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CNN Live At Daybreak
Bush, Blair to Meet, Discuss War; Non-Essential Personnel Leaving Saudi Arabia
Aired April 16, 2004 - 06:00 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: Tony Blair and George W. Bush -- a meeting of Western leaders about the war raging in Iraq.
Good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for April 16.
I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
Tony Blair, President Bush's key ally in the war in Iraq, comes to the White House this morning. The British prime minister and the president will hold a news conference.
The U.S. State Department orders non-essential personnel to leave Saudi Arabia. It says extremists are planning attacks on Western housing compounds.
The CIA says the voice on that audiotape we told you about a day ago probably does belong to Osama bin Laden. European leaders are rejecting the truce offered by the al Qaeda leader on that tape.
Dick Cheney wrapping up a week long visit to Asia. The vice president visits U.S. troops in South Korea and promises victory in the war on terror.
To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Now let's bring you up to speed on what's happening right now in Iraq in our situation report.
The cease-fire in Falluja is shaky this morning. Intense explosions, possibly from insurgents' mortar fire, could be heard for several hours. Another kidnapping is being reported today. Denmark says one of its citizens, an unarmed businessman, was taken captive on the road from Basra to Baghdad. Russia is resuming flights out of Iraq today. Moscow is evacuating more than 800 civilians who are working for Russian companies in Iraq. The pullout is due to the escalating violence and hostage taking. And an ominous warning from Muhammad el-Baradei, the chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog group. He says Iraqi nuclear facilities appears to be unguarded and he says radioactive materials are disappearing. A special U.N. envoy to Iraq says the country needs better security before the coalition transfers power. He's outlining what he thinks the political power structure should look like.
Our Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf joins us live from Baghdad on that and more -- hello, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, what they're talking about is a brand new government, an Iraqi government for the first time, a real one, although this will be a caretaker position for these people who form the government. They are talking about this deadline of June 30. now, the U.S. says it will stick to that. The question is who are they going to hand over power to?
And the U.N. has a proposal. It's essentially to hold a big gathering, as they did in Afghanistan, of leaders, to determine who should be involved in this caretaker government. All this, of course, against the backdrop of the crisis in Falluja, west of Baghdad, and another one south of Baghdad. And across the country, mosque sermons like the one that's going on behind me on this Friday holy day for Muslims. In this one behind me, the mosque imam is telling people that the United States has to lift what he calls the siege of Falluja. Now, that cease-fire is holding in that town west of Baghdad, but there is sporadic fire and the United States coming in for a lot of criticism over the harm that civilians are coming under caught in the crossfire. It has made clear that it won't wait forever, but there are talks that are expected today. A senior U.S. military official tells us that those will be headed by civilian coalition officials with local leaders and hopefully that will help end the violence. Otherwise, the United States says it is ready to resume offensive operations there... Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad.
The wife of U.S. hostage Thomas Hamill says she has faith her husband will be returned safely. Hamill, a fuel truck driver, was last seen a week ago when his convoy was attacked in Iraq.
Kellie Hamill talked with CNN's Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
KELLIE HAMILL, WIFE OF U.S. CAPTIVE: Well, I would like to let my husband know, first of all, that we love him and miss him very much. We hope he's doing fine. We would also like to say to the people that have him captive, we hope they would release him unharmed and safe so he can come to us just as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kellie Hamill says the execution of an Italian hostage on Wednesday makes her worry even more about her husband.
The body of Wisconsin National Guard soldier Michelle Witmer is back home. The 20-year-old was killed in Iraq a week ago. Her two soldier sisters and other family members watched as her flag-draped casket returned last night. The sisters have not yet decided if they'll request to be transferred out of Iraq.
A big welcome home ceremony was planned at Fort Polk, Louisiana this month for troops scheduled to return from Iraq.
But as our Gary Tuchman reports, that celebration has been put on hold.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
04150003.v99
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And you can hear from more families and loved ones who have people serving in Iraq. They'll be guests on CNN's "American Morning." That comes your way at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
Stories across America this Friday. The National Rifle Association opens its annual meeting today in Pittsburgh. Vice President Dick Cheney will be the keynote speaker, but the NRA will not endorse a presidential candidate until after the party conventions this summer.
The threat of AIDS disrupts the porn industry. Adult movie producers shut down production after two performers test positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. At least 45 men and women are under voluntary quarantine because they had sex with the HIV positive performers or their sex partners.
Thousands of high school students from across the country have brought hundreds of robots to Atlanta. The machines, built by student teams, will compete for pieces of a $4.5 million scholarship kitty. The 13th annual robotics competition is sponsored by a group that promotes careers in science and technology.
Oh, Chad?
MYERS: Oh, Carol?
COSTELLO: It is mug time.
MYERS: It is time to give away the mug from yesterday.
COSTELLO: Yes. You may not win part of a $14 million scholarship, but you'll win this $5 mug from CNN.
MYERS: And guess what now? We are simulcast in Japan.
COSTELLO: Yes, we are.
MYERS: Yes, this is just starting. Actually, most of the "American Morning" always was, but now they've backed us up so that we are actually on the air, as well. So almost prime time there. And the prime time winner yesterday actually came from Japan.
The questions, though, before we get there, what historic event took place in the Atlantic 92 years ago yesterday? That was obviously the Titanic. And then the fertilizer contains three things. Name them. And she got them. They were nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. There that big thing going on there with (UNINTELLIGIBLE) yesterday.
And the winner is -- if I can pronounce the name...
COSTELLO: Yoshio...
MYERS: Yoshio Nagura from Aichi, Japan.
COSTELLO: Aichi, Japan.
MYERS: I need my friend to help me out with that one. But, hey, congratulations. The next coffee mug winner will be given away, the question will be given away at 6:50. And we'll let you know when that happens who the winner is, next Monday.
COSTELLO: You know, I think the shipping costs will cost more than the cup.
MYERS: You know, you can buy them online, as well.
COSTELLO: Don't -- time to move on now.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, we'll hear more from Tony Blair's home country on the day he's scheduled to meet with President Bush. And a harsh view of U.S. troops makes for popular theater in one country. Coming up, an image of Americans that some people in the U.S. rarely see.
Plus, traveling the country and the world without breaking the bank. We have a travel expert on this morning.
This is DAYBREAK for April 15.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: On the campaign trail, former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards speaks out for his one time rival John Kerry. And during a campaign appearance in Washington State, Edwards takes pot shots at President Bush, especially his response to questions at this week's prime time news conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, it must be an amazing thing to live a life where when you're asked multiple times whether you've questioned anything you've done, whether you've made any mistakes, that you can't think of a single thing.
Well, I have a suggestion for the president. If he's struggling with that question, give me a call. I'll give an answer for him, I guarantee you that. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In the meantime, Kerry will take part in a rally at the University of Pittsburgh today with Jon Bon Jovi as a special guest. He's wrapping up his week long tour of college campuses as he pursues young voters.
In California this weekend, Log Cabin Republicans are holding a call to arms convention. The gay organization strongly opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Log Cabin says membership has doubled since President Bush backed such an amendment. Log Cabin has launched a million dollar nationwide campaign opposing such a change to the constitution.
A member of the King family comes out in support of President Bush. Not that King family, but rather this King family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ANDERSON COOPER")
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: You're not just supporting President Bush, you're wearing eight buttons for Bush and the family, some of that...
DON KING, BOXING PROMOTER: Get the one right here. That's just "Four More Years!"
COOPER: All right, let's...
KING: Four more years for George Walker Bush.
COOPER: All right, let's...
KING: Good will...
COOPER: Have you met President Bush?
KING: Have I met him? I'm with him.
COOPER: Are you raising, you're raising money for him?
KING: All the time.
COOPER: Really?
KING: I'm raising money for America and he happens to be the man with the plan that's going to make America better and we've got to stand by him and bring America together in inclusiveness, not exclusiveness. George Walker Bush for four more years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: His hair was kind of tame, wasn't it, for him?
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: Yes. Reminded that he backed Bill Clinton and other Democrats in the past, King called himself a Republicrat.
MYERS: OK. Only on "Anderson Cooper." That's why you need to watch that show.
COSTELLO: A Republicrat.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 6:14 Eastern time.
Here's what's all new this morning.
In Falluja, where a shaky cease-fire is in effect, explosions heard overnight, possibly from insurgents' mortars.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair visits the White House this morning. He and President Bush will discuss the situation in Iraq and then they'll hold a news conference.
In money news, Ulysses S. Grant is getting a little color in his cheeks. Grant's face on the new $50 bill that's coming out soon will be more than just black and white. Adding color is supposed to make the bill harder to counterfeit.
In the world of sports, Montreal beats Boston 5-1 in the first round of the NHL hockey playoffs. But the Bruins lead the best of seven series 3-2. In culture, the governator is flexing some muscles. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed some of his big name buddies to the state's film commission. They include Clint Eastwood and Danny De Vito -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: All right, those are the latest headlines.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, America's image -- oh, I'm sorry. Before we get to that, before we get to America's image...
MYERS: You could have read that. It's time for stumping the big headed weatherman.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that segment, Chad. I don't know why.
MYERS: Well, because it was supposed to be yesterday. And now it just seems like we're a day behind, but that's the case.
COSTELLO: Well, that's because we had so much breaking news yesterday.
MYERS: We sure did.
I got a couple of great questions, actually, this morning already. One from Brian Wells (ph): "Why is it so much more humid in the eastern U.S. than in the western U.S.?" COSTELLO: Huh.
MYERS: It has nothing to do with D.C. politics, does it? No. Actually, the air in the West is dry because the Pacific Ocean actually acts like a dehumidifier. That air is very cold, like the coils of a dehumidifier.
COSTELLO: You know, the water in the Pacific Ocean is cold.
MYERS: The water. If you jump in it, you'll jump right back out. And then if you look at the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean, that water is very humid, very muggy, very warm. So the steam comes off of that. When you get the air coming over the mountains, as well, from the west, it rushes up the top of the mountain and then you'll get rain on top of that mountain. You will rain the moisture out that already was in there and there's not that much in the first place. But you're raining it out and then it comes back down into the lower mountains and this air is very dry.
With all that humidity in the East, the air is lower, the elevation is also lower and you get all that moisture and mugginess coming up from it all.
COSTELLO: That's fascinating.
MYERS: Good stuff.
COSTELLO: Great answer, too.
Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: And the other one: "What is a dry line?" Actually, this is going to be kind of a dry air, this is a dry air day today. Dry lines are responsible for severe weather outbreaks. A dry line is an area of dry air that charges out of the mountains during the day and it pushes up the humid air that's, let's say, this happens in Amarillo, this happens in Dallas, that happens in Oklahoma City. The dry lines rarely, if they ever, will ever get to like someplace like Atlanta. But they push out of the mountains. They push that moisture up and you get thunderstorms firing off.
And when you get a dry line thunderstorm, those are the ones that you get the great pictures of, because they're not wrapped in rain. It isn't just a heavy downpour. It's a dry storm, relatively, but you see the big funnel coming out of the west and that's...
COSTELLO: Interesting. So Stump the Weatherman day.
Daybreak@cnn.com...
MYERS: Send it in.
COSTELLO: ... for your weather questions.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, America's image.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to kill you! Shut up!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: See how the story of the Iraq war is playing on one stage in the Middle East.
And what's playing on the big screen this weekend? Stick around. You'll hear from one film critic before you have to shell out that eight bucks on a ticket this weekend.
And our DAYBREAK Photo of the Day. Oh, we went pixelation crazy again. What is it? We'll tell you when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Chad, has anyone figured out the Photo of the Day?
MYERS: They're geniuses.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
MYERS: Or they work in our graphics department.
COSTELLO: What is that? What is it, Chad?
MYERS: It's a mess.
COSTELLO: No. It's really actually a very cool picture. So there it is. You see, they're upside down. It's a synchronized swimming...
MYERS: They're swimming.
COSTELLO: It's a synchronized swim team. They're underwater upside down.
MYERS: They have the second highest points. They're the Japanese team, the second highest points in synchronized swimming across the world, second only to that big swimming country -- Russia.
COSTELLO: Oh, interesting. So there you have it, the DAYBREAK Photo of the Day.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: If a popular play in Egypt is any indication, President Bush is not getting good reviews in the Arab world for his intervention in Iraq.
Our Ben Wedeman takes us to the theater now. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to kill you! Shut up!
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a good idea to obey the ushers at Cairo's Hanagir Theater.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move! Move it! Clear the way! Move it!
WEDEMAN: The ushers, who are really actors, prepare theatergoers for a scathing parody of America's involvement in the Arab world, focusing on the troubled U.S. experience in Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be nice. You don't want another Falluja here, do you?
WEDEMAN: They've come to see Alabji Dema (ph), translated as "Messing With The Mind," a performance by a leftist drama group originally scheduled for a two week run, but now into its fourth month.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Master president...
WEDEMAN: It revolves around the appearance on an Arab TV chat show by a fictional American commander in a U.S. occupied Arab land. The general's banter with the hostess about democracy suddenly changes following an assassination attempt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up! This is your (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED). You think you're (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? You (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED). You're not (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED). We're going to kill all of you. All of you. You got it? You got it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no.
WEDEMAN: What they get is a series of skits, a televised address by an Arabic speaking President Bush, promising to clean up the Arabs and turn them into human beings. The Egyptian Bush appears on stage, advised by his professor that if he wants to love the Arabs, he must think of them as 200 million cute little puppies; heavy stuff, the writer/director and main actor says hits a raw nerve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that everybody here was waiting for someone, for some artist to say let's resist, let's not just die.
WEDEMAN: Theatergoers agree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They actually come out and say what people really feel. I mean I appreciated that.
WEDEMAN: Also appreciated, a rich vein of growing disappointment with America's role in the region. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we can probably see that the people, that we are (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are the ones who are controlling us.
WEDEMAN: In all this, a message -- America's current involvement does not seem to be playing well.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
We take you live to London as the British prime minister prepares for a meeting stateside with President Bush. The topic, Iraq.
And more on the workers leaving Iraq. Hear why some Russians are sad to be heading out of the war zone.
Where does your family go to get away from it all? Stick around to hear some travel options that will not break the bank.
We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: In my lifetime, I have seen unbelievable changes in the opportunities for women.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): So says the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Appointed in 1981 by Ronald Reagan, Sandra Day O'Connor is now known less for being female than for her judicial decision-making. She is, at times, the crucial key swing vote on some of the most controversial issues of our time, standing firmly in the middle of the court's four more conservative and four more liberal justices.
From decisions on abortion to affirmative action, the Florida recount vote to campaign finance reform, O'Connor's vote has determined the outcome. The 74-year-old has come a long way. When she graduated from Stanford Law School in 1952, her only job offers were as a legal secretary. She went on to serve as Arizona's first female state senate majority leader and sat on the state's court of appeals before being appointed to the nation's highest court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(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 16, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Tony Blair and George W. Bush -- a meeting of Western leaders about the war raging in Iraq.
Good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for April 16.
I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
Tony Blair, President Bush's key ally in the war in Iraq, comes to the White House this morning. The British prime minister and the president will hold a news conference.
The U.S. State Department orders non-essential personnel to leave Saudi Arabia. It says extremists are planning attacks on Western housing compounds.
The CIA says the voice on that audiotape we told you about a day ago probably does belong to Osama bin Laden. European leaders are rejecting the truce offered by the al Qaeda leader on that tape.
Dick Cheney wrapping up a week long visit to Asia. The vice president visits U.S. troops in South Korea and promises victory in the war on terror.
To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Now let's bring you up to speed on what's happening right now in Iraq in our situation report.
The cease-fire in Falluja is shaky this morning. Intense explosions, possibly from insurgents' mortar fire, could be heard for several hours. Another kidnapping is being reported today. Denmark says one of its citizens, an unarmed businessman, was taken captive on the road from Basra to Baghdad. Russia is resuming flights out of Iraq today. Moscow is evacuating more than 800 civilians who are working for Russian companies in Iraq. The pullout is due to the escalating violence and hostage taking. And an ominous warning from Muhammad el-Baradei, the chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog group. He says Iraqi nuclear facilities appears to be unguarded and he says radioactive materials are disappearing. A special U.N. envoy to Iraq says the country needs better security before the coalition transfers power. He's outlining what he thinks the political power structure should look like.
Our Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf joins us live from Baghdad on that and more -- hello, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, what they're talking about is a brand new government, an Iraqi government for the first time, a real one, although this will be a caretaker position for these people who form the government. They are talking about this deadline of June 30. now, the U.S. says it will stick to that. The question is who are they going to hand over power to?
And the U.N. has a proposal. It's essentially to hold a big gathering, as they did in Afghanistan, of leaders, to determine who should be involved in this caretaker government. All this, of course, against the backdrop of the crisis in Falluja, west of Baghdad, and another one south of Baghdad. And across the country, mosque sermons like the one that's going on behind me on this Friday holy day for Muslims. In this one behind me, the mosque imam is telling people that the United States has to lift what he calls the siege of Falluja. Now, that cease-fire is holding in that town west of Baghdad, but there is sporadic fire and the United States coming in for a lot of criticism over the harm that civilians are coming under caught in the crossfire. It has made clear that it won't wait forever, but there are talks that are expected today. A senior U.S. military official tells us that those will be headed by civilian coalition officials with local leaders and hopefully that will help end the violence. Otherwise, the United States says it is ready to resume offensive operations there... Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad.
The wife of U.S. hostage Thomas Hamill says she has faith her husband will be returned safely. Hamill, a fuel truck driver, was last seen a week ago when his convoy was attacked in Iraq.
Kellie Hamill talked with CNN's Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
KELLIE HAMILL, WIFE OF U.S. CAPTIVE: Well, I would like to let my husband know, first of all, that we love him and miss him very much. We hope he's doing fine. We would also like to say to the people that have him captive, we hope they would release him unharmed and safe so he can come to us just as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Kellie Hamill says the execution of an Italian hostage on Wednesday makes her worry even more about her husband.
The body of Wisconsin National Guard soldier Michelle Witmer is back home. The 20-year-old was killed in Iraq a week ago. Her two soldier sisters and other family members watched as her flag-draped casket returned last night. The sisters have not yet decided if they'll request to be transferred out of Iraq.
A big welcome home ceremony was planned at Fort Polk, Louisiana this month for troops scheduled to return from Iraq.
But as our Gary Tuchman reports, that celebration has been put on hold.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
04150003.v99
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And you can hear from more families and loved ones who have people serving in Iraq. They'll be guests on CNN's "American Morning." That comes your way at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
Stories across America this Friday. The National Rifle Association opens its annual meeting today in Pittsburgh. Vice President Dick Cheney will be the keynote speaker, but the NRA will not endorse a presidential candidate until after the party conventions this summer.
The threat of AIDS disrupts the porn industry. Adult movie producers shut down production after two performers test positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. At least 45 men and women are under voluntary quarantine because they had sex with the HIV positive performers or their sex partners.
Thousands of high school students from across the country have brought hundreds of robots to Atlanta. The machines, built by student teams, will compete for pieces of a $4.5 million scholarship kitty. The 13th annual robotics competition is sponsored by a group that promotes careers in science and technology.
Oh, Chad?
MYERS: Oh, Carol?
COSTELLO: It is mug time.
MYERS: It is time to give away the mug from yesterday.
COSTELLO: Yes. You may not win part of a $14 million scholarship, but you'll win this $5 mug from CNN.
MYERS: And guess what now? We are simulcast in Japan.
COSTELLO: Yes, we are.
MYERS: Yes, this is just starting. Actually, most of the "American Morning" always was, but now they've backed us up so that we are actually on the air, as well. So almost prime time there. And the prime time winner yesterday actually came from Japan.
The questions, though, before we get there, what historic event took place in the Atlantic 92 years ago yesterday? That was obviously the Titanic. And then the fertilizer contains three things. Name them. And she got them. They were nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. There that big thing going on there with (UNINTELLIGIBLE) yesterday.
And the winner is -- if I can pronounce the name...
COSTELLO: Yoshio...
MYERS: Yoshio Nagura from Aichi, Japan.
COSTELLO: Aichi, Japan.
MYERS: I need my friend to help me out with that one. But, hey, congratulations. The next coffee mug winner will be given away, the question will be given away at 6:50. And we'll let you know when that happens who the winner is, next Monday.
COSTELLO: You know, I think the shipping costs will cost more than the cup.
MYERS: You know, you can buy them online, as well.
COSTELLO: Don't -- time to move on now.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, we'll hear more from Tony Blair's home country on the day he's scheduled to meet with President Bush. And a harsh view of U.S. troops makes for popular theater in one country. Coming up, an image of Americans that some people in the U.S. rarely see.
Plus, traveling the country and the world without breaking the bank. We have a travel expert on this morning.
This is DAYBREAK for April 15.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: On the campaign trail, former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards speaks out for his one time rival John Kerry. And during a campaign appearance in Washington State, Edwards takes pot shots at President Bush, especially his response to questions at this week's prime time news conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, it must be an amazing thing to live a life where when you're asked multiple times whether you've questioned anything you've done, whether you've made any mistakes, that you can't think of a single thing.
Well, I have a suggestion for the president. If he's struggling with that question, give me a call. I'll give an answer for him, I guarantee you that. (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In the meantime, Kerry will take part in a rally at the University of Pittsburgh today with Jon Bon Jovi as a special guest. He's wrapping up his week long tour of college campuses as he pursues young voters.
In California this weekend, Log Cabin Republicans are holding a call to arms convention. The gay organization strongly opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Log Cabin says membership has doubled since President Bush backed such an amendment. Log Cabin has launched a million dollar nationwide campaign opposing such a change to the constitution.
A member of the King family comes out in support of President Bush. Not that King family, but rather this King family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ANDERSON COOPER")
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: You're not just supporting President Bush, you're wearing eight buttons for Bush and the family, some of that...
DON KING, BOXING PROMOTER: Get the one right here. That's just "Four More Years!"
COOPER: All right, let's...
KING: Four more years for George Walker Bush.
COOPER: All right, let's...
KING: Good will...
COOPER: Have you met President Bush?
KING: Have I met him? I'm with him.
COOPER: Are you raising, you're raising money for him?
KING: All the time.
COOPER: Really?
KING: I'm raising money for America and he happens to be the man with the plan that's going to make America better and we've got to stand by him and bring America together in inclusiveness, not exclusiveness. George Walker Bush for four more years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: His hair was kind of tame, wasn't it, for him?
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: Yes. Reminded that he backed Bill Clinton and other Democrats in the past, King called himself a Republicrat.
MYERS: OK. Only on "Anderson Cooper." That's why you need to watch that show.
COSTELLO: A Republicrat.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 6:14 Eastern time.
Here's what's all new this morning.
In Falluja, where a shaky cease-fire is in effect, explosions heard overnight, possibly from insurgents' mortars.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair visits the White House this morning. He and President Bush will discuss the situation in Iraq and then they'll hold a news conference.
In money news, Ulysses S. Grant is getting a little color in his cheeks. Grant's face on the new $50 bill that's coming out soon will be more than just black and white. Adding color is supposed to make the bill harder to counterfeit.
In the world of sports, Montreal beats Boston 5-1 in the first round of the NHL hockey playoffs. But the Bruins lead the best of seven series 3-2. In culture, the governator is flexing some muscles. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed some of his big name buddies to the state's film commission. They include Clint Eastwood and Danny De Vito -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: All right, those are the latest headlines.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, America's image -- oh, I'm sorry. Before we get to that, before we get to America's image...
MYERS: You could have read that. It's time for stumping the big headed weatherman.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that segment, Chad. I don't know why.
MYERS: Well, because it was supposed to be yesterday. And now it just seems like we're a day behind, but that's the case.
COSTELLO: Well, that's because we had so much breaking news yesterday.
MYERS: We sure did.
I got a couple of great questions, actually, this morning already. One from Brian Wells (ph): "Why is it so much more humid in the eastern U.S. than in the western U.S.?" COSTELLO: Huh.
MYERS: It has nothing to do with D.C. politics, does it? No. Actually, the air in the West is dry because the Pacific Ocean actually acts like a dehumidifier. That air is very cold, like the coils of a dehumidifier.
COSTELLO: You know, the water in the Pacific Ocean is cold.
MYERS: The water. If you jump in it, you'll jump right back out. And then if you look at the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean, that water is very humid, very muggy, very warm. So the steam comes off of that. When you get the air coming over the mountains, as well, from the west, it rushes up the top of the mountain and then you'll get rain on top of that mountain. You will rain the moisture out that already was in there and there's not that much in the first place. But you're raining it out and then it comes back down into the lower mountains and this air is very dry.
With all that humidity in the East, the air is lower, the elevation is also lower and you get all that moisture and mugginess coming up from it all.
COSTELLO: That's fascinating.
MYERS: Good stuff.
COSTELLO: Great answer, too.
Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: And the other one: "What is a dry line?" Actually, this is going to be kind of a dry air, this is a dry air day today. Dry lines are responsible for severe weather outbreaks. A dry line is an area of dry air that charges out of the mountains during the day and it pushes up the humid air that's, let's say, this happens in Amarillo, this happens in Dallas, that happens in Oklahoma City. The dry lines rarely, if they ever, will ever get to like someplace like Atlanta. But they push out of the mountains. They push that moisture up and you get thunderstorms firing off.
And when you get a dry line thunderstorm, those are the ones that you get the great pictures of, because they're not wrapped in rain. It isn't just a heavy downpour. It's a dry storm, relatively, but you see the big funnel coming out of the west and that's...
COSTELLO: Interesting. So Stump the Weatherman day.
Daybreak@cnn.com...
MYERS: Send it in.
COSTELLO: ... for your weather questions.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, America's image.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to kill you! Shut up!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: See how the story of the Iraq war is playing on one stage in the Middle East.
And what's playing on the big screen this weekend? Stick around. You'll hear from one film critic before you have to shell out that eight bucks on a ticket this weekend.
And our DAYBREAK Photo of the Day. Oh, we went pixelation crazy again. What is it? We'll tell you when we come back.
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COSTELLO: Chad, has anyone figured out the Photo of the Day?
MYERS: They're geniuses.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
MYERS: Or they work in our graphics department.
COSTELLO: What is that? What is it, Chad?
MYERS: It's a mess.
COSTELLO: No. It's really actually a very cool picture. So there it is. You see, they're upside down. It's a synchronized swimming...
MYERS: They're swimming.
COSTELLO: It's a synchronized swim team. They're underwater upside down.
MYERS: They have the second highest points. They're the Japanese team, the second highest points in synchronized swimming across the world, second only to that big swimming country -- Russia.
COSTELLO: Oh, interesting. So there you have it, the DAYBREAK Photo of the Day.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: If a popular play in Egypt is any indication, President Bush is not getting good reviews in the Arab world for his intervention in Iraq.
Our Ben Wedeman takes us to the theater now. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You shut up!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to kill you! Shut up!
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a good idea to obey the ushers at Cairo's Hanagir Theater.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Move! Move it! Clear the way! Move it!
WEDEMAN: The ushers, who are really actors, prepare theatergoers for a scathing parody of America's involvement in the Arab world, focusing on the troubled U.S. experience in Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be nice. You don't want another Falluja here, do you?
WEDEMAN: They've come to see Alabji Dema (ph), translated as "Messing With The Mind," a performance by a leftist drama group originally scheduled for a two week run, but now into its fourth month.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Master president...
WEDEMAN: It revolves around the appearance on an Arab TV chat show by a fictional American commander in a U.S. occupied Arab land. The general's banter with the hostess about democracy suddenly changes following an assassination attempt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up! This is your (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED). You think you're (UNINTELLIGIBLE)? You (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED). You're not (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED). We're going to kill all of you. All of you. You got it? You got it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no.
WEDEMAN: What they get is a series of skits, a televised address by an Arabic speaking President Bush, promising to clean up the Arabs and turn them into human beings. The Egyptian Bush appears on stage, advised by his professor that if he wants to love the Arabs, he must think of them as 200 million cute little puppies; heavy stuff, the writer/director and main actor says hits a raw nerve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that everybody here was waiting for someone, for some artist to say let's resist, let's not just die.
WEDEMAN: Theatergoers agree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They actually come out and say what people really feel. I mean I appreciated that.
WEDEMAN: Also appreciated, a rich vein of growing disappointment with America's role in the region. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we can probably see that the people, that we are (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are the ones who are controlling us.
WEDEMAN: In all this, a message -- America's current involvement does not seem to be playing well.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
We take you live to London as the British prime minister prepares for a meeting stateside with President Bush. The topic, Iraq.
And more on the workers leaving Iraq. Hear why some Russians are sad to be heading out of the war zone.
Where does your family go to get away from it all? Stick around to hear some travel options that will not break the bank.
We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: In my lifetime, I have seen unbelievable changes in the opportunities for women.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): So says the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Appointed in 1981 by Ronald Reagan, Sandra Day O'Connor is now known less for being female than for her judicial decision-making. She is, at times, the crucial key swing vote on some of the most controversial issues of our time, standing firmly in the middle of the court's four more conservative and four more liberal justices.
From decisions on abortion to affirmative action, the Florida recount vote to campaign finance reform, O'Connor's vote has determined the outcome. The 74-year-old has come a long way. When she graduated from Stanford Law School in 1952, her only job offers were as a legal secretary. She went on to serve as Arizona's first female state senate majority leader and sat on the state's court of appeals before being appointed to the nation's highest court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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