing after flash floods swept through a town on the U.S.-Mexican border. The flooding has killed 31 people.
The ACLU is expected to announce a class action lawsuit challenging the government's no fly list. The list contains the names of people the Transportation Security Administration thinks are a risk to commercial aviation.
The University of Connecticut welcomes their champions back home today. The U. Conn. men beat Georgia Tech handily last night, to win their second title of the past five years.
To the forecast center now and Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just call him Mr. Okafor.
COSTELLO: That's right.
MYERS: Man, he was just phenomenal last night.
COSTELLO: Twenty-four points or something like that?
MYERS: Phenomenal.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Just, yes. He was a man among boys, as they say. He was just -- it was a great game for U. Conn. And congratulations to them. And congratulations to Georgia Tech for a great season, as well.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: This is day two of Operation Vigilant Resolve. We've just had word this morning that four U.S. Marines were killed in Operation Lockdown in Falluja, in the operation, actually, I meant to say, in Falluja. The U.S. military is also trying to silence radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose militia killed eight American soldiers.
Jane Clayson has the latest for you from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sound of gunfire rattled across Iraq's capital city overnight as U.S. forces engaged members of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in the sprawling impoverished area known as Sadr City. Formerly, it was Saddam City.
U.S. military spokesmen are telling CNN this morning that 63 members of that armed militia were killed as they tried to take over police stations inside Sadr City. There were no reports of any wounded, no reports of any U.S. casualties.
The confrontation between Muqtada al-Sadr's forces and the U.S. has escalated in the last week. First, the U.S. shut down his newspaper, then arrested a key aide, then announced on Monday that Muqtada al-Sadr himself is wanted in an arrest warrant in connection with the murder, the assassination, really, of a rival Shia Muslim cleric one year ago in the very shadow of the Imam Ali Mosque, one of Shia Islam's holiest of shrines.
Meantime, in the troubled city of Falluja, in the very heart of the Sunni Triangle, U.S. forces, U.S. Marines continued to encircle that town. All roads in and out have been shut down. Residents have been warned to stay indoors and there was fighting overnight. According to U.S. military sources, they received heavy fire coming from mortars and rocket propelled grenades at one point, as well as small arms coming from a mosque compound on the north side of that city.
When U.S. Marines moved in to engage, they encountered a vehicle containing six Iraqi insurgents armed with assault rifles and hand grenades. One of those insurgents was killed, two were wounded. All of the survivors were taken into custody.
Elsewhere around Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army not only acted in Baghdad, they're also said to be active in other cities around Iraq, particularly in the south. There's an ongoing stand-off at the governor's office in Basra. There is also reports come -- there are also reports coming in this morning that Italian troops in the city of Nasiriyah came under attack at four o'clock in the morning local time. Some civilians said to have been wounded in the crossfire, as Italian troops fought with the Mahdi Army. Two members of that armed militia said to have been wounded in the fighting.
So the U.S. and the coalition very much this day continues to fight on multiple fronts and also against multiple enemies. A lot of people in Iraq are questioning the U.S. strategy that sparked the confrontation between Muqtada al-Sadr and coalition forces.
I'm Jim Clancy, CNN, Baghdad. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And here in the States, public opinion about the war in Iraq is virtually unchanged since last month. A new poll by the Pew Research Center asks, "Did the U.S. make the right decision by using military force in Iraq?"
Fifty-seven percent of those polled say yes. That's up from 55 percent. While 35 percent of those polled say no, and that is down from 39 percent in mid-March. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.
The general in charge of operations in Iraq is taking no chances amid the increased violence. General John Abizaid has ordered his staff to prepare options for a quick infusion of additional troops if needed.
Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice-over): A weekend of violent demonstrations by Iraqi Shiites so concerned U.S. Central Commander General John Abizaid sources say he ordered up options for a quick infusion of additional U.S. troops if needed.
A senior Pentagon official called it prudent planning for a worst case scenario in the unanticipated event violence gets out of control but as of now U.S. commanders believe there are adequate forces on the ground and so far there is no request for additional troops.
Because the U.S. is in the middle of a massive troop rotation it actually has a temporary spike in the number of troops in Iraq from 120,000 at the beginning of the year to roughly 134,000 today.
Commanders routinely reposition troops within Iraq and sources say shifting troops already in the country to trouble spots is far more likely than deploying additional troops.
Still, the contingency planning itself shows how concerned the Pentagon is about the problem in Baghdad and farther south for up to now the Iraqi Shiite majority has been mostly cooperating with the U.S.-led occupation force.
Unlike in Fallujah, a Sunni stronghold where the U.S. is convinced a forceful crackdown by U.S. Marines will break the anti- American resistance, neutralizing the fire brand Muslin cleric who sparked this weekend's violence requires more finesse.
The U.S. wants to arrest Moqtada al-Sadr without inflaming Shiite passions or making him a martyr. The U.S. insists al-Sadr is a minor cleric on a power grab whose outlawed militia numbers less than 3,000.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts says Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam. Kennedy says Iraq was never a threat to the United States and that the president took this country to war under false pretensions. Kennedy talked to Larry King about the upcoming transfer of power to the Iraqis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
LARRY KING, HOST: Bush said today he vowed to meet the deadline of June 30th. He says he thinks there'll be more violence as the deadline approaches, as terrorists try to test America's will.
Are you concerned about June 30th?
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, very much so. I mean we have to -- the date has been set. And obviously to try and get the target, the bull's eye, off the backs of Americans, as they are represented as occupiers and not liberators, that has to be something that we have to be successful at or we're going to have a very long, bloody, difficult, costly, additionally costly fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: For reaction to Senator Kennedy's comments and the conflict in Iraq, don't miss my discussion with opposing voices. That is new in the news headlines on DAYBREAK.
Conservative radio talk show host Neil Boortz and liberal radio talk show host Mike Malloy will join me live in the news headlines on DAYBREAK.
President Bush says his national security adviser will "lay out the facts" when she appears before the 9/11 Commission on Thursday. Mr. Bush says he looks forward to having people hear what Condoleezza Rice has to say. The president is set to appear before the Commission probably in the next two weeks, along with Vice President Dick Cheney.
You can watch Condoleezza Rice's appearance before the 9/11 Commission live on CNN. It's scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Thursday.
An investigation into 9/11, a charity of 9/11, topes our look at some of the news across America.
The New York City Fire Department is trying to find out why members of a traveling 9/11 exhibit are wearing the fire department's uniforms. The charity group running the exhibit claims it's to help families deal with the effects of terrorism and trauma.
Last summer's massive blackout was not the work of terrorists and could have been prevented. That is the conclusion of the task force looking into the incident. Fifty million people in eight states lost power. It was the largest blackout in U.S. history, but I don't need to remind you of that.
The man police suspected in a string of Washington area arson fires has been cleared for now. Police say Noel Gibson's fingerprints did not match prints found at the crime scenes. But a source close to the investigation tells CNN that Gibson does remain a possible suspect. During the past year, 35 arson fires have been set, killing one person and injuring dozens.
In Florida, a woman police suspect may be responsible for a deadly hit and run has come forward to say I'm sorry.
CNN's Susan Candiotti has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER PORTER, DRIVER: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Five days after a fatal hit-and-run, Jennifer Porter sat before cameras, her eyes fixed on a brief written statement and apologized to the victims' mother.
PORTER: I wish there was more that I could say to ease your pain. I know there is nothing I can do to bring your two precious sons back, Bryant and Deronte (ph).
CANDIOTTI: As her family watched, Porter and her attorney chose their words carefully. Neither technically acknowledged she was the driver of a car that struck and killed two young brothers who were crossing a Tampa street last Wednesday. Neither would discuss what happened or why the 28-year-old grade school dance teacher left the scene without stopping.
BARRY COHEN, PORTER'S ATTORNEY: No one knows how he or she will react in the face of what Jennifer was faced with, frightened beyond imagination.
CANDIOTTI: At a weekend vigil, victims Bryant Wilkins, 13, and his 3-year-old brother Deronte were remembered. Their 8-year-old sister, who has spoken with police and 2-year-old brother survived their injuries. Police say they're still looking for a van with possible witnesses. They say another car might also be involved in the hit-and-run.
Porter's family contacted the lawyer two days after the accident and he called police. Before Porter came forward, the victims' mother spoke publicly.
MALISSA WILKINS, VICTIMS' MOTHER: Whoever hit my baby I know you're probably scared and I hold no hatred toward nobody.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Police have not yet made any arrests. They say they're still collecting evidence from Porter's seized car and are interviewing witnesses. Porter's attorney says she is cooperating with police but won't explain how. For now he's not allowing her to speak with authorities because, as he puts it, she's dealing with a lot of tough issues.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: A cash crop is booming in Afghanistan. But can the government get control of the drug trade? The poppy problem, later on DAYBREAK.
Furious crowds -- take a look -- as coalition troops face threats on multiple fronts. We will have the latest live from Iraq.
And check out this kitty cat. A Texas family say they want to keep their pet. But the bureaucrats say not so fast.
Plus, oh, what lengths we'll go to to fit into our Jimmy Choo shoes. You're stepping out with DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
An estimated 60 Iraqi combatants are dead following firefights with U.S. soldiers in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. And in clashes near Falluja, four U.S. Marines have been killed. That's five total.
The man suspected in a string of Ohio highway shootings pleads not guilty. Charles McCoy's attorneys are gathering evidence that could lead to an insanity plea in the case.
In money news, voters in one Los Angeles suburb will decide today if they want a Wal-Mart in their community. The Inglewood City Council blocked a proposed shopping center last year.
In sports, the University of Connecticut is hoping to make it a clean sweep. The U. Conn. women take on the University of Tennessee in tonight's NCAA women's basketball final. Of course, the U. Conn. men won last night.
In culture, the "Los Angeles Times" has been awarded five Pulitzer Prizes for excellence in journalism. The five awards are the second most ever for a newspaper.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: And those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
If the poppies are blaming in Afghanistan, then the drug trade probably is, too. But the government is hoping that new initiatives will help control the problem and keep drug money out of the hands of war lords and anti-government militias.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is joining us live from Kabul this morning with more on Afghanistan's cash crop.
Is there any way to control this -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, from what we've seen, the ways and methods are very, very difficult. We've just come back from the south of Afghanistan, from the drug poppy fields there. There are poppy fields everywhere, right along the main highways.
To put this in some kind of context for you, last year Afghanistan produced 3,600 metric tons of opium from the poppy fields here. That's three quarters of the world's total amount of opium. That accounts for 95 percent of all the heroin and morphine that arrives in Europe.
Now, what we saw were government officials trying to get farmers to crack down. Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, today said that there should be a 25 percent eradication. What we saw was that government officials lacked the authority, lacked the clout out in the field, in the poppy fields, to get the farmers to significantly reduce their crops and tractor them back into the fields. That's one of the problems the government faces here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, Nic, it's crazy. It seems like they do this right out in the open. You see the farmer there on his tractor in a huge poppy field.
ROBERTSON: That's right. The government here deploys local militia units to go out with the government enforcement units. But there's a lot of corruption here, Carol. Speaking privately with some of the officials, they say they can't even trust the guards they're going out with. In some cases, they can't trust the governors of the provinces. They believe, perhaps, some of the governors are involved in drug money. There is allegations about government ministers here being tied up with drugs and certainly the view that warlords and al Qaeda members here are profiting out of the drugs.
The problem, the farmers say, is that they're too poor to grow anything else. What government officials tell me privately is that there is a lot of pressure put on the farmers by the warlords, by other richer people in their neighborhoods, to grow these drugs, not for the profit of the farmers, but for the profit of others -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, a familiar story.
Where do these drugs go after they leave Afghanistan?
ROBERTSON: Mainly two directions or three directions. They can go east towards Pakistan, west towards Iran. We hear that they are sometimes trucked all the way across Iran, Turkey, then into Europe. They also go north through the former Soviet central Asian states, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and then get picked up, we are told, by mafias operating out of Russia.
So they get out a number of ways. The problem is borders here are very long, very difficult to patrol -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Nic Robertson reporting live from Kabul, Afghanistan this morning.
Now, let's get a check on the European markets. For that, as always, we head live to London.
Todd Benjamin is here for us today -- good morning, Todd.
TODD BENJAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
A quiet session. The FTSE here in London is flat. The DAX is off just a fraction in Frankfurt and the CAC is off a third of one percent.
The big news today is the latest German unemployment figures. Unemployment there rose by 44,000. That was much worse than expected. And the unemployment rate now stands at 10.4 percent. You heard it right, 10.4 percent for that troubled economy, Europe's biggest economy. And that's in sharp contrast to the fabulous employment report we got out of the States last Friday, where 308,000 jobs were created and the unemployment rate is comfortably below six percent, at 5.7 percent.
The focus in the U.S. today, we kick off the earnings season. Alcoa is up first. The big aluminum producer expected to earn $0.42 a share, about twice what it earned in the first quarter of last year.
In terms of what the futures market is saying right now, it looks like a slightly lower open at this point, after gains on Monday -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Yes, we can't get too greedy. BENJAMIN: That's right.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
Todd Benjamin, live from London this morning.
Coming up next on DAYBREAK, oh, it is official, the best of the best lay claim to the title top dog. We'll tell you who's king on the court in case you've been living on an island somewhere.
And J-Lo isn't the only person in her family rolling in dough. A seat at the slots nets some big bucks for the Lopez family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time for a little sports action now. Celebrations at U. Conn. for their national championship basketball team. Listen. Oh, what an exciting night for the Huskies. Connecticut was able to hoist the trophy after a dominating performance on the court. The Huskies led Georgia Tech from the outset and powered their way to an 83-72 victory. And to the victors go the Nets.
Back on campus, U. Conn. fans celebrated the win. Oh my goodness, look at that. After the game, thousands took to the streets and, of course, you know what follows. Police arrested more than a dozen people after some celebrations that got a little out of hand. MYERS: A little bit.
COSTELLO: It always happens.
MYERS: It does. I mean I...
COSTELLO: It's alcohol.
MYERS: ... 12, you know? That's not bad.
COSTELLO: Oh, 12 arrested? That's true.
MYERS: I mean that's probably a normal night.
COSTELLO: There were no overturned cars and no fires. I'm always happy to see that.
MYERS: Well, that's a good thing.
COSTELLO: Hey...
MYERS: So what have we got?
COSTELLO: We've got the -- we've got chat time, Chad.
MYERS: I know.
COSTELLO: Chatting with Chad.
MYERS: Are you ready?
COSTELLO: That's what we're going to call this segment, Chatting With Chad.
MYERS: No, no chatting.
COSTELLO: OK.
MYERS: OK. Look at this...
COSTELLO: We're going to talk about this new logo.
MYERS: Yes?
COSTELLO: Take a look. This is...
MYERS: See if you can guess what this is. NYC...
COSTELLO: It's half athlete...
MYERS: ... 2012.
COSTELLO: It's half athlete and half Statue of Liberty.
MYERS: And it's the new little logo for New York City trying to get the 2012 Olympics. COSTELLO: Yes. They put this out as part of their campaign to try to lure the Olympics to the city in 2012.
MYERS: And there are nine other cities vowing. That will be reduced down to six. And if New York City doesn't get it, the only one I hope does is Havana. We can all go down and smoke some cigars.
COSTELLO: Yes, right. And you know I'm going to be running the Olympic Torch?
MYERS: I know you are. It's awesome.
COSTELLO: I have to get that in as many times as I can, because I'm so darned proud of it.
MYERS: I'm so -- I'm just glad you could actually run, because I'd have to walk it.
COSTELLO: I know. You'd have to crawl. You don't run very far, though, Chad.
MYERS: I know.
COSTELLO: You don't even run a quarter mile. But I'm going to run it really fast.
MYERS: Don't drop it, though.
COSTELLO: Wouldn't that be terrible if I dropped the Torch and it went out?
MYERS: It would be. It would be bad. Don't do that.
COSTELLO: I think they have people there...
MYERS: To catch it?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Good.
COSTELLO: True.
Eye-Opener time.
Fancy feline is first up in our DAYBREAK Eye-Opener.
The Saginaw, Texas City Council is expected to rule today on the fate of Gizmo. Look at that picture.
MYERS: Oh, Gizmo.
COSTELLO: A new city ordinance bans wild and exotic animals, but the owners contend the African serval cat was part of the family before the law took effect. Staying with the animal theme, this little baby owl is a victim of poor planning by its parents. It seems the parents thought a billboard in Colorado would be a great place for their nest. But when it came time to change the billboard's message, the owlet had to be moved.
MYERS: Ooh.
COSTELLO: As if the family isn't lucky enough, Jennifer Lopez's mom won more than two million bucks in Atlantic City. Get this, Chad, she was playing the dollar slots.
MYERS: The Wheel of Fortune dollar slots, which are my favorite.
COSTELLO: Can you believe that? She hit that giant jackpot. It's not known if she got a congratulatory call or a marriage proposal from Ben Affleck.
And here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
Footloose and fancy free -- we'll show you the new face of fashion. That's later this hour.
But first, some call him the son of Saddam. Others call him an outlaw. And the U.S. military calls him wanted. We'll take a look at Sheikh al-Sadr.
Also...
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jeff Koinange in Rwanda.
It is exactly 10 years to the day that this country was about to be engulfed in one of the most brutal and savage atrocities of the 20th century. More coming up live on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 April 6, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for Tuesday, April 6. I'm Carol Costello
Here are the latest headlines for you.
U.S. soldiers killed an estimated 60 Iraqis during firefights in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. And in Falluja, four U.S. Marines were killed. Marines in the area are involved in Operation Vigilant Resolve.
At least a dozen people remain missing after flash floods swept through a town on the U.S.-Mexican border. The flooding has killed 31 people.
The ACLU is expected to announce a class action lawsuit challenging the government's no fly list. The list contains the names of people the Transportation Security Administration thinks are a risk to commercial aviation.
The University of Connecticut welcomes their champions back home today. The U. Conn. men beat Georgia Tech handily last night, to win their second title of the past five years.
To the forecast center now and Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just call him Mr. Okafor.
COSTELLO: That's right.
MYERS: Man, he was just phenomenal last night.
COSTELLO: Twenty-four points or something like that?
MYERS: Phenomenal.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Just, yes. He was a man among boys, as they say. He was just -- it was a great game for U. Conn. And congratulations to them. And congratulations to Georgia Tech for a great season, as well.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: This is day two of Operation Vigilant Resolve. We've just had word this morning that four U.S. Marines were killed in Operation Lockdown in Falluja, in the operation, actually, I meant to say, in Falluja. The U.S. military is also trying to silence radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose militia killed eight American soldiers.
Jane Clayson has the latest for you from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sound of gunfire rattled across Iraq's capital city overnight as U.S. forces engaged members of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in the sprawling impoverished area known as Sadr City. Formerly, it was Saddam City.
U.S. military spokesmen are telling CNN this morning that 63 members of that armed militia were killed as they tried to take over police stations inside Sadr City. There were no reports of any wounded, no reports of any U.S. casualties.
The confrontation between Muqtada al-Sadr's forces and the U.S. has escalated in the last week. First, the U.S. shut down his newspaper, then arrested a key aide, then announced on Monday that Muqtada al-Sadr himself is wanted in an arrest warrant in connection with the murder, the assassination, really, of a rival Shia Muslim cleric one year ago in the very shadow of the Imam Ali Mosque, one of Shia Islam's holiest of shrines.
Meantime, in the troubled city of Falluja, in the very heart of the Sunni Triangle, U.S. forces, U.S. Marines continued to encircle that town. All roads in and out have been shut down. Residents have been warned to stay indoors and there was fighting overnight. According to U.S. military sources, they received heavy fire coming from mortars and rocket propelled grenades at one point, as well as small arms coming from a mosque compound on the north side of that city.
When U.S. Marines moved in to engage, they encountered a vehicle containing six Iraqi insurgents armed with assault rifles and hand grenades. One of those insurgents was killed, two were wounded. All of the survivors were taken into custody.
Elsewhere around Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army not only acted in Baghdad, they're also said to be active in other cities around Iraq, particularly in the south. There's an ongoing stand-off at the governor's office in Basra. There is also reports come -- there are also reports coming in this morning that Italian troops in the city of Nasiriyah came under attack at four o'clock in the morning local time. Some civilians said to have been wounded in the crossfire, as Italian troops fought with the Mahdi Army. Two members of that armed militia said to have been wounded in the fighting.
So the U.S. and the coalition very much this day continues to fight on multiple fronts and also against multiple enemies. A lot of people in Iraq are questioning the U.S. strategy that sparked the confrontation between Muqtada al-Sadr and coalition forces.
I'm Jim Clancy, CNN, Baghdad. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And here in the States, public opinion about the war in Iraq is virtually unchanged since last month. A new poll by the Pew Research Center asks, "Did the U.S. make the right decision by using military force in Iraq?"
Fifty-seven percent of those polled say yes. That's up from 55 percent. While 35 percent of those polled say no, and that is down from 39 percent in mid-March. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.
The general in charge of operations in Iraq is taking no chances amid the increased violence. General John Abizaid has ordered his staff to prepare options for a quick infusion of additional troops if needed.
Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE (voice-over): A weekend of violent demonstrations by Iraqi Shiites so concerned U.S. Central Commander General John Abizaid sources say he ordered up options for a quick infusion of additional U.S. troops if needed.
A senior Pentagon official called it prudent planning for a worst case scenario in the unanticipated event violence gets out of control but as of now U.S. commanders believe there are adequate forces on the ground and so far there is no request for additional troops.
Because the U.S. is in the middle of a massive troop rotation it actually has a temporary spike in the number of troops in Iraq from 120,000 at the beginning of the year to roughly 134,000 today.
Commanders routinely reposition troops within Iraq and sources say shifting troops already in the country to trouble spots is far more likely than deploying additional troops.
Still, the contingency planning itself shows how concerned the Pentagon is about the problem in Baghdad and farther south for up to now the Iraqi Shiite majority has been mostly cooperating with the U.S.-led occupation force.
Unlike in Fallujah, a Sunni stronghold where the U.S. is convinced a forceful crackdown by U.S. Marines will break the anti- American resistance, neutralizing the fire brand Muslin cleric who sparked this weekend's violence requires more finesse.
The U.S. wants to arrest Moqtada al-Sadr without inflaming Shiite passions or making him a martyr. The U.S. insists al-Sadr is a minor cleric on a power grab whose outlawed militia numbers less than 3,000.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts says Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam. Kennedy says Iraq was never a threat to the United States and that the president took this country to war under false pretensions. Kennedy talked to Larry King about the upcoming transfer of power to the Iraqis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
LARRY KING, HOST: Bush said today he vowed to meet the deadline of June 30th. He says he thinks there'll be more violence as the deadline approaches, as terrorists try to test America's will.
Are you concerned about June 30th?
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, very much so. I mean we have to -- the date has been set. And obviously to try and get the target, the bull's eye, off the backs of Americans, as they are represented as occupiers and not liberators, that has to be something that we have to be successful at or we're going to have a very long, bloody, difficult, costly, additionally costly fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: For reaction to Senator Kennedy's comments and the conflict in Iraq, don't miss my discussion with opposing voices. That is new in the news headlines on DAYBREAK.
Conservative radio talk show host Neil Boortz and liberal radio talk show host Mike Malloy will join me live in the news headlines on DAYBREAK.
President Bush says his national security adviser will "lay out the facts" when she appears before the 9/11 Commission on Thursday. Mr. Bush says he looks forward to having people hear what Condoleezza Rice has to say. The president is set to appear before the Commission probably in the next two weeks, along with Vice President Dick Cheney.
You can watch Condoleezza Rice's appearance before the 9/11 Commission live on CNN. It's scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Thursday.
An investigation into 9/11, a charity of 9/11, topes our look at some of the news across America.
The New York City Fire Department is trying to find out why members of a traveling 9/11 exhibit are wearing the fire department's uniforms. The charity group running the exhibit claims it's to help families deal with the effects of terrorism and trauma.
Last summer's massive blackout was not the work of terrorists and could have been prevented. That is the conclusion of the task force looking into the incident. Fifty million people in eight states lost power. It was the largest blackout in U.S. history, but I don't need to remind you of that.
The man police suspected in a string of Washington area arson fires has been cleared for now. Police say Noel Gibson's fingerprints did not match prints found at the crime scenes. But a source close to the investigation tells CNN that Gibson does remain a possible suspect. During the past year, 35 arson fires have been set, killing one person and injuring dozens.
In Florida, a woman police suspect may be responsible for a deadly hit and run has come forward to say I'm sorry.
CNN's Susan Candiotti has more for you.
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JENNIFER PORTER, DRIVER: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Five days after a fatal hit-and-run, Jennifer Porter sat before cameras, her eyes fixed on a brief written statement and apologized to the victims' mother.
PORTER: I wish there was more that I could say to ease your pain. I know there is nothing I can do to bring your two precious sons back, Bryant and Deronte (ph).
CANDIOTTI: As her family watched, Porter and her attorney chose their words carefully. Neither technically acknowledged she was the driver of a car that struck and killed two young brothers who were crossing a Tampa street last Wednesday. Neither would discuss what happened or why the 28-year-old grade school dance teacher left the scene without stopping.
BARRY COHEN, PORTER'S ATTORNEY: No one knows how he or she will react in the face of what Jennifer was faced with, frightened beyond imagination.
CANDIOTTI: At a weekend vigil, victims Bryant Wilkins, 13, and his 3-year-old brother Deronte were remembered. Their 8-year-old sister, who has spoken with police and 2-year-old brother survived their injuries. Police say they're still looking for a van with possible witnesses. They say another car might also be involved in the hit-and-run.
Porter's family contacted the lawyer two days after the accident and he called police. Before Porter came forward, the victims' mother spoke publicly.
MALISSA WILKINS, VICTIMS' MOTHER: Whoever hit my baby I know you're probably scared and I hold no hatred toward nobody.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Police have not yet made any arrests. They say they're still collecting evidence from Porter's seized car and are interviewing witnesses. Porter's attorney says she is cooperating with police but won't explain how. For now he's not allowing her to speak with authorities because, as he puts it, she's dealing with a lot of tough issues.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: A cash crop is booming in Afghanistan. But can the government get control of the drug trade? The poppy problem, later on DAYBREAK.
Furious crowds -- take a look -- as coalition troops face threats on multiple fronts. We will have the latest live from Iraq.
And check out this kitty cat. A Texas family say they want to keep their pet. But the bureaucrats say not so fast.
Plus, oh, what lengths we'll go to to fit into our Jimmy Choo shoes. You're stepping out with DAYBREAK.
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COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
An estimated 60 Iraqi combatants are dead following firefights with U.S. soldiers in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. And in clashes near Falluja, four U.S. Marines have been killed. That's five total.
The man suspected in a string of Ohio highway shootings pleads not guilty. Charles McCoy's attorneys are gathering evidence that could lead to an insanity plea in the case.
In money news, voters in one Los Angeles suburb will decide today if they want a Wal-Mart in their community. The Inglewood City Council blocked a proposed shopping center last year.
In sports, the University of Connecticut is hoping to make it a clean sweep. The U. Conn. women take on the University of Tennessee in tonight's NCAA women's basketball final. Of course, the U. Conn. men won last night.
In culture, the "Los Angeles Times" has been awarded five Pulitzer Prizes for excellence in journalism. The five awards are the second most ever for a newspaper.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: And those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
If the poppies are blaming in Afghanistan, then the drug trade probably is, too. But the government is hoping that new initiatives will help control the problem and keep drug money out of the hands of war lords and anti-government militias.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is joining us live from Kabul this morning with more on Afghanistan's cash crop.
Is there any way to control this -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, from what we've seen, the ways and methods are very, very difficult. We've just come back from the south of Afghanistan, from the drug poppy fields there. There are poppy fields everywhere, right along the main highways.
To put this in some kind of context for you, last year Afghanistan produced 3,600 metric tons of opium from the poppy fields here. That's three quarters of the world's total amount of opium. That accounts for 95 percent of all the heroin and morphine that arrives in Europe.
Now, what we saw were government officials trying to get farmers to crack down. Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, today said that there should be a 25 percent eradication. What we saw was that government officials lacked the authority, lacked the clout out in the field, in the poppy fields, to get the farmers to significantly reduce their crops and tractor them back into the fields. That's one of the problems the government faces here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, Nic, it's crazy. It seems like they do this right out in the open. You see the farmer there on his tractor in a huge poppy field.
ROBERTSON: That's right. The government here deploys local militia units to go out with the government enforcement units. But there's a lot of corruption here, Carol. Speaking privately with some of the officials, they say they can't even trust the guards they're going out with. In some cases, they can't trust the governors of the provinces. They believe, perhaps, some of the governors are involved in drug money. There is allegations about government ministers here being tied up with drugs and certainly the view that warlords and al Qaeda members here are profiting out of the drugs.
The problem, the farmers say, is that they're too poor to grow anything else. What government officials tell me privately is that there is a lot of pressure put on the farmers by the warlords, by other richer people in their neighborhoods, to grow these drugs, not for the profit of the farmers, but for the profit of others -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, a familiar story.
Where do these drugs go after they leave Afghanistan?
ROBERTSON: Mainly two directions or three directions. They can go east towards Pakistan, west towards Iran. We hear that they are sometimes trucked all the way across Iran, Turkey, then into Europe. They also go north through the former Soviet central Asian states, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and then get picked up, we are told, by mafias operating out of Russia.
So they get out a number of ways. The problem is borders here are very long, very difficult to patrol -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Nic Robertson reporting live from Kabul, Afghanistan this morning.
Now, let's get a check on the European markets. For that, as always, we head live to London.
Todd Benjamin is here for us today -- good morning, Todd.
TODD BENJAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
A quiet session. The FTSE here in London is flat. The DAX is off just a fraction in Frankfurt and the CAC is off a third of one percent.
The big news today is the latest German unemployment figures. Unemployment there rose by 44,000. That was much worse than expected. And the unemployment rate now stands at 10.4 percent. You heard it right, 10.4 percent for that troubled economy, Europe's biggest economy. And that's in sharp contrast to the fabulous employment report we got out of the States last Friday, where 308,000 jobs were created and the unemployment rate is comfortably below six percent, at 5.7 percent.
The focus in the U.S. today, we kick off the earnings season. Alcoa is up first. The big aluminum producer expected to earn $0.42 a share, about twice what it earned in the first quarter of last year.
In terms of what the futures market is saying right now, it looks like a slightly lower open at this point, after gains on Monday -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Yes, we can't get too greedy. BENJAMIN: That's right.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
Todd Benjamin, live from London this morning.
Coming up next on DAYBREAK, oh, it is official, the best of the best lay claim to the title top dog. We'll tell you who's king on the court in case you've been living on an island somewhere.
And J-Lo isn't the only person in her family rolling in dough. A seat at the slots nets some big bucks for the Lopez family.
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COSTELLO: Time for a little sports action now. Celebrations at U. Conn. for their national championship basketball team. Listen. Oh, what an exciting night for the Huskies. Connecticut was able to hoist the trophy after a dominating performance on the court. The Huskies led Georgia Tech from the outset and powered their way to an 83-72 victory. And to the victors go the Nets.
Back on campus, U. Conn. fans celebrated the win. Oh my goodness, look at that. After the game, thousands took to the streets and, of course, you know what follows. Police arrested more than a dozen people after some celebrations that got a little out of hand. MYERS: A little bit.
COSTELLO: It always happens.
MYERS: It does. I mean I...
COSTELLO: It's alcohol.
MYERS: ... 12, you know? That's not bad.
COSTELLO: Oh, 12 arrested? That's true.
MYERS: I mean that's probably a normal night.
COSTELLO: There were no overturned cars and no fires. I'm always happy to see that.
MYERS: Well, that's a good thing.
COSTELLO: Hey...
MYERS: So what have we got?
COSTELLO: We've got the -- we've got chat time, Chad.
MYERS: I know.
COSTELLO: Chatting with Chad.
MYERS: Are you ready?
COSTELLO: That's what we're going to call this segment, Chatting With Chad.
MYERS: No, no chatting.
COSTELLO: OK.
MYERS: OK. Look at this...
COSTELLO: We're going to talk about this new logo.
MYERS: Yes?
COSTELLO: Take a look. This is...
MYERS: See if you can guess what this is. NYC...
COSTELLO: It's half athlete...
MYERS: ... 2012.
COSTELLO: It's half athlete and half Statue of Liberty.
MYERS: And it's the new little logo for New York City trying to get the 2012 Olympics. COSTELLO: Yes. They put this out as part of their campaign to try to lure the Olympics to the city in 2012.
MYERS: And there are nine other cities vowing. That will be reduced down to six. And if New York City doesn't get it, the only one I hope does is Havana. We can all go down and smoke some cigars.
COSTELLO: Yes, right. And you know I'm going to be running the Olympic Torch?
MYERS: I know you are. It's awesome.
COSTELLO: I have to get that in as many times as I can, because I'm so darned proud of it.
MYERS: I'm so -- I'm just glad you could actually run, because I'd have to walk it.
COSTELLO: I know. You'd have to crawl. You don't run very far, though, Chad.
MYERS: I know.
COSTELLO: You don't even run a quarter mile. But I'm going to run it really fast.
MYERS: Don't drop it, though.
COSTELLO: Wouldn't that be terrible if I dropped the Torch and it went out?
MYERS: It would be. It would be bad. Don't do that.
COSTELLO: I think they have people there...
MYERS: To catch it?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Good.
COSTELLO: True.
Eye-Opener time.
Fancy feline is first up in our DAYBREAK Eye-Opener.
The Saginaw, Texas City Council is expected to rule today on the fate of Gizmo. Look at that picture.
MYERS: Oh, Gizmo.
COSTELLO: A new city ordinance bans wild and exotic animals, but the owners contend the African serval cat was part of the family before the law took effect. Staying with the animal theme, this little baby owl is a victim of poor planning by its parents. It seems the parents thought a billboard in Colorado would be a great place for their nest. But when it came time to change the billboard's message, the owlet had to be moved.
MYERS: Ooh.
COSTELLO: As if the family isn't lucky enough, Jennifer Lopez's mom won more than two million bucks in Atlantic City. Get this, Chad, she was playing the dollar slots.
MYERS: The Wheel of Fortune dollar slots, which are my favorite.
COSTELLO: Can you believe that? She hit that giant jackpot. It's not known if she got a congratulatory call or a marriage proposal from Ben Affleck.
And here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
Footloose and fancy free -- we'll show you the new face of fashion. That's later this hour.
But first, some call him the son of Saddam. Others call him an outlaw. And the U.S. military calls him wanted. We'll take a look at Sheikh al-Sadr.
Also...
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jeff Koinange in Rwanda.
It is exactly 10 years to the day that this country was about to be engulfed in one of the most brutal and savage atrocities of the 20th century. More coming up live on DAYBREAK.
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