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CNN Live At Daybreak
Controversy at Pentagon Over Whether to Release More Pictures; Latest Fighting in Middle East Between Palestinians and Israelis
Aired May 11, 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: Behind steel bars -- this morning, the general who detailed the abuse of Iraqi prisoners here goes to Capitol Hill.
It is Tuesday, May 11.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
Expect to hear more dirty details this morning in that Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear from the Army general who prepared that scathing report.
New this morning, in western Iraq, on the road from Jordan, a civilian supply convoy operated by a subsidiary of Halliburton is attacked. Several vehicles have been destroyed and U.S. officials say some people are unaccounted for.
Also new this morning, Israeli forces today kill at least five Palestinians and injure 40 more in a major operation in Gaza City. There are reports a bomb killed several Israeli soldiers in an armored personnel carrier, but the Israeli military is not commenting.
Kobe Bryant could enter a plea in his sexual assault case as early as today. Both sides agree to August for the start of the trial. Bryant's accuser showed yup in court during Monday's hearing.
To the forecast center now and chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: The two star general whose report details abuses of Iraqi prisoners takes the spotlight this morning. Major General Antonio Taguba begins testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 Eastern time. Taguba's report says there have been, and I'm quoting here, "systematic and illegal abuses of detainees." The report cites, I'm quoting again, "numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several detainees." The general's testimony is coming as the White House and Pentagon debate whether to release as many as 300 more photos detailing prisoner abuse.
We begin our coverage this morning with CNN's Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sources say the Pentagon is considering whether to release more than 1,000 images, as well as a small number of short video computer files known as mpegs. While many are described as innocuous, several hundred pictures, 200 to 300 by one estimate, document prisoner abuse, although sources say there are multiple images of the same event.
One official who has seen some of the digital video clips says they show abuse and humiliation with what is seen on the still pictures. Other Pentagon officials, who have not seen the videos, say some show two U.S. soldiers, a male and a female, having sex with each other. Some of the worst pictures are said to show Iraqi prisoners sodomized with various objects, including chemical light sticks.
Army Private Lynndie England, who is now pregnant and facing criminal charges, is seen in one photograph holding a leash attached to a naked Iraqi prisoner. Her lawyers say the photo was staged, taken to intimidate other prisoners and that she was handed the leash and asked to pose.
GIORGIO RASHADD, ATTORNEY FOR PFC LYNNDIE ENGLAND: Those photos, many of the photos that you see involving our client, are staged. They're psychological operation photos. Those were instructed and the ones that weren't specifically instructed were inferred by the civilian intelligence people who essentially took control.
MCINTYRE: The first soldier to face trial does not appear in any of the photographs, Specialist Jeremy Sivits. Sources say he may have taken some of the photographs and may plead guilty in a plea bargain arrangement. His trial next week in Iraq will be open to news coverage.
(on camera): Pentagon officials are divided on whether to make the pictures public, some arguing their release will only further violate the Geneva Conventions against humiliating prisoners and possibly compromise future investigations. But others, including some senior officials, say it's best to get it all out now instead of waiting for the inevitable leaks.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Major General Taguba's appearance this morning on Capitol Hill again is set for 9:30 Eastern time. We will bring that to you live.
Brigadier General Janis Karpinski was head of the 800th Military Police brigade. She has been relieved of her command and reprimanded in this scandal.
She told our Aaron Brown that military police were told to do some of those humiliating things we've seen in those photos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. JANIS KARPINSKI, U.S. ARMY: When I looked at those pictures and when I continued to see those pictures, I don't think that there was anything that was improperly done because this wasn't something that was a violation of a procedure. This was something they were instructed to do as a completely new procedure. I'm not sure that those M.P.s had ever been confronted with any instructions like this before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, now we want to know what you think. Our e-mail question of the day -- do you think there will be a scapegoat in the prison abuse scandal? And, if so, who would that be? E-mail us your opinion, daybreak@cnn.com, daybreak@cnn.com. We'll read your comments throughout the morning.
A group of former POWs from the first Gulf War is slamming Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. They're criticizing Rumsfeld's offer Friday to compensate abused Iraqi detainees at a time when the U.S. government is blocking payment to injured American POWs.
Here's some background for you.
A group of 17 former U.S. POWs captured by the Saddam Hussein regime and tortured won a judgment in federal court last year. The money was supposed to come from Iraq's frozen assets, but the Bush administration used it in the rebuilding of Iraq. One of those former U.S. POWs, Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Fox, will be a guest in about two hours on CNN's "American Morning." Of course, that begins at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
New attacks in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this morning. Israel has fired rockets into a heavily populated neighborhood in Gaza City. Several people are reported dead and wounded.
Let's head live to Jerusalem for more details and John Vause -- hello, John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.
There are still reports of fighting in Gaza. Within the last few hours, Israel sending reinforcements. The militant group Hamas claims to have killed six Israeli soldiers after a bomb destroyed an Israeli armored personnel carrier.
Israelis have confirmed casualties, but is yet to confirm an actual number. That is still under military censorship.
But if true, this would be one of the more severe blows Hamas has dealt to Israel in Gaza in more than three years of fighting. Palestinian sources in Gaza say six Palestinians have been killed, one of them a senior leader of the military wing of Hamas. At least 40 other people have been wounded.
The fighting began about 12 hours ago, Carol. Dozens of Israeli tanks and several bulldozers moved into a Gaza City neighborhood on what Israel says was a pinpoint operation to locate and destroy workshops which Israel claims manufacture crude rockets and mortars, which are then fired at Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. Israel says it found and destroyed five of those workshops. Palestinians, though, say it was just a metal workshop which was destroyed; so, too, a toy factory.
By all accounts, the Israeli forces have met with severe resistance by armed Palestinian militants. Several hours into the fighting, Israeli helicopter gunships were called in as support and according to witnesses, they began firing machine guns and at least two missiles towards a large group of masked gunmen. Israeli roadblocks have now been set up throughout the Gaza Strip, effectively cutting it into three sections and stopping all movement across the Gaza Strip -- Carol.
COSTELLO: John Vause live from Jerusalem this morning.
We'll have much more for you on the Iraqi prison abuse allegations coming up, including what British troops are now accused of. We're going to take you live to London for more on that.
Plus, home sweet home -- we'll take you to the first stop on U.S. soil for troops returning from the war front. You'll be surprised at who's on the front lines to greet them. and boycotting marriage -- heterosexual couples refusing to say "I do" to protest laws denying gays the right to wed.
Those stories and much more just ahead on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Welcome back.
To our top story on Iraqi prisoner abuse, Britain is trying to contain its own scandal over the mistreatment of detainees in southern Iraq. The human rights group Amnesty International alleges British soldiers have shot and killed Iraqi civilians, including an 8-year-old girl, in situations where there was no apparent threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDEL SALAM SIDAHMED, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: There is no threat for their lives or the lives of people around them. Take the case of the 8-year-old girl, for example. There was no stone throwing. There was no weapons around. I mean there were just, I mean, a crowd collecting and then the soldiers opened fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, like the U.S., Britain also faces allegations its troops mistreated and humiliated Iraqi prisoners.
We want to get you updated on these developments.
Let's head live to London and Robin Oakley -- good morning, Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, Geoff Hune, the British defense secretary, faced up to the claims from the International Committee of the Red Cross and others about the mistreatment of detainees by British forces in the House of Commons yesterday. He was given quite a hard time by law makers, but he insisted, for example, that the practice of hooding detainees had ended last September. And he said that all the cases of abuse that had been put to the British authorities were already under investigation by the time they were raised by the Red Cross.
But now there is further political controversy and difficulty for the British government with the claim by Amnesty International that in the 37 deaths of civilians in southern Iraq since last May in incidents involving British forces, Amnesty saying that in at least a dozen of those cases, people appear to have been killed in situations where there was no active threat to the British forces.
As well as the case of the young girl you referred to, there was the case of a man who was a wedding guest. Shots were fired in the air at a celebration and British troops shot a man standing outside a door who was attending the wedding celebrations, despite warnings that that was the explanation for the shooting going on.
Now, Amnesty International is saying that having these things investigated by the Royal Military Police is not good enough, they are too close to events. They want civilian led investigations. They want much less secrecy about the investigations and they want much clearer compensation procedures for Iraqi families to be able to obtain compensation where they lose a family member in such circumstances -- Carol.
COSTELLO: The editor of the "Daily Mirror," he was also questioned.
How did that go, Robin?
OAKLEY: Well, the "Daily Mirror" is still being pressured by the British government to, which is insisting now that the photographs which it used of alleged abuse by British soldiers of Iraqi detainees were not real photographs. The Ministry of Defense and the defense secretary, Geoff Hune, are now saying that the photographs used by the "Daily Mirror" were taken in a truck which was never in Iraq.
So that controversy is going on. Mr. Morgan, Piers Morgan, the editor of the "Daily Mirror," will face further questioning by M.P.s in due course. But the British government is certainly questioning the voracity of what was published in the "Daily Mirror" -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So if these pictures were fake, can anything happen to the editor of the "Daily Mirror?"
OAKLEY: Well, many people are speculating that if they do turn out to be fakes, he will lose his job. He's defended the "Mirror's" story through thick and thin, allegations by other rival media organizations and by politicians. It's very difficult to see that he would retain a great deal of credibility if these do turn out to be fakes.
But the question still remains to be finally settled -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin Oakley live from London this morning.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Army Major General Antonio Taguba will be the man in the spotlight today. He led the Pentagon's prison abuse investigation. A few hours from now, he'll tell a Senate committee all about it.
The Israeli military battles with Palestinian militias in a crowded neighborhood in Gaza City. Sources say five Palestinians are dead and one Israeli soldier injured.
In money news, MCI will cut more than 7,000 jobs this year. That's on top of the 4,500 slashed earlier. The long distance company is trying to cut costs as it emerges from bankruptcy.
In the NBA playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves sink their teeth into the Sacramento Kings, beating them 114-113. Minnesota now leads 2-1 in the seven game series.
In culture, director Robert Altman and cartoonist Gary Trudeau team up for a sequel to "Tanner 88." The series mocks the U.S. presidential campaign -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
Ooh, it was an ugly day on Wall Street yesterday. The Dow dropped below 10,000 for the first time since December.
Let's see how this is hitting the overseas financial markets.
Let's head live to London once again and check in with Robyn Curnow -- good morning.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there.
Well, as you can see, we're actually in the plus columns here. The European markets all up after those nasty figures out of Wall Street not something to affect the main markets as much as they did yesterday, because the European markets yesterday ended on six week lows.
In particular, the German DAX seems to have really pulled up its socks. It was down, shedding about three percent of its value yesterday.
So all in all, these main markets definitely looking happier than they did yesterday. But still, there's a real underlying unease, a bit of spooking from much of these issues that are also worrying the Wall Street and Asian markets. And that's the issue of higher than expected, sooner than expected interest rate hikes in the United States. That's still jittering these markets. And, of course, real concerns about high oil prices.
If we look at the London Brent crud futures for June, we're looking at about $36 a barrel. Now, that is down about $1.50 over the last two days. This came after the Saudi oil minister said that they -- he might push to increase output to lower prices at the next OPEC meeting. This bringing down the price somewhat. But still, if you look at that graph, oil prices still really going on a higher trajectory.
In March, July last year, we're looking at $27 a barrel. So a real sense that the oil prices are bothering the markets and you can see, despite the fact that they're down a little bit, real concern still -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Robyn Curnow live in London for us.
Time for more stories making news across America this Tuesday.
The Justice Department is reopening the case of Emmet Till. Till's murder and the ensuing speedy trial became a rallying point in the fight for civil rights. The 14-year-old African-American was killed in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman. The two white men charged in his death were acquitted after the all white jury deliberated for just 67 minutes.
Prosecutors say moving the Scott Peterson trial is pointless since juror bias can be found anywhere. Peterson's attorneys will argue today that the trial should be moved to Los Angeles. Jury selection still under way in Redwood City.
The FBI's new $600 million computer upgrade is inadequate. That's the assessment of an outside panel of experts looking into the project. The experts say the FBI's new Trilogy system doesn't place a priority on tracking terrorism and urges the Bureau to start over from scratch.
Next on DAYBREAK, what's happening to the president's popularity? We've got the latest poll numbers for you.
And the Iraq prison abuse scandal takes center stage on Capitol Hill this morning. And we want to hear from you. Our e-mail question of the day: do you think there will be a scapegoat in the prison abuse scandal, and, if so, who will it be? E-mail us your opinion, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.
It is time for our Eye-Opener.
More than 100 people were forced to abandon ship after this ferry hit a reef in Alaska. The passengers and crew were put on lifeboats and passed aboard -- and actually got on board passing ships. Three people taken to the hospital.
Here's a creative sentence handed down in Rockdale County, Georgia. A judge ordered a professed drug addict to buy a coffin and keep it in his house. The judge says the coffin will be a reminder of what will happen if this man does not change his ways.
No soup for you. Cracker Barrel restaurants pulled their vegetable soup off the table after a woman in Newport News, Virginia found too much meat in her bowl. Actually, what she found was a mouse. Now the chain is trying to figure out if the mouse came from a soup vendor or was just a resident at the restaurant. I don't know.
MYERS: We're getting these interesting things in food stories every time at this day.
COSTELLO: I don't know about it. Five o'clock in the morning. Something has to wake you up out there. We thought that story would.
MYERS: Colorado, you probably don't want to wake up, but you've got a new bill going out.
COSTELLO: That's right -- vouchers for college tuition for those students who can't afford to go to school.
MYERS: $2,400 is the plan. They may have to cut it back to $1,600 if the budget can't handle it. But $2,400,a little voucher. They can take that to public or, actually, some, some private schools.
COSTELLO: And the sad part about that is that small amount of money -- and it is a small amount of money when you're going to college...
MYERS: Yes, it is.
COSTELLO: ... probably won't get them very far. But it's something.
MYERS: It's an incentive. I did not see, though, that they said anything about grades. Do have to get a 2.5 to get this voucher? Do you have to get a 3.0? Nothing like that. So then you can kind of weed some of the people who maybe need to go to tech school and move this, move things around.
COSTELLO: Well, it's still making its way through the state legislature.
MYERS: Exactly.
COSTELLO: So maybe that'll be in there.
MYERS: So, good news for you, Colorado.
COSTELLO: Good idea in Colorado, though.
Ralph Nader is fighting to get on the ballot in President Bush's home state. Nader filed suit claiming that the Texas petition law is unconstitutional and discriminatory. His campaign missed yesterday's deadline to submit the necessary 64,000 signatures to get on the ballot. Nader is hoping to get on the ballot in 45 states in time for the November election.
John Kerry is focusing on health care this week. Kerry kicked off a three day health care caravans in Pennsylvania and then he headed on to Kentucky. Today he meets with Louisville business leaders for a fundraising lunch and his next stop will be Florida.
In case you didn't know, two states are holding presidential primaries today -- West Virginia and Nebraska. President Bush will be in West Virginia later this week for a speech on education.
But as CNN's Louise Schiavone reports, it's the economy and the conflict in Iraq that have dropped him to a new low.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT:
(voice-over): Battling a cascade of bad news, President Bush is scoring his lowest approval rating ever. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows only 46 percent of those surveyed approve of Mr. Bush's performance, while 51 percent disapprove.
DAVID GERGEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Events are now spinning out of control. This whole episode over the pictures and abuses in Iraq, of course, caught them completely blindsided. And gas prices going up something they can't control, as well. So that's what gives you a pit in your stomach if you're inside the White House or inside a campaign.
SCHIAVONE: When pollsters asked who would do a better job on Iraq, the president had a narrow three percent lead over John Kerry. When asked who would do a better job on the economy, just 40 percent said Bush, while 54 percent said Kerry. And consumers are concerned about rising inflation and gas prices.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see it's like $2.53 for the, you know, the good stuff. And I get so mad, I just can't describe it. It gives me chest pains. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I spend about 60 bucks a week on gas. And that's the price you pay for being in America, I guess.
SCHIAVONE: History shows that a weak economy weakness the incumbent president's chances.
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: The president of the United States, kind of like the quarterback on a pro football team, gets too much credit when the economy is going well, probably, and gets too much blame when the economy is not doing well.
SCHIAVONE: Fifty-one percent of those surveyed by Gallup think the economy is getting worse.
(on camera): Analysts say that somehow the president and his team need to plan and build positive forward looking images. But whether they can ever conjure images that outweigh the ugliness of Abu Ghraib Prison remains to be seen.
Louise Schiavone for CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And we will dive deeper into those poll numbers at the next hour of DAYBREAK. Gallup poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport will join us live from Princeton with more analysis.
In the next hour, in the next half hour of DAYBREAK, Taguba takes the stand. For the first time the world will hear from the man who honchoed the Pentagon's prison abuse investigation.
And the scandal has focused intense scrutiny on some U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Up next, we'll profile the people accused.
And love without marriage -- why some American couples are leaving the knot untied.
This is DAYBREAK for Tuesday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired May 11, 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: Behind steel bars -- this morning, the general who detailed the abuse of Iraqi prisoners here goes to Capitol Hill.
It is Tuesday, May 11.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
Expect to hear more dirty details this morning in that Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear from the Army general who prepared that scathing report.
New this morning, in western Iraq, on the road from Jordan, a civilian supply convoy operated by a subsidiary of Halliburton is attacked. Several vehicles have been destroyed and U.S. officials say some people are unaccounted for.
Also new this morning, Israeli forces today kill at least five Palestinians and injure 40 more in a major operation in Gaza City. There are reports a bomb killed several Israeli soldiers in an armored personnel carrier, but the Israeli military is not commenting.
Kobe Bryant could enter a plea in his sexual assault case as early as today. Both sides agree to August for the start of the trial. Bryant's accuser showed yup in court during Monday's hearing.
To the forecast center now and chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: The two star general whose report details abuses of Iraqi prisoners takes the spotlight this morning. Major General Antonio Taguba begins testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 Eastern time. Taguba's report says there have been, and I'm quoting here, "systematic and illegal abuses of detainees." The report cites, I'm quoting again, "numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several detainees." The general's testimony is coming as the White House and Pentagon debate whether to release as many as 300 more photos detailing prisoner abuse.
We begin our coverage this morning with CNN's Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sources say the Pentagon is considering whether to release more than 1,000 images, as well as a small number of short video computer files known as mpegs. While many are described as innocuous, several hundred pictures, 200 to 300 by one estimate, document prisoner abuse, although sources say there are multiple images of the same event.
One official who has seen some of the digital video clips says they show abuse and humiliation with what is seen on the still pictures. Other Pentagon officials, who have not seen the videos, say some show two U.S. soldiers, a male and a female, having sex with each other. Some of the worst pictures are said to show Iraqi prisoners sodomized with various objects, including chemical light sticks.
Army Private Lynndie England, who is now pregnant and facing criminal charges, is seen in one photograph holding a leash attached to a naked Iraqi prisoner. Her lawyers say the photo was staged, taken to intimidate other prisoners and that she was handed the leash and asked to pose.
GIORGIO RASHADD, ATTORNEY FOR PFC LYNNDIE ENGLAND: Those photos, many of the photos that you see involving our client, are staged. They're psychological operation photos. Those were instructed and the ones that weren't specifically instructed were inferred by the civilian intelligence people who essentially took control.
MCINTYRE: The first soldier to face trial does not appear in any of the photographs, Specialist Jeremy Sivits. Sources say he may have taken some of the photographs and may plead guilty in a plea bargain arrangement. His trial next week in Iraq will be open to news coverage.
(on camera): Pentagon officials are divided on whether to make the pictures public, some arguing their release will only further violate the Geneva Conventions against humiliating prisoners and possibly compromise future investigations. But others, including some senior officials, say it's best to get it all out now instead of waiting for the inevitable leaks.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Major General Taguba's appearance this morning on Capitol Hill again is set for 9:30 Eastern time. We will bring that to you live.
Brigadier General Janis Karpinski was head of the 800th Military Police brigade. She has been relieved of her command and reprimanded in this scandal.
She told our Aaron Brown that military police were told to do some of those humiliating things we've seen in those photos.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. JANIS KARPINSKI, U.S. ARMY: When I looked at those pictures and when I continued to see those pictures, I don't think that there was anything that was improperly done because this wasn't something that was a violation of a procedure. This was something they were instructed to do as a completely new procedure. I'm not sure that those M.P.s had ever been confronted with any instructions like this before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, now we want to know what you think. Our e-mail question of the day -- do you think there will be a scapegoat in the prison abuse scandal? And, if so, who would that be? E-mail us your opinion, daybreak@cnn.com, daybreak@cnn.com. We'll read your comments throughout the morning.
A group of former POWs from the first Gulf War is slamming Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. They're criticizing Rumsfeld's offer Friday to compensate abused Iraqi detainees at a time when the U.S. government is blocking payment to injured American POWs.
Here's some background for you.
A group of 17 former U.S. POWs captured by the Saddam Hussein regime and tortured won a judgment in federal court last year. The money was supposed to come from Iraq's frozen assets, but the Bush administration used it in the rebuilding of Iraq. One of those former U.S. POWs, Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Fox, will be a guest in about two hours on CNN's "American Morning." Of course, that begins at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
New attacks in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this morning. Israel has fired rockets into a heavily populated neighborhood in Gaza City. Several people are reported dead and wounded.
Let's head live to Jerusalem for more details and John Vause -- hello, John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.
There are still reports of fighting in Gaza. Within the last few hours, Israel sending reinforcements. The militant group Hamas claims to have killed six Israeli soldiers after a bomb destroyed an Israeli armored personnel carrier.
Israelis have confirmed casualties, but is yet to confirm an actual number. That is still under military censorship.
But if true, this would be one of the more severe blows Hamas has dealt to Israel in Gaza in more than three years of fighting. Palestinian sources in Gaza say six Palestinians have been killed, one of them a senior leader of the military wing of Hamas. At least 40 other people have been wounded.
The fighting began about 12 hours ago, Carol. Dozens of Israeli tanks and several bulldozers moved into a Gaza City neighborhood on what Israel says was a pinpoint operation to locate and destroy workshops which Israel claims manufacture crude rockets and mortars, which are then fired at Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip. Israel says it found and destroyed five of those workshops. Palestinians, though, say it was just a metal workshop which was destroyed; so, too, a toy factory.
By all accounts, the Israeli forces have met with severe resistance by armed Palestinian militants. Several hours into the fighting, Israeli helicopter gunships were called in as support and according to witnesses, they began firing machine guns and at least two missiles towards a large group of masked gunmen. Israeli roadblocks have now been set up throughout the Gaza Strip, effectively cutting it into three sections and stopping all movement across the Gaza Strip -- Carol.
COSTELLO: John Vause live from Jerusalem this morning.
We'll have much more for you on the Iraqi prison abuse allegations coming up, including what British troops are now accused of. We're going to take you live to London for more on that.
Plus, home sweet home -- we'll take you to the first stop on U.S. soil for troops returning from the war front. You'll be surprised at who's on the front lines to greet them. and boycotting marriage -- heterosexual couples refusing to say "I do" to protest laws denying gays the right to wed.
Those stories and much more just ahead on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Welcome back.
To our top story on Iraqi prisoner abuse, Britain is trying to contain its own scandal over the mistreatment of detainees in southern Iraq. The human rights group Amnesty International alleges British soldiers have shot and killed Iraqi civilians, including an 8-year-old girl, in situations where there was no apparent threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDEL SALAM SIDAHMED, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: There is no threat for their lives or the lives of people around them. Take the case of the 8-year-old girl, for example. There was no stone throwing. There was no weapons around. I mean there were just, I mean, a crowd collecting and then the soldiers opened fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, like the U.S., Britain also faces allegations its troops mistreated and humiliated Iraqi prisoners.
We want to get you updated on these developments.
Let's head live to London and Robin Oakley -- good morning, Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, Geoff Hune, the British defense secretary, faced up to the claims from the International Committee of the Red Cross and others about the mistreatment of detainees by British forces in the House of Commons yesterday. He was given quite a hard time by law makers, but he insisted, for example, that the practice of hooding detainees had ended last September. And he said that all the cases of abuse that had been put to the British authorities were already under investigation by the time they were raised by the Red Cross.
But now there is further political controversy and difficulty for the British government with the claim by Amnesty International that in the 37 deaths of civilians in southern Iraq since last May in incidents involving British forces, Amnesty saying that in at least a dozen of those cases, people appear to have been killed in situations where there was no active threat to the British forces.
As well as the case of the young girl you referred to, there was the case of a man who was a wedding guest. Shots were fired in the air at a celebration and British troops shot a man standing outside a door who was attending the wedding celebrations, despite warnings that that was the explanation for the shooting going on.
Now, Amnesty International is saying that having these things investigated by the Royal Military Police is not good enough, they are too close to events. They want civilian led investigations. They want much less secrecy about the investigations and they want much clearer compensation procedures for Iraqi families to be able to obtain compensation where they lose a family member in such circumstances -- Carol.
COSTELLO: The editor of the "Daily Mirror," he was also questioned.
How did that go, Robin?
OAKLEY: Well, the "Daily Mirror" is still being pressured by the British government to, which is insisting now that the photographs which it used of alleged abuse by British soldiers of Iraqi detainees were not real photographs. The Ministry of Defense and the defense secretary, Geoff Hune, are now saying that the photographs used by the "Daily Mirror" were taken in a truck which was never in Iraq.
So that controversy is going on. Mr. Morgan, Piers Morgan, the editor of the "Daily Mirror," will face further questioning by M.P.s in due course. But the British government is certainly questioning the voracity of what was published in the "Daily Mirror" -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So if these pictures were fake, can anything happen to the editor of the "Daily Mirror?"
OAKLEY: Well, many people are speculating that if they do turn out to be fakes, he will lose his job. He's defended the "Mirror's" story through thick and thin, allegations by other rival media organizations and by politicians. It's very difficult to see that he would retain a great deal of credibility if these do turn out to be fakes.
But the question still remains to be finally settled -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin Oakley live from London this morning.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Army Major General Antonio Taguba will be the man in the spotlight today. He led the Pentagon's prison abuse investigation. A few hours from now, he'll tell a Senate committee all about it.
The Israeli military battles with Palestinian militias in a crowded neighborhood in Gaza City. Sources say five Palestinians are dead and one Israeli soldier injured.
In money news, MCI will cut more than 7,000 jobs this year. That's on top of the 4,500 slashed earlier. The long distance company is trying to cut costs as it emerges from bankruptcy.
In the NBA playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves sink their teeth into the Sacramento Kings, beating them 114-113. Minnesota now leads 2-1 in the seven game series.
In culture, director Robert Altman and cartoonist Gary Trudeau team up for a sequel to "Tanner 88." The series mocks the U.S. presidential campaign -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
Ooh, it was an ugly day on Wall Street yesterday. The Dow dropped below 10,000 for the first time since December.
Let's see how this is hitting the overseas financial markets.
Let's head live to London once again and check in with Robyn Curnow -- good morning.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there.
Well, as you can see, we're actually in the plus columns here. The European markets all up after those nasty figures out of Wall Street not something to affect the main markets as much as they did yesterday, because the European markets yesterday ended on six week lows.
In particular, the German DAX seems to have really pulled up its socks. It was down, shedding about three percent of its value yesterday.
So all in all, these main markets definitely looking happier than they did yesterday. But still, there's a real underlying unease, a bit of spooking from much of these issues that are also worrying the Wall Street and Asian markets. And that's the issue of higher than expected, sooner than expected interest rate hikes in the United States. That's still jittering these markets. And, of course, real concerns about high oil prices.
If we look at the London Brent crud futures for June, we're looking at about $36 a barrel. Now, that is down about $1.50 over the last two days. This came after the Saudi oil minister said that they -- he might push to increase output to lower prices at the next OPEC meeting. This bringing down the price somewhat. But still, if you look at that graph, oil prices still really going on a higher trajectory.
In March, July last year, we're looking at $27 a barrel. So a real sense that the oil prices are bothering the markets and you can see, despite the fact that they're down a little bit, real concern still -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Robyn Curnow live in London for us.
Time for more stories making news across America this Tuesday.
The Justice Department is reopening the case of Emmet Till. Till's murder and the ensuing speedy trial became a rallying point in the fight for civil rights. The 14-year-old African-American was killed in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman. The two white men charged in his death were acquitted after the all white jury deliberated for just 67 minutes.
Prosecutors say moving the Scott Peterson trial is pointless since juror bias can be found anywhere. Peterson's attorneys will argue today that the trial should be moved to Los Angeles. Jury selection still under way in Redwood City.
The FBI's new $600 million computer upgrade is inadequate. That's the assessment of an outside panel of experts looking into the project. The experts say the FBI's new Trilogy system doesn't place a priority on tracking terrorism and urges the Bureau to start over from scratch.
Next on DAYBREAK, what's happening to the president's popularity? We've got the latest poll numbers for you.
And the Iraq prison abuse scandal takes center stage on Capitol Hill this morning. And we want to hear from you. Our e-mail question of the day: do you think there will be a scapegoat in the prison abuse scandal, and, if so, who will it be? E-mail us your opinion, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.
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COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.
It is time for our Eye-Opener.
More than 100 people were forced to abandon ship after this ferry hit a reef in Alaska. The passengers and crew were put on lifeboats and passed aboard -- and actually got on board passing ships. Three people taken to the hospital.
Here's a creative sentence handed down in Rockdale County, Georgia. A judge ordered a professed drug addict to buy a coffin and keep it in his house. The judge says the coffin will be a reminder of what will happen if this man does not change his ways.
No soup for you. Cracker Barrel restaurants pulled their vegetable soup off the table after a woman in Newport News, Virginia found too much meat in her bowl. Actually, what she found was a mouse. Now the chain is trying to figure out if the mouse came from a soup vendor or was just a resident at the restaurant. I don't know.
MYERS: We're getting these interesting things in food stories every time at this day.
COSTELLO: I don't know about it. Five o'clock in the morning. Something has to wake you up out there. We thought that story would.
MYERS: Colorado, you probably don't want to wake up, but you've got a new bill going out.
COSTELLO: That's right -- vouchers for college tuition for those students who can't afford to go to school.
MYERS: $2,400 is the plan. They may have to cut it back to $1,600 if the budget can't handle it. But $2,400,a little voucher. They can take that to public or, actually, some, some private schools.
COSTELLO: And the sad part about that is that small amount of money -- and it is a small amount of money when you're going to college...
MYERS: Yes, it is.
COSTELLO: ... probably won't get them very far. But it's something.
MYERS: It's an incentive. I did not see, though, that they said anything about grades. Do have to get a 2.5 to get this voucher? Do you have to get a 3.0? Nothing like that. So then you can kind of weed some of the people who maybe need to go to tech school and move this, move things around.
COSTELLO: Well, it's still making its way through the state legislature.
MYERS: Exactly.
COSTELLO: So maybe that'll be in there.
MYERS: So, good news for you, Colorado.
COSTELLO: Good idea in Colorado, though.
Ralph Nader is fighting to get on the ballot in President Bush's home state. Nader filed suit claiming that the Texas petition law is unconstitutional and discriminatory. His campaign missed yesterday's deadline to submit the necessary 64,000 signatures to get on the ballot. Nader is hoping to get on the ballot in 45 states in time for the November election.
John Kerry is focusing on health care this week. Kerry kicked off a three day health care caravans in Pennsylvania and then he headed on to Kentucky. Today he meets with Louisville business leaders for a fundraising lunch and his next stop will be Florida.
In case you didn't know, two states are holding presidential primaries today -- West Virginia and Nebraska. President Bush will be in West Virginia later this week for a speech on education.
But as CNN's Louise Schiavone reports, it's the economy and the conflict in Iraq that have dropped him to a new low.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT:
(voice-over): Battling a cascade of bad news, President Bush is scoring his lowest approval rating ever. The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows only 46 percent of those surveyed approve of Mr. Bush's performance, while 51 percent disapprove.
DAVID GERGEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Events are now spinning out of control. This whole episode over the pictures and abuses in Iraq, of course, caught them completely blindsided. And gas prices going up something they can't control, as well. So that's what gives you a pit in your stomach if you're inside the White House or inside a campaign.
SCHIAVONE: When pollsters asked who would do a better job on Iraq, the president had a narrow three percent lead over John Kerry. When asked who would do a better job on the economy, just 40 percent said Bush, while 54 percent said Kerry. And consumers are concerned about rising inflation and gas prices.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see it's like $2.53 for the, you know, the good stuff. And I get so mad, I just can't describe it. It gives me chest pains. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I spend about 60 bucks a week on gas. And that's the price you pay for being in America, I guess.
SCHIAVONE: History shows that a weak economy weakness the incumbent president's chances.
FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: The president of the United States, kind of like the quarterback on a pro football team, gets too much credit when the economy is going well, probably, and gets too much blame when the economy is not doing well.
SCHIAVONE: Fifty-one percent of those surveyed by Gallup think the economy is getting worse.
(on camera): Analysts say that somehow the president and his team need to plan and build positive forward looking images. But whether they can ever conjure images that outweigh the ugliness of Abu Ghraib Prison remains to be seen.
Louise Schiavone for CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And we will dive deeper into those poll numbers at the next hour of DAYBREAK. Gallup poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport will join us live from Princeton with more analysis.
In the next hour, in the next half hour of DAYBREAK, Taguba takes the stand. For the first time the world will hear from the man who honchoed the Pentagon's prison abuse investigation.
And the scandal has focused intense scrutiny on some U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Up next, we'll profile the people accused.
And love without marriage -- why some American couples are leaving the knot untied.
This is DAYBREAK for Tuesday.
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