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Osama bin Laden Tape?; America's Voice: Taxing Time

Aired April 15, 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 voice on a new tape out this morning vows revenge on America, but offers a truce with Europe. Is this the voice of Osama bin Laden?
This is DAYBREAK for April 15.

And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello. Here are the latest headlines right now.

A new audiotape allegedly recorded by Osama bin Laden was broadcast this morning on Arabic-language TV networks. It vows revenge against the United States, but offers a truce to European countries.

In southern Gaza, Palestinians say bullets from an Israeli helicopter gunship have wounded 15 people. The Israelis say they fired into a group of armed men after Palestinians activated explosive devices and launched anti-tank missiles.

It is election day in South Korea. All 299 seats are at stake as voters choose a new national assembly. A voter turnout of more than 60 percent is expected.

They're also electing a new national assembly in South Africa. The African National Congress has an early lead in the vote counting there. Twenty-one million people are eligible to vote in South Africa.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: We want to take a deeper look now at this new audiotape released today, said to be from Osama bin Laden.

Sajjan Gohel is an international security analyst, joining us live from London this morning.

Good morning.

SAJJAN GOHEL, TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Have you heard the tape?

GOHEL: No, I haven't actually heard it directly, but from what the transcripts I have seen, it is a very interesting development. It appears to be a ploy by Osama bin Laden himself now to divide Europe and the United States, to create a wedge between them, to create divisions between the two. And this just seems to be a new tactic that he's hoping to employ.

COSTELLO: You know, the strange thing about this is the timing of it all, because this tape apparently was done sometime in the last month. So, it's a month old. So, if it is Osama bin Laden, was he waiting for the perfect time to release this tape?

GOHEL: Well, I think what's interesting is that Al-Arabiya, the Arabic station that has aired this report, has not actually given enough information as to either where they obtained the audiotape or the actual time that they received it. And one would have to wonder why they have only now just decided to air this.

And, yes, certainly the timing is such as where the buildup, the countdown, the transfer of power in Iraq is also beginning, as well as the aftermath of the attacks in Madrid. So, I think the timing does suggest that this is now a warning to European countries now to perhaps pull out its troops from Iraq.

COSTELLO: Well, it's interesting the Italian foreign minister has come out and said that he would under no circumstances ever negotiate with Osama bin Laden or al Qaeda. And you say that there is a new ploy on Osama bin Laden's part, if the voice on the tape is that of Osama bin Laden, to divide Europe and the United States. Will it work?

GOHEL: I think no it won't. My biggest fear is that certainly some countries in Europe will be intimidated by this. Certainly the Spanish prime minister-elect, Mr. Zapatero, has said that he will pull his troops out of Iraq, and that has only sent the worst kind of message possible to the terrorists. It's given them the thinking that they could then strike at other countries in Europe and intimidate them from withdrawing its troops from Iraq.

And I think we also need to remember is that al Qaeda has always spoken about creating the caliphet (ph), the Islamic super state inside Europe. That's always been their ultimate -- one of their ultimate objectives. And I can't believe for a second that Osama bin Laden is being serious right now. I think this is just a very cheap ploy, and it really should not be taken seriously.

COSTELLO: Sajjan Gohel joining us live from London this morning. Thank you for your insight. We appreciate it.

Well, it is April 15, and you know what that means. You have until the end of the day to file your taxes, unless, of course, you've already filed for that extension.

An estimated 30 million people have waited to do their taxes, so you are not alone. And with the issue of taxes on so many people's minds this morning, we thought we'd turn to Gallup Poll editor-in- chief Frank Newport. He has some revealing tax findings.

What do you have for us, Frank?

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol. A lot of people may be feeling hostile today as they're filling those taxes out, but actually our data show a little modified good news. Americans are less negative about income taxes now than they had been in many, many years. A couple of causes for this I'll mention in a moment.

Look at this chart. It's been up and down. This is the percent of Americans all the way back, believe it or not, to right after World War II, who say the amount of income taxes they pay is too high. It goes up, it goes down, it goes up. It was down in the Reagan years. It was really down in 1948. It was down when John Kennedy was president. That's this valley right there.

But right now, only 50 percent of Americans on the right side say the amount of income taxes they pay are too high. And that's as low as we've seen that negative perception of taxes, as we've seen going all the way back to John F. Kennedy. So, Americans are less angry.

And look at this. The key question: Is the amount of income tax you're paying fair? The number who say yes has actually been going up in recent years. Sixty-four now, 62 percent. See, in '99, it was way down below 50 percent.

Two reasons for this, Carol. It could be 9/11, terrorism. Americans say their tax dollars are actually being spent better for national defense and what have you, or it could be the Bush tax cuts.

COSTELLO: Oh!

NEWPORT: The administration would like to say so, but whatever, we've got less negativity now at this point.

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about the tax cut. I mean, does it change people's minds as it applies to their income level?

NEWPORT: Well, there's no question about it that Americans have always and continue to say that upper-income people don't pay enough. This question says: Are these groups paying too little in taxes? Well, look at that. Very few people think that middle and lower- income people are paying too little, but 63 percent say the upper- income are paying too little.

But again, this is the criticism lodged, of course, against the Bush administration by the Democrats, but this hasn't changed. This has been perennial. I wanted to put this in context. Now, each year we ask this we find roughly the same numbers, this 63 percent saying the upper-income people pay too little, which is actually a little lower than we've been seeing it in the past.

So, all in all, Carol, Americans' views of taxes this year, I have to reiterate, they're a little more positive than we've seen in many years past.

COSTELLO: Perhaps we're becoming evermore generous. Who knows?

NEWPORT: Good insight perhaps. COSTELLO: Frank Newport live from Princeton, New Jersey. Thank you.

Since it is deadline day, we've got more tax news to share. How big will your refund be? Oh, I hope you got a refund. Our business update is coming up.

Making your grass greener. Tips from a pro who knows how to help your yard look absolutely stunning this summer.

Then, a throwback to the days of yore. Texas goes Viking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, it's springtime and time to get your yard looking good. Dave White from Home Depot joins us here.

You've got a couple of steps here. I've seen Scott's do the step 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. It looks like you're doing it all by yourself, because you know the steps. So, how about getting some of them to us?

DAVE WHITE, HOME DEPOT: Yes, I think, you know, a lot of people are intimidated when it comes to take care of their lawns, especially with fertilizer. And you hear about the chemicals in the fertilizer, like 10-10-10 or 27-3-4.

MYERS: Oh, yes. Sure.

WHITE: And that can be intimidating. And I thought we could talk a little bit about what those mean.

The three basic chemicals in fertilizer are nitrogen...

MYERS: Right.

WHITE: ... phosphorous and potassium.

MYERS: Potassium. Now, I do know what nitrogen does. It makes everything green.

WHITE: Absolutely. It makes it green and it promotes the growth.

MYERS: What do the other two do?

WHITE: The phosphorous is actually for root growth. So, if you see a fertilizer high in phosphorous, and that's usually going to be, like a winterizer, that's really going to promote good, healthy root systems.

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: And then the potassium is there mainly for drought and disease-resistance. So that gives you some idea.

The good news is, though, you don't have to be a chemist to do this...

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: ... because the manufacturers have gotten pretty smart, and they actually have all of the information that you need on the front. So, you almost don't really need to worry about what the numbers say.

MYERS: OK. A little late for the deep, deep South, but you brought a crabgrass preventer, a pre-emergent, and that's the first thing you should put on your lawn.

WHITE: Absolutely.

MYERS: The first thing in the spring, right?

WHITE: Absolutely. There are basically four to five applications that you want to make.

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: The key is to keep the applications very regular, so that your yard is constantly being re-supplied with nutrients.

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: You don't want to wait too long. So absolutely, the first one would be a regular fertilizer with a pre-emergent. That's going to get your lawn going nice and green and hardy, but it's also going to keep a lot of the broadleaf weeds from popping up on you.

MYERS: Right. And stops the crabgrass. Then we move on to?

WHITE: A weed and feed. If you have -- let's see, in late spring, early summer if you know you're getting some weed problems, then you want to go ahead and do a weed and feed. That will, again, promote the new growth again. It will build the nutrients, but then it will take care of the weeds that have already emerged.

MYERS: So, you don't mind the weed and feed together? I'm always putting fertilizer and then a weed killer on two separate applications. You don't mind them together in the same bag?

WHITE: No, no. And actually, the way that they manufacture the products, most of these are time-release, so it's very slow action, and it goes in at a certain rate. And you do have to be careful when you do the weed and feed. In most cases, they want you to water first, so that everything's wet. The granules will stick to the broadleaf weeds.

MYERS: Sure, of course.

WHITE: And then you don't want to water too soon afterwards, but it's always important.

MYERS: You don't want it to rain either, because then it washes it off, and then you lose all of your product. So, follow the instructions.

So, you've got these two things here, too -- liquid turf builder and the lawn killer. This is a liquid. Here, we've got a broadcast spreader. You push it around, and it moves back and forth.

WHITE: Yes.

MYERS: What do you like better? The dry or the wet?

WHITE: Personally I like the granules myself. I feel like you have more control over it. But there are a lot of folks that like the liquid forms.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITE: Because it's just easier to deal with. You don't have to buy the spreader. If you've got a small yard, you just buy one of these, you hook it to the hose, and you spread it out and you're done.

MYERS: Speaking of spreader, Chad the cheapskate did not buy a spreader with an on/off switch. And I'll tell you, if you buy a spreader this year, make sure you've got one that's off and on, and you can keep the setting all at the same time. The setting stays here, how much product you put on, but when you shut it off, when you get to your driveway, you can pull it back, and it doesn't put any more stuff on your driveway. Mine doesn't do that.

WHITE: You should have called me.

MYERS: Oh, man, that thing's going to the garage sale as soon as I have one.

All right, next is summer guard.

WHITE: Yes, so basically you've done two applications. If you need to in the middle of the summer, that's when your yard is getting tired. You've got a lot of heat and drought conditions.

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: So, you can do another application then. Then in the late summer, early fall, just a regular fertilizer application. Again, keeping it regular.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITE: And then, of course, in the early winter, late fall, you want to give it one last round before it goes dormant, and that's going to be a winterizer.

MYERS: Right.

WHITE: And the winterizer -- here you can see it -- has a lot of nitrogen. It also has a lot of potassium.

MYERS: Sure. WHITE: That's going to help keep the disease and drought- resistance in there.

What happens over the wintertime is that as the grass goes dormant, it stores all of that nutrient.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITE: And then in the springtime, it's going to rejuvenate. It's going to come back greener and thicker and healthier. So, you definitely want to give it that last application.

MYERS: Now, I'll be honest. My favorite fertilizer is 10-10-10. I throw it everywhere. I throw it on my flowers. I throw it on my azaleas. I throw it on everything. That's just kind of an even- steven kind of fertilizer.

WHITE: I'm with you, because for azaleas and things like that, I've got a bag of 10-10-10. It's basic stuff. It's got a little bit of everything in there. But you have to make sure you water it in well, and you're OK. Again, follow those instructions.

MYERS: Thank you, bud.

WHITE: Thanks.

MYERS: Hope you get a good green lawn this summer. I know you...

WHITE: Oh.

MYERS: Oh, sorry.

WHITE: I kind of -- you know, I've started something. Again...

MYERS: Oh, and there are two, Carol.

WHITE: But, Carol, I didn't want to leave you out this time.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

WHITE: I didn't want you to be jealous.

MYERS: I don't know if I can get it there.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Oh, Chad.

MYERS: Oh, well.

COSTELLO: He's destroying the studio now. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate.

MYERS: Thanks, bud.

COSTELLO: What does it say?

WHITE: It's...

MYERS: It says Vigaro (ph).

WHITE: It's Vigaro (ph).

COSTELLO: Oh, great.

MYERS: We have Scott's. We have them all here, though.

COSTELLO: I love fertilizer hats. Thank you both.

MYERS: You just like fertilizer.

COSTELLO: Appreciate it.

Let's head live to New York now to check in with Bill and Soledad to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: No fertilizer hats, no love for your friends in New York City. We know how that is, Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm going to send it to you, Soledad. It'll match your outfit today.

O'BRIEN: All right, thank you. Wouldn't it look cute?

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: You know, Carol...

O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from my stomach.

HEMMER: And I could see Carol in that fertilizer hat on the weekend looking so nice.

O'BRIEN: Hey, when you're cute you can pull off anything.

HEMMER: That's right.

Carol, good morning. Among the many headlines today, we'll follow up on this Osama bin Laden tape, most likely the voice of the al Qaeda leader. Peter Bergen, one of our many guests, to decipher what was said on that tape, and we'll have that for you in a moment.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, after the heads of the CIA and the FBI testified, we're going to talk with 9/11 commissioner Slade Gordon and find out what he thinks was the main thing to come out of this testimony, and maybe who he thinks who is to blame for what happened.

HEMMER: Also this story out of Iraq, the hostage you had on just a short time ago, the French hostage now released. Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon. Also this very disturbing story about the Italians as well and their fate. So, we'll get to all of that here. And again, with Osama bin Laden, we'll get the e-mail question about it, too, with Jack.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Interesting show. Lots happening this morning.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you both. We'll see you in about, oh, 13 minutes.

HEMMER: All right.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:47 Eastern Time. Here's what's all new this morning.

A new tape said to be the voice of Osama bin Laden has surfaced. He's offering a truce to European nations, but vowing revenge against the United States and Israel.

About 20,000 American troops on the front lines in Iraq are in for a longer stay there. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expected to announce today that their combat tour is being extended.

In money news, free Viagra anyone? Pfizer, the company that makes the pills to treat impotence, is offering a free prescription to loyal customers. It's their effort to beat the competition.

In sports, this is Jackie Robinson day. It was on this day in 1947 that he broke the color barrier for sports by playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Major League Baseball is kicking off the first annual celebrations. And, oh, the Detroit Tigers won last night 5-3.

In culture, the liberal radio network, Air America, is off the air in Chicago and Los Angeles. The dispute is over money.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you. Coming up later, this is one way to travel down a mountain if, only if, you can hold on tight.

This is DAYBREAK for Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MYERS: Are you ready?

COSTELLO: I couldn't be more ready.

MYERS: All right. I need three things from you today. I need two correct answers and your address.

COSTELLO: Yes, to win a beautiful DAYBREAK coffee mug. Here are the questions.

MYERS: And maybe your name, too, if you want. All right, here are the questions now for the DAYBREAK quiz to win a mug.

What historic event took place in the Atlantic Ocean 92 years ago today? That's easy. There's a movie.

And fertilizers contain three nutrients.

COSTELLO: Oh, come on!

MYERS: Name them. Not just the numbers...

COSTELLO: That's difficult.

MYERS: That is. You'd better have been paying attention. Daybreak@CNN.com.

COSTELLO: Where's my hat? Is there a clue on the hat?

MYERS: There is not.

COSTELLO: Darn.

MYERS: There is not.

COSTELLO: All right.

MYERS: But it's a nice hat.

COSTELLO: Yes, it is nice. Very nice. Thank you again, Dave.

Chad will join me for "The Lightning Round" coming up, but first the latest new headlines for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Roy Clark, do you remember what he did?

MYERS: I do. I remember Roy Clark, sure.

COSTELLO: "Hee Haw."

MYERS: "Hee Haw." (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I'm Junior Samples.

COSTELLO: I should have known you would have watched "Hee Haw."

MYERS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Ohio, population 2,000 (UNINTELLIGIBLE). That's pretty good. Onward.

COSTELLO: Onward and upward with "The Lightning Round," if that's possible.

In Japan, a competition that's as easy as falling off a log. Take a look, Chad.

MYERS: Oh, my!

COSTELLO: The downhill angle is 30 degrees. The ground is slippery. This is downright dangerous.

MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: People get hurt in this thing every year, but they do it every year. And, boy, it looks...

MYERS: And them fools rush in.

COSTELLO: Yes, exactly.

MYERS: I don't get that part.

COSTELLO: It looks like a lot of fun.

MYERS: It's moving. Don't try to get on it after it's already started.

COSTELLO: OK, let's move on to Texas for some more weirdness. Texans will take a step back in time and become Vikings this weekend. A replica Viking ship was even created for this annual event in Waco. Do you see that guy dressed as a Viking?

MYERS: He looks good.

COSTELLO: It's sort of like this pageant in Thailand, except it's different.

MYERS: You could take it down to San Antonio and put it on the River Walk.

COSTELLO: Yes, let's head to Thailand for a pageant fit for a queen. Fifty-one transvestites in Thailand competed in this popular contest. The winner will compete in the Miss International Queen competition in October.

So, we have Vikings in Texas and queens in Thailand. And you're not commenting as I knew you would not, Chad, being the smart man that you are.

MYERS: I just refuse to touch that one.

COSTELLO: 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 April 15, 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 voice on a new tape out this morning vows revenge on America, but offers a truce with Europe. Is this the voice of Osama bin Laden?
This is DAYBREAK for April 15.

And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello. Here are the latest headlines right now.

A new audiotape allegedly recorded by Osama bin Laden was broadcast this morning on Arabic-language TV networks. It vows revenge against the United States, but offers a truce to European countries.

In southern Gaza, Palestinians say bullets from an Israeli helicopter gunship have wounded 15 people. The Israelis say they fired into a group of armed men after Palestinians activated explosive devices and launched anti-tank missiles.

It is election day in South Korea. All 299 seats are at stake as voters choose a new national assembly. A voter turnout of more than 60 percent is expected.

They're also electing a new national assembly in South Africa. The African National Congress has an early lead in the vote counting there. Twenty-one million people are eligible to vote in South Africa.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: We want to take a deeper look now at this new audiotape released today, said to be from Osama bin Laden.

Sajjan Gohel is an international security analyst, joining us live from London this morning.

Good morning.

SAJJAN GOHEL, TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Have you heard the tape?

GOHEL: No, I haven't actually heard it directly, but from what the transcripts I have seen, it is a very interesting development. It appears to be a ploy by Osama bin Laden himself now to divide Europe and the United States, to create a wedge between them, to create divisions between the two. And this just seems to be a new tactic that he's hoping to employ.

COSTELLO: You know, the strange thing about this is the timing of it all, because this tape apparently was done sometime in the last month. So, it's a month old. So, if it is Osama bin Laden, was he waiting for the perfect time to release this tape?

GOHEL: Well, I think what's interesting is that Al-Arabiya, the Arabic station that has aired this report, has not actually given enough information as to either where they obtained the audiotape or the actual time that they received it. And one would have to wonder why they have only now just decided to air this.

And, yes, certainly the timing is such as where the buildup, the countdown, the transfer of power in Iraq is also beginning, as well as the aftermath of the attacks in Madrid. So, I think the timing does suggest that this is now a warning to European countries now to perhaps pull out its troops from Iraq.

COSTELLO: Well, it's interesting the Italian foreign minister has come out and said that he would under no circumstances ever negotiate with Osama bin Laden or al Qaeda. And you say that there is a new ploy on Osama bin Laden's part, if the voice on the tape is that of Osama bin Laden, to divide Europe and the United States. Will it work?

GOHEL: I think no it won't. My biggest fear is that certainly some countries in Europe will be intimidated by this. Certainly the Spanish prime minister-elect, Mr. Zapatero, has said that he will pull his troops out of Iraq, and that has only sent the worst kind of message possible to the terrorists. It's given them the thinking that they could then strike at other countries in Europe and intimidate them from withdrawing its troops from Iraq.

And I think we also need to remember is that al Qaeda has always spoken about creating the caliphet (ph), the Islamic super state inside Europe. That's always been their ultimate -- one of their ultimate objectives. And I can't believe for a second that Osama bin Laden is being serious right now. I think this is just a very cheap ploy, and it really should not be taken seriously.

COSTELLO: Sajjan Gohel joining us live from London this morning. Thank you for your insight. We appreciate it.

Well, it is April 15, and you know what that means. You have until the end of the day to file your taxes, unless, of course, you've already filed for that extension.

An estimated 30 million people have waited to do their taxes, so you are not alone. And with the issue of taxes on so many people's minds this morning, we thought we'd turn to Gallup Poll editor-in- chief Frank Newport. He has some revealing tax findings.

What do you have for us, Frank?

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol. A lot of people may be feeling hostile today as they're filling those taxes out, but actually our data show a little modified good news. Americans are less negative about income taxes now than they had been in many, many years. A couple of causes for this I'll mention in a moment.

Look at this chart. It's been up and down. This is the percent of Americans all the way back, believe it or not, to right after World War II, who say the amount of income taxes they pay is too high. It goes up, it goes down, it goes up. It was down in the Reagan years. It was really down in 1948. It was down when John Kennedy was president. That's this valley right there.

But right now, only 50 percent of Americans on the right side say the amount of income taxes they pay are too high. And that's as low as we've seen that negative perception of taxes, as we've seen going all the way back to John F. Kennedy. So, Americans are less angry.

And look at this. The key question: Is the amount of income tax you're paying fair? The number who say yes has actually been going up in recent years. Sixty-four now, 62 percent. See, in '99, it was way down below 50 percent.

Two reasons for this, Carol. It could be 9/11, terrorism. Americans say their tax dollars are actually being spent better for national defense and what have you, or it could be the Bush tax cuts.

COSTELLO: Oh!

NEWPORT: The administration would like to say so, but whatever, we've got less negativity now at this point.

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about the tax cut. I mean, does it change people's minds as it applies to their income level?

NEWPORT: Well, there's no question about it that Americans have always and continue to say that upper-income people don't pay enough. This question says: Are these groups paying too little in taxes? Well, look at that. Very few people think that middle and lower- income people are paying too little, but 63 percent say the upper- income are paying too little.

But again, this is the criticism lodged, of course, against the Bush administration by the Democrats, but this hasn't changed. This has been perennial. I wanted to put this in context. Now, each year we ask this we find roughly the same numbers, this 63 percent saying the upper-income people pay too little, which is actually a little lower than we've been seeing it in the past.

So, all in all, Carol, Americans' views of taxes this year, I have to reiterate, they're a little more positive than we've seen in many years past.

COSTELLO: Perhaps we're becoming evermore generous. Who knows?

NEWPORT: Good insight perhaps. COSTELLO: Frank Newport live from Princeton, New Jersey. Thank you.

Since it is deadline day, we've got more tax news to share. How big will your refund be? Oh, I hope you got a refund. Our business update is coming up.

Making your grass greener. Tips from a pro who knows how to help your yard look absolutely stunning this summer.

Then, a throwback to the days of yore. Texas goes Viking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, it's springtime and time to get your yard looking good. Dave White from Home Depot joins us here.

You've got a couple of steps here. I've seen Scott's do the step 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. It looks like you're doing it all by yourself, because you know the steps. So, how about getting some of them to us?

DAVE WHITE, HOME DEPOT: Yes, I think, you know, a lot of people are intimidated when it comes to take care of their lawns, especially with fertilizer. And you hear about the chemicals in the fertilizer, like 10-10-10 or 27-3-4.

MYERS: Oh, yes. Sure.

WHITE: And that can be intimidating. And I thought we could talk a little bit about what those mean.

The three basic chemicals in fertilizer are nitrogen...

MYERS: Right.

WHITE: ... phosphorous and potassium.

MYERS: Potassium. Now, I do know what nitrogen does. It makes everything green.

WHITE: Absolutely. It makes it green and it promotes the growth.

MYERS: What do the other two do?

WHITE: The phosphorous is actually for root growth. So, if you see a fertilizer high in phosphorous, and that's usually going to be, like a winterizer, that's really going to promote good, healthy root systems.

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: And then the potassium is there mainly for drought and disease-resistance. So that gives you some idea.

The good news is, though, you don't have to be a chemist to do this...

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: ... because the manufacturers have gotten pretty smart, and they actually have all of the information that you need on the front. So, you almost don't really need to worry about what the numbers say.

MYERS: OK. A little late for the deep, deep South, but you brought a crabgrass preventer, a pre-emergent, and that's the first thing you should put on your lawn.

WHITE: Absolutely.

MYERS: The first thing in the spring, right?

WHITE: Absolutely. There are basically four to five applications that you want to make.

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: The key is to keep the applications very regular, so that your yard is constantly being re-supplied with nutrients.

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: You don't want to wait too long. So absolutely, the first one would be a regular fertilizer with a pre-emergent. That's going to get your lawn going nice and green and hardy, but it's also going to keep a lot of the broadleaf weeds from popping up on you.

MYERS: Right. And stops the crabgrass. Then we move on to?

WHITE: A weed and feed. If you have -- let's see, in late spring, early summer if you know you're getting some weed problems, then you want to go ahead and do a weed and feed. That will, again, promote the new growth again. It will build the nutrients, but then it will take care of the weeds that have already emerged.

MYERS: So, you don't mind the weed and feed together? I'm always putting fertilizer and then a weed killer on two separate applications. You don't mind them together in the same bag?

WHITE: No, no. And actually, the way that they manufacture the products, most of these are time-release, so it's very slow action, and it goes in at a certain rate. And you do have to be careful when you do the weed and feed. In most cases, they want you to water first, so that everything's wet. The granules will stick to the broadleaf weeds.

MYERS: Sure, of course.

WHITE: And then you don't want to water too soon afterwards, but it's always important.

MYERS: You don't want it to rain either, because then it washes it off, and then you lose all of your product. So, follow the instructions.

So, you've got these two things here, too -- liquid turf builder and the lawn killer. This is a liquid. Here, we've got a broadcast spreader. You push it around, and it moves back and forth.

WHITE: Yes.

MYERS: What do you like better? The dry or the wet?

WHITE: Personally I like the granules myself. I feel like you have more control over it. But there are a lot of folks that like the liquid forms.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITE: Because it's just easier to deal with. You don't have to buy the spreader. If you've got a small yard, you just buy one of these, you hook it to the hose, and you spread it out and you're done.

MYERS: Speaking of spreader, Chad the cheapskate did not buy a spreader with an on/off switch. And I'll tell you, if you buy a spreader this year, make sure you've got one that's off and on, and you can keep the setting all at the same time. The setting stays here, how much product you put on, but when you shut it off, when you get to your driveway, you can pull it back, and it doesn't put any more stuff on your driveway. Mine doesn't do that.

WHITE: You should have called me.

MYERS: Oh, man, that thing's going to the garage sale as soon as I have one.

All right, next is summer guard.

WHITE: Yes, so basically you've done two applications. If you need to in the middle of the summer, that's when your yard is getting tired. You've got a lot of heat and drought conditions.

MYERS: OK.

WHITE: So, you can do another application then. Then in the late summer, early fall, just a regular fertilizer application. Again, keeping it regular.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITE: And then, of course, in the early winter, late fall, you want to give it one last round before it goes dormant, and that's going to be a winterizer.

MYERS: Right.

WHITE: And the winterizer -- here you can see it -- has a lot of nitrogen. It also has a lot of potassium.

MYERS: Sure. WHITE: That's going to help keep the disease and drought- resistance in there.

What happens over the wintertime is that as the grass goes dormant, it stores all of that nutrient.

MYERS: Yes.

WHITE: And then in the springtime, it's going to rejuvenate. It's going to come back greener and thicker and healthier. So, you definitely want to give it that last application.

MYERS: Now, I'll be honest. My favorite fertilizer is 10-10-10. I throw it everywhere. I throw it on my flowers. I throw it on my azaleas. I throw it on everything. That's just kind of an even- steven kind of fertilizer.

WHITE: I'm with you, because for azaleas and things like that, I've got a bag of 10-10-10. It's basic stuff. It's got a little bit of everything in there. But you have to make sure you water it in well, and you're OK. Again, follow those instructions.

MYERS: Thank you, bud.

WHITE: Thanks.

MYERS: Hope you get a good green lawn this summer. I know you...

WHITE: Oh.

MYERS: Oh, sorry.

WHITE: I kind of -- you know, I've started something. Again...

MYERS: Oh, and there are two, Carol.

WHITE: But, Carol, I didn't want to leave you out this time.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

WHITE: I didn't want you to be jealous.

MYERS: I don't know if I can get it there.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Oh, Chad.

MYERS: Oh, well.

COSTELLO: He's destroying the studio now. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate.

MYERS: Thanks, bud.

COSTELLO: What does it say?

WHITE: It's...

MYERS: It says Vigaro (ph).

WHITE: It's Vigaro (ph).

COSTELLO: Oh, great.

MYERS: We have Scott's. We have them all here, though.

COSTELLO: I love fertilizer hats. Thank you both.

MYERS: You just like fertilizer.

COSTELLO: Appreciate it.

Let's head live to New York now to check in with Bill and Soledad to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: No fertilizer hats, no love for your friends in New York City. We know how that is, Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm going to send it to you, Soledad. It'll match your outfit today.

O'BRIEN: All right, thank you. Wouldn't it look cute?

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: You know, Carol...

O'BRIEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from my stomach.

HEMMER: And I could see Carol in that fertilizer hat on the weekend looking so nice.

O'BRIEN: Hey, when you're cute you can pull off anything.

HEMMER: That's right.

Carol, good morning. Among the many headlines today, we'll follow up on this Osama bin Laden tape, most likely the voice of the al Qaeda leader. Peter Bergen, one of our many guests, to decipher what was said on that tape, and we'll have that for you in a moment.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, after the heads of the CIA and the FBI testified, we're going to talk with 9/11 commissioner Slade Gordon and find out what he thinks was the main thing to come out of this testimony, and maybe who he thinks who is to blame for what happened.

HEMMER: Also this story out of Iraq, the hostage you had on just a short time ago, the French hostage now released. Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon. Also this very disturbing story about the Italians as well and their fate. So, we'll get to all of that here. And again, with Osama bin Laden, we'll get the e-mail question about it, too, with Jack.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: Interesting show. Lots happening this morning.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you both. We'll see you in about, oh, 13 minutes.

HEMMER: All right.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:47 Eastern Time. Here's what's all new this morning.

A new tape said to be the voice of Osama bin Laden has surfaced. He's offering a truce to European nations, but vowing revenge against the United States and Israel.

About 20,000 American troops on the front lines in Iraq are in for a longer stay there. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expected to announce today that their combat tour is being extended.

In money news, free Viagra anyone? Pfizer, the company that makes the pills to treat impotence, is offering a free prescription to loyal customers. It's their effort to beat the competition.

In sports, this is Jackie Robinson day. It was on this day in 1947 that he broke the color barrier for sports by playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Major League Baseball is kicking off the first annual celebrations. And, oh, the Detroit Tigers won last night 5-3.

In culture, the liberal radio network, Air America, is off the air in Chicago and Los Angeles. The dispute is over money.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you. Coming up later, this is one way to travel down a mountain if, only if, you can hold on tight.

This is DAYBREAK for Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MYERS: Are you ready?

COSTELLO: I couldn't be more ready.

MYERS: All right. I need three things from you today. I need two correct answers and your address.

COSTELLO: Yes, to win a beautiful DAYBREAK coffee mug. Here are the questions.

MYERS: And maybe your name, too, if you want. All right, here are the questions now for the DAYBREAK quiz to win a mug.

What historic event took place in the Atlantic Ocean 92 years ago today? That's easy. There's a movie.

And fertilizers contain three nutrients.

COSTELLO: Oh, come on!

MYERS: Name them. Not just the numbers...

COSTELLO: That's difficult.

MYERS: That is. You'd better have been paying attention. Daybreak@CNN.com.

COSTELLO: Where's my hat? Is there a clue on the hat?

MYERS: There is not.

COSTELLO: Darn.

MYERS: There is not.

COSTELLO: All right.

MYERS: But it's a nice hat.

COSTELLO: Yes, it is nice. Very nice. Thank you again, Dave.

Chad will join me for "The Lightning Round" coming up, but first the latest new headlines for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Roy Clark, do you remember what he did?

MYERS: I do. I remember Roy Clark, sure.

COSTELLO: "Hee Haw."

MYERS: "Hee Haw." (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I'm Junior Samples.

COSTELLO: I should have known you would have watched "Hee Haw."

MYERS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Ohio, population 2,000 (UNINTELLIGIBLE). That's pretty good. Onward.

COSTELLO: Onward and upward with "The Lightning Round," if that's possible.

In Japan, a competition that's as easy as falling off a log. Take a look, Chad.

MYERS: Oh, my!

COSTELLO: The downhill angle is 30 degrees. The ground is slippery. This is downright dangerous.

MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: People get hurt in this thing every year, but they do it every year. And, boy, it looks...

MYERS: And them fools rush in.

COSTELLO: Yes, exactly.

MYERS: I don't get that part.

COSTELLO: It looks like a lot of fun.

MYERS: It's moving. Don't try to get on it after it's already started.

COSTELLO: OK, let's move on to Texas for some more weirdness. Texans will take a step back in time and become Vikings this weekend. A replica Viking ship was even created for this annual event in Waco. Do you see that guy dressed as a Viking?

MYERS: He looks good.

COSTELLO: It's sort of like this pageant in Thailand, except it's different.

MYERS: You could take it down to San Antonio and put it on the River Walk.

COSTELLO: Yes, let's head to Thailand for a pageant fit for a queen. Fifty-one transvestites in Thailand competed in this popular contest. The winner will compete in the Miss International Queen competition in October.

So, we have Vikings in Texas and queens in Thailand. And you're not commenting as I knew you would not, Chad, being the smart man that you are.

MYERS: I just refuse to touch that one.

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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