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CNN Live At Daybreak

Latest Attacks by Insurgents, Situation in Fallujah; Latest Developments in Child Molestation Case Against Michael Jackson

Aired April 26, 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: New this morning -- in harm's way in central Baghdad today. A convoy of U.S. Humvees attacked and set on fire.
Good morning to you.

From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for Monday, April 26.

I'm Carol Costello.

Here are the latest headlines right now.

Black smoke rises in Baghdad. Witnesses say an explosion sets four U.S. military vehicles on fire and causes American and Iraqi casualties. Not sure if these Humvees came under actual attack, though.

International aid is pouring into a North Korean town devastated by a train explosion. But relief workers say much more help is needed. One hundred sixty-one people were killed, more than 1,300 injured.

She was a pioneer in the field of cosmetics. Estee Lauder died in her New York home over the weekend. She was 97 years old.

Up to the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: On to Iraq now. There is late word of a powerful explosion in Baghdad this morning. It comes a day after apparent backpedaling by the United States in the flashpoint city of Fallujah. At issue, a demand for insurgents to hand over heavy weaponry.

Let's go live to Baghdad now to see what's happening and Jim Clancy.

Tell us about the latest attacks there -- Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll start with this explosion in Baghdad. And I have to warn you, Carol, we don't have a lot of the details confirmed right here. Iraqi police have been kept back from the scene, though firefighters have been there. Take a look at the pictures. I think it tells you a little bit about the ferocity of the blast.

Now, some are saying it could have been a roadside bomb. Some eyewitnesses, though, at the scene telling news agencies that they saw the U.S. soldiers stop in their Humvees, approach this house and try to enter it. That is when the explosion occurred. Another eyewitness said shots were heard before the explosion, which might have indicated there was some kind of an altercation there.

Now, this is an area where there are some chemical storage sites and chemical companies. No indication that -- this is not one of those chemical companies, but some are saying it might have been a storehouse in the past. CNN has been told by the U.S. military just in the past few weeks that this is an area where they suspect that there might be some support for militants who are making bombs. So they have investigated here several times.

Was this a part of that? We can't tell.

Casualties not yet confirmed. But it was a very powerful blast. People on the scene do say there were some U.S. military and some Iraqi civilians wounded in this. There was also some Iraqis celebrating around some of the Humvees, not unexpected at this point. Many people in Iraq, in Baghdad itself, feel that they have been, in one way or another, oppressed by this occupation and they use any kinds of these incidents in order to express -- to get out their frustrations.

Meantime in Fallujah, getting out frustrations, no one can tell for sure. But there was a heavy exchange of fire in two different areas of the city of Fallujah. It's surrounded, more or less, by U.S. Marines there. There have been on and off again attacks ever since the cease-fire went into effect about 10 days ago.

As you noted, that cease-fire has as one of its terms that the insurgents there would hand over their heavy weapons or their weaponry in the city. That has been a program that hasn't worked. At the same time, the U.S. not willing to go in here and risk more civilian casualties, risk a wider conflict, if you will, in that region, trying to get patrols going with Iraqi police, joint patrols with U.S. Marines and Iraqi police that would more or less bring order back to the streets. That could all begin as early as tomorrow. That's a big test -- Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Jim, I want to go back for a moment to the explosion in Baghdad. You say a chemical warehouse. Chemicals are stored here. That's a pretty hot button word.

What kind of chemicals are we talking about? Do you know?

CLANCY: Let's be very clear here, there are chemical storehouses in that general area. Some eyewitnesses say that this was a chemical storehouse. But it appeared to be, to some eyewitnesses, just another civilian home in the area. So it's too early to tell. It's too early for us to put a name on the type of facility that this was. What it does appear to be is just a house and if the eyewitnesses are correct, this wasn't a roadside bomb. But once again, we've got to wait until we get all of the evidence. When these kinds of things happen, it can take hours to sort out -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jim Clancy live from Baghdad this morning.

The White House and the Pentagon are facing a delicate dilemma over Fallujah. You heard Jim talking about it there. U.S. officials are under pressure not to launch major military action, yet the coalition has vowed to disarm the insurgents in Fallujah or else.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush returned from Camp David armed with a truce. His top military advisers, in conference call briefings, informed him that U.S. forces, poised to go in Fallujah to confront insurgents, would hold off, the result of some progress in negotiations over a 24 hour period.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: The have been some further agreements between the representatives in Fallujah and the coalition representatives.

MALVEAUX: Those agreements center around the next critical benchmark -- Tuesday. It's the new deadline for insurgents to turn in their weapons and the day coalition forces and Iraqi police will begin joint patrols inside the troubled city.

KIMMITT: If, in fact, that bears fruit, that means that we have coalition control back inside the city of Fallujah.

MALVEAUX: But coalition officials and some members of Congress are skeptical such a high profile pitched battle can be resolved peacefully.

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV), VICE CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I don't think ultimately that we have a choice but to go in if they don't lay down their heavy arms, because if you don't crack that nut and you don't control that, particularly that city, it becomes a symbol for all of Islam.

KIMMITT: If we see foot dragging, if we see a slow down, if we see a lack of adherence to some of the terms that have been set out, we certainly have more than sufficient military capability.

MALVEAUX: And while coalition officials expressed cautious optimism about Fallujah, they issued dire warnings about the city of Najaf, where the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is holed up.

DAN SENOR, CPA SPOKESMAN: A dangerous situation is developing in Najaf, where weapons are being stockpiled in mosques and in shrines and in schools.

MALVEAUX: With the deadline to transfer power to the Iraqi people only 10 weeks away, U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi acknowledged the conditions are far from ideal in pulling this off.

LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO IRAQ: Time is certainly a problem. We are working against the clock. We started on this job a little bit too late.

MALVEAUX (on camera): Brahimi also urged the U.S. to tread carefully in Fallujah or risk alienating the Iraqis, echoing the voices of some in the administration also concerned about alienating moderate Arab states.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: A flood disaster in Arkansas tops our look at stories making news across America today.

In just a few hours, rescue divers will resume their search

2-year-old boy. The little boy was swept away by a flash flood. The body of the boy's 3-year-old sister was recovered on Saturday. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will tour the devastated area by helicopter today, one day after designating seven counties as disaster areas.

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is making it clear that only local couples can take advantage of the state's same-sex marriage law. Romney says he will block out of state couples from getting married when the law takes effect on May 17. In the meantime, the governor's chief counsel says that any justices of the peace who refuse to perform same-sex marriages will be terminated.

A study commissioned by the Coast Guard says the service will not be able to meet new requirements under its current modernization plan. The update for the Coast Guard was approved in the late 1990s, but the Guard's responsibilities changed drastically following the 9/11 attacks.

Kobe Bryant will be back in Eagle County in a courtroom there, just a day after scoring 18 points in the Lakers play-off win. The court hears arguments today on whether the sexual history of Bryant's accuser can be entered into evidence. The information is usually off limits due to the state's rape shield law.

And prosecution and defense attorneys will sum up their cases when the trial of former NBA star Jayson Williams resumes this morning. Williams is facing eight charges, including manslaughter. The jury will receive its instructions tomorrow before beginning deliberations.

And this, too. Michael Jackson is scheduled to be arraigned this week on child molestation charges. But when he heads into the Santa Barbara courtroom, he will be without his usual high profile defense team.

CNN's Miguel Marquez tells us about the change. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The king of pop is due back in court this week to answer formal charges. And when he gets there, new lawyers will be by his side. Gone are Mark Geragos and New York attorney Benjamin Brafman.

In a statement, Brafman said, "Whether this is Benjamin Brafman or Mark Geragos resigning as Michael's lawyers or as Jackson is suggesting that we are being replaced is beside the point. We have elected a step down as a result of a number of complicated issues that have arisen in recent weeks that it would not be appropriate to discuss publicly. I wish Michael well and truly hope that at the end of the case, he will be completely exonerated."

Replacing him, according to the Associated Press, Los Angeles attorney Thomas Mesereau, Jr. Mesereau's most recent high profile client was Robert Blake. They parted company recently, citing irreconcilable differences.

The AP also reports Mesereau met Jackson in Florida, where Jackson has been staying with his family. Mesereau first told the AP he would speak about his involvement in the case, but has since said he would not comment 'til Jackson's Friday arraignment.

Last week, Jackson was indicted by a grand jury hearing testimony in his child molestation case. Well, the exact charges are not expected to be revealed until Friday's arraignment, 12 of the 19 grand jurors had to agree on each and every charge that there was a strong suspicion of guilt to indict the pop star.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: In Iraq, how can you call it a cease-fire when bullets are still flying? In besieged Fallujah, Karl Penhaul reports Marine commanders give insurgents a deadline to lay down their weapons.

Adding insult to injury, a cold rain is falling in North Korea at the scene of that deadly train explosion. We'll get a live update on the mounting -- on mounting a massive relief effort.

And Washington's National Mall overflows with women -- Democrats and Republicans alike -- demanding respect for reproductive rights.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Bill Schneider, cruising the NASCAR track at the big race. Can that other race, the one for president, keep up? I'll tell you about NASCAR nation when CNN returns.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 5:15 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

A powerful blast in Baghdad this morning. Four military Humvees are damaged, as well as some nearby buildings. No confirmation yet on casualties or the cause of the blast.

In Illinois, the sheer scope of an explosion at a plastics plant in Illinois prompts a federal investigation into the cause. Four workers were killed, four others injured in Friday's blast.

In money news, gas prices have climbed another $0.03 a gallon in the past two weeks, to a buck 83 for regular unleaded. The Lumberg Survey blames the increase on high crude oil prices and rising demand.

In sports, just in case you missed it, the number one pick in the NFL draft is Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning. Manning was drafted by the San Francisco Chargers, but he was traded to the New York Giants just about an hour later, hence the boos.

In culture, cosmetics queen Estee Lauder has died. Her multi- million dollar empire included such products as face creams, bath oils and perfumes. Lauder's spokeswoman says she died Saturday of cardiopulmonary arrest. She was 97 years old.

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

It's a new week, so let's see what's cooking with the overseas financial markets.

For that, we head to London and Diana Muriel -- good morning, Diana.

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, it's bubbling along quite nicely in Germany and in Switzerland, but it's rather quieter in London and in France. We're seeing a rather gentle start to the week. No strong economic data here in Europe to focus on, with investors tending to settle after the gains that we saw last week.

Let's have a look at the currency markets. We're seeing the dollar hit a five month high against the euro. It's come back a little bit now at 1.1829. But we're seeing the sterling, the British pound, gaining against the dollar. That's because there's speculation in the market here that we could see an interest rate hike for British interest rates next week when the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee meets. So the sterling is standing at 1.7789 currently against the dollar. The oil markets very much in focus, with Brent crude much higher this morning. You can see how it's gone over the last year and that's a trend that seems to be continuing -- back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Diana Muriel live in London this morning.

Relief aid is heading from South Korea to North Korea in the wake of a massive train explosion. The method of transport was the only sticking point until an agreement was reached just a short time ago.

For more on the situation and what we know about the accident now, let's head to Beijing and our bureau chief there, Jaime FlorCruz -- hello, Jamie.

JAMIE FLORCRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, North Korea is barely coping with the painful aftermath of the huge explosions which hit the North Korean town four days ago. One hundred, at least 161 people died and more than 1,300 people were injured in those explosions.

Now, international aid organization experts who visited the disaster site and the hospital say that the local doctors are doing a heroic job in providing treatment with very, very basic facilities. But the North Koreans need a lot of help and some help are already on their way. The Chinese and South Koreans have pledged about a million dollars worth each of medical goods. The U.S. and Japan also have pledged -- have offered to help -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jaime FlorCruz reporting live from Beijing this morning.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, hundreds of thousands of women's rights supporters march on Washington. Could their cause tip the scales in a close presidential election this November?

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: I'm Bill Schneider at the big NASCAR race in Talladega, Alabama. Can that other race, the one for president, keep up? I'll tell you about NASCAR nation, when CNN returns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: 5:22 Eastern time.

A woman's choice -- organizers of an abortion rights march say abortion will be a major issue this election year. Hundreds of thousands packed the National Mall in Washington to draw attention to what they consider diminishing rights under the Bush administration.

CNN's Alina Cho reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The rally is called the March for Women's Lives but these women are in the minority. In a sea of Democrats who are staunchly anti-Bush, the women here are Republicans and supporters of abortion rights.

JENNIFER BIEL-STOCKMAN, REPUBLICAN PRO CHOICE: Nobody owns this issue. The Democrats don't own this issue. The Republicans don't own this issue.

CHO: A few thousand of these Republican women came to Washington, many of them voted for President Bush in 2000. They are now disappointed in him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're restricting a woman's right to have an abortion, to have the access and availability of abortion.

CHO: They point to the president's signing of a bill banning certain late term abortions and the new unborn victims of violence act. They say the administration they voted into power is now trying to chip away at a woman's right to choose. You want to send him a message and what is that message?

STOCKMAN: The message is that if he wants to win in November, he's got to reach out to the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Republicans who believe in a women's right to choose.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This wouldn't even be a close election. He would have this in a walk if he had a better record on choice.

CHO: Those on the other side of the abortion debate question the women's influence.

BILL THOMSON, CHRISTIAN COALITION: Whether they'll turn the election, I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I don't think so.

CHO: Others like this Republican-turned-Democrat say the Republican abortion rights activists should just switch parties.

EMILY RHINELANDER, FAVORS ABORTION RIGHTS: I don't see how they could be a Republican when our current president is any choice.

CHO: These women say theirs is the conservative position, keeping government out of the bedroom, and many agree, with about half of America saying a woman should have the right to choose. Alina Cho, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: For more on the abortion rights demonstration, including celebrity participation, log onto our Web site at cnn.com.

MYERS: Carol, have you been to the Chuck-A-Rama?

COSTELLO: You know, when our produceress brought this story to my attention, I thought this is the greatest story I've ever heard. For many reasons, none of them good.

MYERS: What great part would that be? What scale would that be on?

COSTELLO: Well, let's share with our viewers the story.

MYERS: All right. Yes. This is kind of an inside story right now.

COSTELLO: This couple went to the Chuck-A-Rama, which is a buffet. And they've been on the Atkins diet.

MYERS: Correct. The Chuck-A-Rama, obviously you would think like some steak, maybe? Chuck-A-Rama.

COSTELLO: Roast beef.

MYERS: Yes. Well, they went back because they're on the Atkins diet, they went back to eat meat the whole time.

COSTELLO: They asked for 12 slices of roast beef each.

MYERS: And got kicked out of the restaurant.

COSTELLO: Because they were eating too much roast beef. This is the quote from the restaurant manager. This happened in Salt Lake City, Utah, by the way. He said, "We've never claimed to be an all you can eat establishment. Our understanding is a buffet is just a style of eating." They're out of there.

MYERS: Something about -- think about that one for a while. Now, the only thing you have to give them credit for is that the whole buffet is only $8.99. But when you were making this restaurant and you decided to make a name, Chuck-A-Rama?

COSTELLO: You should be able to eat as much meat as you possibly can before you explode. But evidently not.

MYERS: OK, next story.

COSTELLO: All right, next story.

Denzel's blockbuster tops today's DAYBREAK Eye-Opener.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "MAN ON FIRE")

DAKOTA FANNING, ACTOR: You were smiling.

DENZEL WASHINGTON, ACTOR: No.

FANNING: You were.

WASHINGTON: No, I was not.

FANNING: You're not now, but you were.

WASHINGTON: No, you were smiling. I wasn't smiling.

FANNING: You were.

WASHINGTON: When?

FANNING: Like five seconds ago.

WASHINGTON: I'm not smiling.

FANNING: Well, a second ago you were.

WASHINGTON: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, stop it already. Plenty to smile about, though, for Denzel Washington, as "Man On Fire" was tops at the box office this weekend with a $23 million take. It was Washington's biggest opening since his Oscar winning performance in "Training Day."

The weekend's other debut, "13 Going On 30," was a close second, with $22 million.

Well, the Queen Mary 2 has shoved off. The world's largest ocean liner is making its first eastbound voyage from New York to its home in England. The QM2 is making the voyage in tandem with its sister ship, the QE2. It's the final departure from New York for the QE2.

Oh, doesn't that send you off in dreamland, or running for the bathroom? A serenade from the International Whistlers Convention. The premier pucker party celebrated its 31st year with the championships in North Carolina. Gert Shatroe (ph) of Holland was crowned the grand champion.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN COLGIN, FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, COLGIN CELLARS: People are crazy. But it's very flattering.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): More than 4,000 wine lovers are on a waiting list, hoping to secure a stop on the coveted Colgin Cellars mailing list. Colgin wine is only available to mailing list customers and in a select few restaurants. The Napa Valley small production handcrafted cabernet sauvignon was created by Ann Colgin and shot to the top of the industry in less than a decade.

Colgin credits her success to a passion for her business.

COLGIN: I love the wine that we produce. I love working with my team. They're very strong personalities, they're very talented. But it's important to have somebody who kind of leads the whole group in the right direction. And I try to do that.

(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 26, 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: New this morning -- in harm's way in central Baghdad today. A convoy of U.S. Humvees attacked and set on fire.
Good morning to you.

From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for Monday, April 26.

I'm Carol Costello.

Here are the latest headlines right now.

Black smoke rises in Baghdad. Witnesses say an explosion sets four U.S. military vehicles on fire and causes American and Iraqi casualties. Not sure if these Humvees came under actual attack, though.

International aid is pouring into a North Korean town devastated by a train explosion. But relief workers say much more help is needed. One hundred sixty-one people were killed, more than 1,300 injured.

She was a pioneer in the field of cosmetics. Estee Lauder died in her New York home over the weekend. She was 97 years old.

Up to the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: On to Iraq now. There is late word of a powerful explosion in Baghdad this morning. It comes a day after apparent backpedaling by the United States in the flashpoint city of Fallujah. At issue, a demand for insurgents to hand over heavy weaponry.

Let's go live to Baghdad now to see what's happening and Jim Clancy.

Tell us about the latest attacks there -- Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll start with this explosion in Baghdad. And I have to warn you, Carol, we don't have a lot of the details confirmed right here. Iraqi police have been kept back from the scene, though firefighters have been there. Take a look at the pictures. I think it tells you a little bit about the ferocity of the blast.

Now, some are saying it could have been a roadside bomb. Some eyewitnesses, though, at the scene telling news agencies that they saw the U.S. soldiers stop in their Humvees, approach this house and try to enter it. That is when the explosion occurred. Another eyewitness said shots were heard before the explosion, which might have indicated there was some kind of an altercation there.

Now, this is an area where there are some chemical storage sites and chemical companies. No indication that -- this is not one of those chemical companies, but some are saying it might have been a storehouse in the past. CNN has been told by the U.S. military just in the past few weeks that this is an area where they suspect that there might be some support for militants who are making bombs. So they have investigated here several times.

Was this a part of that? We can't tell.

Casualties not yet confirmed. But it was a very powerful blast. People on the scene do say there were some U.S. military and some Iraqi civilians wounded in this. There was also some Iraqis celebrating around some of the Humvees, not unexpected at this point. Many people in Iraq, in Baghdad itself, feel that they have been, in one way or another, oppressed by this occupation and they use any kinds of these incidents in order to express -- to get out their frustrations.

Meantime in Fallujah, getting out frustrations, no one can tell for sure. But there was a heavy exchange of fire in two different areas of the city of Fallujah. It's surrounded, more or less, by U.S. Marines there. There have been on and off again attacks ever since the cease-fire went into effect about 10 days ago.

As you noted, that cease-fire has as one of its terms that the insurgents there would hand over their heavy weapons or their weaponry in the city. That has been a program that hasn't worked. At the same time, the U.S. not willing to go in here and risk more civilian casualties, risk a wider conflict, if you will, in that region, trying to get patrols going with Iraqi police, joint patrols with U.S. Marines and Iraqi police that would more or less bring order back to the streets. That could all begin as early as tomorrow. That's a big test -- Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Jim, I want to go back for a moment to the explosion in Baghdad. You say a chemical warehouse. Chemicals are stored here. That's a pretty hot button word.

What kind of chemicals are we talking about? Do you know?

CLANCY: Let's be very clear here, there are chemical storehouses in that general area. Some eyewitnesses say that this was a chemical storehouse. But it appeared to be, to some eyewitnesses, just another civilian home in the area. So it's too early to tell. It's too early for us to put a name on the type of facility that this was. What it does appear to be is just a house and if the eyewitnesses are correct, this wasn't a roadside bomb. But once again, we've got to wait until we get all of the evidence. When these kinds of things happen, it can take hours to sort out -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jim Clancy live from Baghdad this morning.

The White House and the Pentagon are facing a delicate dilemma over Fallujah. You heard Jim talking about it there. U.S. officials are under pressure not to launch major military action, yet the coalition has vowed to disarm the insurgents in Fallujah or else.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush returned from Camp David armed with a truce. His top military advisers, in conference call briefings, informed him that U.S. forces, poised to go in Fallujah to confront insurgents, would hold off, the result of some progress in negotiations over a 24 hour period.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. ARMY: The have been some further agreements between the representatives in Fallujah and the coalition representatives.

MALVEAUX: Those agreements center around the next critical benchmark -- Tuesday. It's the new deadline for insurgents to turn in their weapons and the day coalition forces and Iraqi police will begin joint patrols inside the troubled city.

KIMMITT: If, in fact, that bears fruit, that means that we have coalition control back inside the city of Fallujah.

MALVEAUX: But coalition officials and some members of Congress are skeptical such a high profile pitched battle can be resolved peacefully.

SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV), VICE CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I don't think ultimately that we have a choice but to go in if they don't lay down their heavy arms, because if you don't crack that nut and you don't control that, particularly that city, it becomes a symbol for all of Islam.

KIMMITT: If we see foot dragging, if we see a slow down, if we see a lack of adherence to some of the terms that have been set out, we certainly have more than sufficient military capability.

MALVEAUX: And while coalition officials expressed cautious optimism about Fallujah, they issued dire warnings about the city of Najaf, where the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is holed up.

DAN SENOR, CPA SPOKESMAN: A dangerous situation is developing in Najaf, where weapons are being stockpiled in mosques and in shrines and in schools.

MALVEAUX: With the deadline to transfer power to the Iraqi people only 10 weeks away, U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi acknowledged the conditions are far from ideal in pulling this off.

LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO IRAQ: Time is certainly a problem. We are working against the clock. We started on this job a little bit too late.

MALVEAUX (on camera): Brahimi also urged the U.S. to tread carefully in Fallujah or risk alienating the Iraqis, echoing the voices of some in the administration also concerned about alienating moderate Arab states.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: A flood disaster in Arkansas tops our look at stories making news across America today.

In just a few hours, rescue divers will resume their search

2-year-old boy. The little boy was swept away by a flash flood. The body of the boy's 3-year-old sister was recovered on Saturday. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will tour the devastated area by helicopter today, one day after designating seven counties as disaster areas.

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is making it clear that only local couples can take advantage of the state's same-sex marriage law. Romney says he will block out of state couples from getting married when the law takes effect on May 17. In the meantime, the governor's chief counsel says that any justices of the peace who refuse to perform same-sex marriages will be terminated.

A study commissioned by the Coast Guard says the service will not be able to meet new requirements under its current modernization plan. The update for the Coast Guard was approved in the late 1990s, but the Guard's responsibilities changed drastically following the 9/11 attacks.

Kobe Bryant will be back in Eagle County in a courtroom there, just a day after scoring 18 points in the Lakers play-off win. The court hears arguments today on whether the sexual history of Bryant's accuser can be entered into evidence. The information is usually off limits due to the state's rape shield law.

And prosecution and defense attorneys will sum up their cases when the trial of former NBA star Jayson Williams resumes this morning. Williams is facing eight charges, including manslaughter. The jury will receive its instructions tomorrow before beginning deliberations.

And this, too. Michael Jackson is scheduled to be arraigned this week on child molestation charges. But when he heads into the Santa Barbara courtroom, he will be without his usual high profile defense team.

CNN's Miguel Marquez tells us about the change. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The king of pop is due back in court this week to answer formal charges. And when he gets there, new lawyers will be by his side. Gone are Mark Geragos and New York attorney Benjamin Brafman.

In a statement, Brafman said, "Whether this is Benjamin Brafman or Mark Geragos resigning as Michael's lawyers or as Jackson is suggesting that we are being replaced is beside the point. We have elected a step down as a result of a number of complicated issues that have arisen in recent weeks that it would not be appropriate to discuss publicly. I wish Michael well and truly hope that at the end of the case, he will be completely exonerated."

Replacing him, according to the Associated Press, Los Angeles attorney Thomas Mesereau, Jr. Mesereau's most recent high profile client was Robert Blake. They parted company recently, citing irreconcilable differences.

The AP also reports Mesereau met Jackson in Florida, where Jackson has been staying with his family. Mesereau first told the AP he would speak about his involvement in the case, but has since said he would not comment 'til Jackson's Friday arraignment.

Last week, Jackson was indicted by a grand jury hearing testimony in his child molestation case. Well, the exact charges are not expected to be revealed until Friday's arraignment, 12 of the 19 grand jurors had to agree on each and every charge that there was a strong suspicion of guilt to indict the pop star.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: In Iraq, how can you call it a cease-fire when bullets are still flying? In besieged Fallujah, Karl Penhaul reports Marine commanders give insurgents a deadline to lay down their weapons.

Adding insult to injury, a cold rain is falling in North Korea at the scene of that deadly train explosion. We'll get a live update on the mounting -- on mounting a massive relief effort.

And Washington's National Mall overflows with women -- Democrats and Republicans alike -- demanding respect for reproductive rights.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Bill Schneider, cruising the NASCAR track at the big race. Can that other race, the one for president, keep up? I'll tell you about NASCAR nation when CNN returns.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 5:15 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

A powerful blast in Baghdad this morning. Four military Humvees are damaged, as well as some nearby buildings. No confirmation yet on casualties or the cause of the blast.

In Illinois, the sheer scope of an explosion at a plastics plant in Illinois prompts a federal investigation into the cause. Four workers were killed, four others injured in Friday's blast.

In money news, gas prices have climbed another $0.03 a gallon in the past two weeks, to a buck 83 for regular unleaded. The Lumberg Survey blames the increase on high crude oil prices and rising demand.

In sports, just in case you missed it, the number one pick in the NFL draft is Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning. Manning was drafted by the San Francisco Chargers, but he was traded to the New York Giants just about an hour later, hence the boos.

In culture, cosmetics queen Estee Lauder has died. Her multi- million dollar empire included such products as face creams, bath oils and perfumes. Lauder's spokeswoman says she died Saturday of cardiopulmonary arrest. She was 97 years old.

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

It's a new week, so let's see what's cooking with the overseas financial markets.

For that, we head to London and Diana Muriel -- good morning, Diana.

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, it's bubbling along quite nicely in Germany and in Switzerland, but it's rather quieter in London and in France. We're seeing a rather gentle start to the week. No strong economic data here in Europe to focus on, with investors tending to settle after the gains that we saw last week.

Let's have a look at the currency markets. We're seeing the dollar hit a five month high against the euro. It's come back a little bit now at 1.1829. But we're seeing the sterling, the British pound, gaining against the dollar. That's because there's speculation in the market here that we could see an interest rate hike for British interest rates next week when the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee meets. So the sterling is standing at 1.7789 currently against the dollar. The oil markets very much in focus, with Brent crude much higher this morning. You can see how it's gone over the last year and that's a trend that seems to be continuing -- back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Diana Muriel live in London this morning.

Relief aid is heading from South Korea to North Korea in the wake of a massive train explosion. The method of transport was the only sticking point until an agreement was reached just a short time ago.

For more on the situation and what we know about the accident now, let's head to Beijing and our bureau chief there, Jaime FlorCruz -- hello, Jamie.

JAMIE FLORCRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, North Korea is barely coping with the painful aftermath of the huge explosions which hit the North Korean town four days ago. One hundred, at least 161 people died and more than 1,300 people were injured in those explosions.

Now, international aid organization experts who visited the disaster site and the hospital say that the local doctors are doing a heroic job in providing treatment with very, very basic facilities. But the North Koreans need a lot of help and some help are already on their way. The Chinese and South Koreans have pledged about a million dollars worth each of medical goods. The U.S. and Japan also have pledged -- have offered to help -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jaime FlorCruz reporting live from Beijing this morning.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, hundreds of thousands of women's rights supporters march on Washington. Could their cause tip the scales in a close presidential election this November?

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: I'm Bill Schneider at the big NASCAR race in Talladega, Alabama. Can that other race, the one for president, keep up? I'll tell you about NASCAR nation, when CNN returns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: 5:22 Eastern time.

A woman's choice -- organizers of an abortion rights march say abortion will be a major issue this election year. Hundreds of thousands packed the National Mall in Washington to draw attention to what they consider diminishing rights under the Bush administration.

CNN's Alina Cho reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The rally is called the March for Women's Lives but these women are in the minority. In a sea of Democrats who are staunchly anti-Bush, the women here are Republicans and supporters of abortion rights.

JENNIFER BIEL-STOCKMAN, REPUBLICAN PRO CHOICE: Nobody owns this issue. The Democrats don't own this issue. The Republicans don't own this issue.

CHO: A few thousand of these Republican women came to Washington, many of them voted for President Bush in 2000. They are now disappointed in him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're restricting a woman's right to have an abortion, to have the access and availability of abortion.

CHO: They point to the president's signing of a bill banning certain late term abortions and the new unborn victims of violence act. They say the administration they voted into power is now trying to chip away at a woman's right to choose. You want to send him a message and what is that message?

STOCKMAN: The message is that if he wants to win in November, he's got to reach out to the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Republicans who believe in a women's right to choose.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This wouldn't even be a close election. He would have this in a walk if he had a better record on choice.

CHO: Those on the other side of the abortion debate question the women's influence.

BILL THOMSON, CHRISTIAN COALITION: Whether they'll turn the election, I guess we'll have to wait and see, but I don't think so.

CHO: Others like this Republican-turned-Democrat say the Republican abortion rights activists should just switch parties.

EMILY RHINELANDER, FAVORS ABORTION RIGHTS: I don't see how they could be a Republican when our current president is any choice.

CHO: These women say theirs is the conservative position, keeping government out of the bedroom, and many agree, with about half of America saying a woman should have the right to choose. Alina Cho, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: For more on the abortion rights demonstration, including celebrity participation, log onto our Web site at cnn.com.

MYERS: Carol, have you been to the Chuck-A-Rama?

COSTELLO: You know, when our produceress brought this story to my attention, I thought this is the greatest story I've ever heard. For many reasons, none of them good.

MYERS: What great part would that be? What scale would that be on?

COSTELLO: Well, let's share with our viewers the story.

MYERS: All right. Yes. This is kind of an inside story right now.

COSTELLO: This couple went to the Chuck-A-Rama, which is a buffet. And they've been on the Atkins diet.

MYERS: Correct. The Chuck-A-Rama, obviously you would think like some steak, maybe? Chuck-A-Rama.

COSTELLO: Roast beef.

MYERS: Yes. Well, they went back because they're on the Atkins diet, they went back to eat meat the whole time.

COSTELLO: They asked for 12 slices of roast beef each.

MYERS: And got kicked out of the restaurant.

COSTELLO: Because they were eating too much roast beef. This is the quote from the restaurant manager. This happened in Salt Lake City, Utah, by the way. He said, "We've never claimed to be an all you can eat establishment. Our understanding is a buffet is just a style of eating." They're out of there.

MYERS: Something about -- think about that one for a while. Now, the only thing you have to give them credit for is that the whole buffet is only $8.99. But when you were making this restaurant and you decided to make a name, Chuck-A-Rama?

COSTELLO: You should be able to eat as much meat as you possibly can before you explode. But evidently not.

MYERS: OK, next story.

COSTELLO: All right, next story.

Denzel's blockbuster tops today's DAYBREAK Eye-Opener.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "MAN ON FIRE")

DAKOTA FANNING, ACTOR: You were smiling.

DENZEL WASHINGTON, ACTOR: No.

FANNING: You were.

WASHINGTON: No, I was not.

FANNING: You're not now, but you were.

WASHINGTON: No, you were smiling. I wasn't smiling.

FANNING: You were.

WASHINGTON: When?

FANNING: Like five seconds ago.

WASHINGTON: I'm not smiling.

FANNING: Well, a second ago you were.

WASHINGTON: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, stop it already. Plenty to smile about, though, for Denzel Washington, as "Man On Fire" was tops at the box office this weekend with a $23 million take. It was Washington's biggest opening since his Oscar winning performance in "Training Day."

The weekend's other debut, "13 Going On 30," was a close second, with $22 million.

Well, the Queen Mary 2 has shoved off. The world's largest ocean liner is making its first eastbound voyage from New York to its home in England. The QM2 is making the voyage in tandem with its sister ship, the QE2. It's the final departure from New York for the QE2.

Oh, doesn't that send you off in dreamland, or running for the bathroom? A serenade from the International Whistlers Convention. The premier pucker party celebrated its 31st year with the championships in North Carolina. Gert Shatroe (ph) of Holland was crowned the grand champion.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANN COLGIN, FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, COLGIN CELLARS: People are crazy. But it's very flattering.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): More than 4,000 wine lovers are on a waiting list, hoping to secure a stop on the coveted Colgin Cellars mailing list. Colgin wine is only available to mailing list customers and in a select few restaurants. The Napa Valley small production handcrafted cabernet sauvignon was created by Ann Colgin and shot to the top of the industry in less than a decade.

Colgin credits her success to a passion for her business.

COLGIN: I love the wine that we produce. I love working with my team. They're very strong personalities, they're very talented. But it's important to have somebody who kind of leads the whole group in the right direction. And I try to do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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