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CNN Live At Daybreak
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's Arrival in Baghdad; Latest Developments in Fighting Between Iraqi Insurgents, U.S. Forces in Najaf
Aired May 13, 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.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
From the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
I want to welcome our international viewers, as well.
We are following breaking news at this hour.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld making a surprise visit to Baghdad. He's there right now, so let's head live to Baghdad and Ben Wedeman to find out why -- hello, Ben. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the precise reason for Secretary Rumsfeld's visit to Baghdad is -- we don't know at this point. But obviously probably on the top of his agenda will be the issue of prisoner abuse. And I must say, the details of his visit -- where he's going, when he's going -- obviously are not being made public.
He's being accomplished by General Richard Myers, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. This is the fifth visit to Baghdad by Secretary Rumsfeld since the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein last year. It's actually his seventh visit to Iraq. Of course, he visited Iraq in the early 1980s, when things were very different between Saddam Hussein and the United States, and, in fact, he met with the Iraqi president at that time.
But clearly at the moment the top of his agenda is going to be the question of prisoner abuse. He's obviously going to be meeting with senior officers and soldiers, trying to lift morale, because it's been a very difficult period of late. Throughout April, the U.S. Army and Marines were dealing with uprisings in Fallujah and Najaf. And even though Fallujah has calmed down, Najaf is still the scene of some significant clashes between U.S. forces and the so-called Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand, too, that some Pentagon lawyers will be accompanying Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.
Have you heard that?
WEDEMAN: No, we don't have those details. But as I said, because the question of prisoner abuse is obviously such a hot one, it's probably a good idea to bring some lawyers along -- Carol.
COSTELLO: At the Abu Ghraib Prison right now, Ben, what changes have been made?
WEDEMAN: Well, they've begun to release prisoners, for one thing. They've reduced -- the precise numbers we don't know. But when this story over prisoner abuse broke, the prison population was somewhere around 3,800. And we know that several hundred prisoners have been released. They've also discontinued certain interrogation methods, like the use of hooding, stress positions and sleep deprivation. And General, Major General Geoffrey Miller, who was brought fight Guantanamo to fix up the situation at Abu Ghraib, has made it clear on multiple occasions in the last week and a half that he's going to try to change the regime out there, so to speak, fix things up and try to put an end to any abuse that might be going on -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, of course, there's still the sentiment out there, Ben, that that prison should be knocked down, or not used, at the very least.
WEDEMAN: Yes, certainly we've heard both from Washington, members of Congress, and some Iraqis who feel that it should be knocked down. Now, I've been spending a lot of time outside Abu Ghraib, the prison, and some people would like it to be turned into a housing complex. There is obviously a shortage of housing here and one woman said she'd like to move into the buildings, but not as a prison -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Somehow I just can't imagine that a housing complex.
The Iraqis that have been released from the prison, are they just going home? I mean I guess there's a sentiment here...
WEDEMAN: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... that legal action could be taken or lawsuits filed or something like that.
WEDEMAN: Certainly many of the former prisoners we've spoken with want some sort of compensation and may consider legal action. It's significant, for instance, that in the Taguba report, they mention that 60 percent of the inmates of Abu Ghraib are not threats to society. And, of course, the Red Cross report that came out in February said anywhere between 70 and 90 percent of those in Abu Ghraib were arrested by mistake.
So obviously there's a lot of issues out -- coming out of Abu Ghraib and Secretary Rumsfeld will probably be addressing some of them. But a lot of them are going to fall into the lap of the Coalition Authority, as -- which, as we know, already has a lot to do here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Ben Wedeman, we'll get back to you. Ben Wedeman live in Baghdad.
Again, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, along with Richard Myers, head of the joint chiefs of staff, in Baghdad this morning. We don't know their itinerary. When we know more, of course, we'll pass it along to you. and now we say good-bye to our international viewers.
Our domestic viewers, you stay right there.
Let's go on with other headlines this Thursday.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee says he'll resign about four hours from now. His announcement comes as his ruling party concedes defeat in the parliamentary elections.
In money news, The Gap is blowing the whistle on itself, saying many of its overseas workers are mistreated. The company issued what it calls a social responsibility report vowing to improve conditions.
In sports, Minnesota now leads Sacramento two games to one in second round NBA play-off action. It wasn't easy. The game went into overtime and the final score was 114-113.
In culture, last week we said good-bye to "Friends." Tonight, we bid adieu to "Frasier," which started as a spin-off of "Cheers" and lasted 11 successful seasons.
And in weather, take a look at these ominous pictures from south central Kansas. At least two tornadoes touched down. This one damaged three homes in the town of Attica. No injuries reported, but have things settled down now -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: It's an all too familiar scenario -- a convoy traveling through Baghdad hit by a roadside bomb. It happened again today. One U.S. soldier is dead, a second injured. Seven hundred and seventy-seven American service members have been killed in Iraq, 648 since President Bush declared an end to major combat.
Also today, three mortar shells land at the oil ministry in Baghdad. No serious injuries reported here.
And these are the sounds of war. This is Najaf, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. These are pictures that came in overnight of the fighting there. Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr still holed up in that holy city. He has the support of his so-called Mahdi Army militia.
We want to get details on the new fighting from Jane Arraf. She's with U.S. troops there.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, that fighting looks pretty intense, but it's actually become pretty routine. Now, what that was was, according to officials here, a routine military patrol on the edge of the holy city of Najaf that came under ambush from rocket propelled grenades last night.
Now, the firefight lasted for about an hour and officials say that they killed three suspected militia members. No U.S. casualties. And the interesting thing is they say that it is the closest to the holy city that they have come under fire. They say they're responding to Iraqi police reports that there were men with rocket propelled grenades on the edge of a cemetery.
Now, this is a holy cemetery near the Imam Ali Shrine. Shias from all over the world aspire to be buried there. Now, it is where, according to U.S. officials, members of the Mahdi militia are storing arms. They accuse them of storing weapons in the crypt and in coffins in that cemetery.
Now, all this against the backdrop of a political effort to get the militia to disband. There are calls from political parties for a huge demonstration in Najaf tomorrow. They say they're calling out hundreds of thousands of people to come out in the streets and demonstrate for peace -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Demonstrate for peace, but Muqtada al-Sadr actually held a press conference yesterday calling for more violence.
Where is he and does the United States still plan to arrest him?
ARRAF: That's a really interesting question. He is in between Najaf and Kufa. He makes a point of traveling between the two cities. And military officials here tell us that they are going to steadily expand their patrols, that they are not shrinking back despite these political movements that are trying to be developed on that front.
Now, what he has called for is he's essentially said that he will disband, but in return, the United States has to move out of this base. And this base that we're in, the main U.S. Army base, is essentially in the middle of Najaf. It is far from the holy sites, but it is within Najaf city limits. Military officials say that they cannot move out of here until Najaf and Kufa are stable. And that certainly isn't the case, as we've seen so far -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Najaf, Iraq this morning.
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has a big job this morning trying to get more money out of Congress for Iraq and Afghanistan. Wolfowitz appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 Eastern time. He's asking for a reserve fund of $25 billion. That would help pay the almost $5 billion a month it costs to operate in Iraq.
Among items the reserve money would fund -- $705 million for armored Humvees and $295 million for body armor. The White House estimates the war could cost up to $200 billion.
Two more U.S. soldiers will be court-martialed for allegedly abusing Iraqis at the Abu Ghraib Prison. The charges against Sergeant Javal Davis and Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick include assault, maltreating prisoners, conspiracy to maltreat prisoners and dereliction of duty. Relatives of the two say the allegations are inconsistent with their characters. The military trials will follow the court-martial of Specialist Jeremy Sivits. That's expected to start next week in Baghdad. One of the soldiers implicated in the scandal says she was just following orders when they posed for those now infamous photos. PFC Lynndie England tells a Denver TV station, quoting here, "We were doing our job, which meant we were doing what we were told and the outcome was what they wanted." Her attorney says the scandal stems from the involvement of civilian contractors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGIO RA'SHADD, LYNNDIE ENGLAND'S ATTORNEY: And if the military command structure allows civilians to exclude them from the structure and hijacks it and there's no military person there that is willing to take charge and take responsibility, then a bunch of young kids who are given instructions and encouragement to help facilitate information to protect force structure, will probably end up doing some of the things they're instructed if there's no one else to over watch the civilian intelligence infrastructure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Several investigations into the abuse scandal now under way.
We can only imagine what friends and family of Nicholas Berg are going through. In Westchester, Pennsylvania tomorrow afternoon, a private memorial service will be held for the American who was beheaded in Iraq. Berg's remains arrived back in the United States yesterday.
In the meantime, friends and neighbors commented on Berg's life and death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE HAUSER, FRIEND OF NICHOLAS BERG'S FAMILY: I've known Nick ever since he was a young child, probably around the age of four, watched him grow up to be an adult. And if you would know the Nick Berg that I've known, you would say to yourself why did this happen to such a nice young man?
DAN STICK, FRIEND OF NICHOLAS BERG: He's a great guy. Everyone wanted to be around Nick. He was always fun and he had a lot of -- he was just an entertaining person. Something was always happening around him because he was a great people person and there are countless stories where he did something funny. And it's just a tragedy what happened to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We want to know what you think. How well do you think the media have handled the release of the prisoner photos from Iraq? E-mail us your opinions, daybreak@cnn.com. And, of course, we'll read those e-mails later on in our program.
A humanitarian crisis beyond belief -- thousands upon thousands of refugees are fleeing from Sudan to neighboring Chad -- a beleaguered nation that cannot even care for its own people.
Oil prices jumped to a record high. Fingers of blame point to Iraq.
And teaching the fine points of interrogation -- a look inside the Army's training school.
And rolling out the red carpet in France -- movie stars, wannabes and shutterbugs all flock to the Riviera.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Baghdad this morning for a surprise visit. He's being accompanied by General Richard Myers, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
In Madison, Wisconsin this morning, there will be a pretrial conference for the college student who is accused of faking her own abduction. Audrey Seiler faces two misdemeanor counts in connection with her four day disappearance.
In money news, Maria Shriver is launching a line of jewelry promoting California landmarks -- for example, a charm bracelet featuring the Golden Gate Bridge. Some of the profits will help the state promote trade with other countries.
In sports, the NCAA says 35 percent of its male athletes admit to betting on college sports within the past year. For female athletes, that figure stands at 10 percent.
In culture, Disney will sell Michael Moore's controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 911" to the co-chairman of Miramax. Disney had blocked release of the film, which is critical of President Bush's handling of the terror attacks.
And in weather -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
In Washington, they're calling it the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. A few U.N. aide workers are trying to save thousands of refugees from the war in Sudan who have fled into neighboring Chad.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour live in northern Chad -- hello, Christiane. CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, indeed, and top U.S. officials are involved in trying to relieve some of the suffering here. Many millions of dollars have been poured into this relief, but it's going to be a very, very daunting challenge to actually get help for some 70,000 refugees who are still out in the open.
They had planned here to simply shelter about 50,000 or so. But that number has skyrocketed and refugees keep pouring from the war in the Darfur region of Sudan, over across into northern Chad, which can barely look after itself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR (voice-over): The small village of Bahai in northern Chad is overwhelmed, its population of 5,000 tripled by refugees fleeing the war in Sudan's Darfur region, just next door. Bahi is so poor, it can barely sustain itself. But for more than a year, it's been sharing its meager resources with 15,000 refugees.
The U.N. and other international agencies only turned up a few months ago, and they still haven't managed to set up camps this far north. Now, they're in a race against time to keep all these people alive.
HELENE CAUX, UNHCR: The rainy season is coming at the end of May, the beginning of June. All this area will be completely flooded. So we see some of the challenge for us to try to move as many refugees as we can before this rainy season starts.
AMANPOUR: But no one really thinks they'll be able to move that many. Children are now dying of preventable diseases like diarrhea, for lack of water and health care. Helene Caux tries to give this little girl rehydration salts. Her mother then tries to drip feed her with a syringe, but she won't take the liquid.
Over at another hut, Hiatt (ph) has just given birth to her sixth child. The little boy already has a cold and Hiatt worries it'll get worse because there's not enough food to sustain her breast milk and keep the boy alive.
Dr. Camilo Valderrama works for the International Rescue Committee. His job is to try to plug the health care hole. Chad has exactly 271 doctors for a population estimated at over nine million.
Here, in wretched northern Chad, there's not even a doctor or a nurse, just a medical technician who's qualified to hand out basic drugs.
DR. CAMILO VALDERRAMA, INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS: But here for this area, there's one technical agent who has basic, basic training for 30,000 people almost.
AMANPOUR (on camera): One for 30,000 people?
(voice-over): Once a week, Dr. Camilo does hut calls to these desperate refugees. The babies are the most vulnerable. This little boy is 22 days old, his parents say, and yet he's not growing. His hands are shriveled, his face that of an old man.
Severe malnutrition, says Dr. Camilo. The only answer, to drive at least five hours to the nearest newly set up international health facility.
These people say they had a decent life in Darfur until the Sudanese government, which is Arab, went to war against Darfur indigenous African people, a war for power and resources. The refugees told us about the attacks. "They send in aircraft to bomb our villages," says Ahmed Salah (ph). "And then the militias come on horseback and burn down our houses and take all our possessions."
Adam Suleyman told us they kill the men and brutally attack the women and young girls.
ADAM SULEYMAN, REFUGEE: All women, older and younger, are raped.
AMANPOUR (on camera): So they're raping old women and young women?
SULEYMAN: All of the women, yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: So this isn't just a civil war. According to top U.S. and U.N. officials and human rights organizations, the Sudanese government is conducting a campaign of ethnic cleansing against these African residents of Darfur. The U.S. and the E.U. have been trying to broker a cease-fire, which has, for the most part, held for the last 30 days or so, but it's still to be renewed in a couple of weeks and there's no guarantee that that's going to happen.
But even though the Sudanese government has agreed to this cease- fire, their militias continue to maraud and continue to (AUDIO GAP) villages -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Christiane Amanpour live in the Sudan this morning.
More horrific pictures the White House does not want you to see. And how well do you think the media have handled the release of those photos from Iraq? Have we shown you too much, have we shown you too little? Do you want to see more pictures?
E-mail us your opinions this morning, daybreak@cnn.com, daybreak@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CBS NEWS)
DAN RATHER, CBS EVENING NEWS: A day after an al Qaeda linked Web site showed pictures of the execution -- the beheading -- of American Nick Berg by captors in Iraq, President Bush said Berg's gruesome death would not shake America's resolve.
PETER JENNINGS, ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT HOST: They looked at more pictures and videotape from Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. After seeing the pictures, one senator said, "I don't know how the hell these people got into our Army."
TOM BROKAW, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS HOST: The furor surrounding the abuse of Iraqi prisoners has reverberated around the globe, but what effect has it had on the 120,000 American troops in Iraq and how they are perceived in that country?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Some examples of how the networks covered the release of those Iraqi prison abuse photos and also the beheading of Nicholas Berg. We've been asking you the question this morning, how well do you think the media have handled the release of those photos from Iraq? You've been e-mailing us your opinions and I'd like to read some to you right now.
This is from Debbie from Illinois, from Peoria. She says, "I think the public needed to see the pictures of the prisoners, maybe not so often. But I think it's very unfair to the Berg family for all of the media to stay after they have asked them to leave." And she means stay near their home, waiting for the Berg family to come out to say something.
This from Gary. He says: "I think the media has over killed the Iraqi prisoner abuse incident. I'd like to see a poll on how many Americans really care."
And this one from Holly. She says: "I think the media always blows things bigger than what they are. Has anyone checked on what some of these people did, as far as the Iraqis being held in prison?"
And, yes, we have, Debbie.
We're going to be reading more of your e-mails in the hours to come on DAYBREAK, daybreak@cnn.com.
All right, let's talk about something good out of Iraq. Let's talk about Iraq's football team. We call it soccer. Well, it is headed to the Olympics. In a stunning upset victory, the Iraqi national football team defeated Saudi Arabia to earn a trip to the Summer Olympic Games in Athens. It is the first time in Iraq's history that its football team will compete in the Olympics.
Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
Donald Rumsfeld in Iraq this morning. The latest on his surprise visit. We'll have a live report for you.
Also, high gas prices at the pump -- the turmoil in Iraq is fanning fears of a global supply crunch. We'll examine efforts to get the oil flowing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Big surprise this morning -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld drops in on troops in Iraq.
It is Thursday, May 13.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is trying to pump up troop morale in Iraq and look into the prison abuse scandal. He arrived in Iraq a short time ago for a surprise visit. We'll take you live to Baghdad in just a bit.
Another American soldier has been killed and one wounded in Baghdad. A roadside bomb blows up next to their convoy. That brings the total number of troops killed in Iraq to 777.
In money news, the Walt Disney Company is reporting a 71 percent jump in profits. The company cites growth in attendance at its theme parks, global sales of DVDs and strength in its cable operations.
In sports, the Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 100-88. That ties the best of seven Eastern Conference Semifinal series at two games apiece.
In culture, Cannes rolled out the red carpet for its prestigious film festival in the south of France. Forty-six world premiers are showcased.
And in weather, talk about flood waters -- heavy rains sweep through southern Louisiana, causing street closures and power outages -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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Aired May 13, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.
From the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
I want to welcome our international viewers, as well.
We are following breaking news at this hour.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld making a surprise visit to Baghdad. He's there right now, so let's head live to Baghdad and Ben Wedeman to find out why -- hello, Ben. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the precise reason for Secretary Rumsfeld's visit to Baghdad is -- we don't know at this point. But obviously probably on the top of his agenda will be the issue of prisoner abuse. And I must say, the details of his visit -- where he's going, when he's going -- obviously are not being made public.
He's being accomplished by General Richard Myers, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. This is the fifth visit to Baghdad by Secretary Rumsfeld since the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein last year. It's actually his seventh visit to Iraq. Of course, he visited Iraq in the early 1980s, when things were very different between Saddam Hussein and the United States, and, in fact, he met with the Iraqi president at that time.
But clearly at the moment the top of his agenda is going to be the question of prisoner abuse. He's obviously going to be meeting with senior officers and soldiers, trying to lift morale, because it's been a very difficult period of late. Throughout April, the U.S. Army and Marines were dealing with uprisings in Fallujah and Najaf. And even though Fallujah has calmed down, Najaf is still the scene of some significant clashes between U.S. forces and the so-called Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand, too, that some Pentagon lawyers will be accompanying Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.
Have you heard that?
WEDEMAN: No, we don't have those details. But as I said, because the question of prisoner abuse is obviously such a hot one, it's probably a good idea to bring some lawyers along -- Carol.
COSTELLO: At the Abu Ghraib Prison right now, Ben, what changes have been made?
WEDEMAN: Well, they've begun to release prisoners, for one thing. They've reduced -- the precise numbers we don't know. But when this story over prisoner abuse broke, the prison population was somewhere around 3,800. And we know that several hundred prisoners have been released. They've also discontinued certain interrogation methods, like the use of hooding, stress positions and sleep deprivation. And General, Major General Geoffrey Miller, who was brought fight Guantanamo to fix up the situation at Abu Ghraib, has made it clear on multiple occasions in the last week and a half that he's going to try to change the regime out there, so to speak, fix things up and try to put an end to any abuse that might be going on -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, of course, there's still the sentiment out there, Ben, that that prison should be knocked down, or not used, at the very least.
WEDEMAN: Yes, certainly we've heard both from Washington, members of Congress, and some Iraqis who feel that it should be knocked down. Now, I've been spending a lot of time outside Abu Ghraib, the prison, and some people would like it to be turned into a housing complex. There is obviously a shortage of housing here and one woman said she'd like to move into the buildings, but not as a prison -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Somehow I just can't imagine that a housing complex.
The Iraqis that have been released from the prison, are they just going home? I mean I guess there's a sentiment here...
WEDEMAN: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... that legal action could be taken or lawsuits filed or something like that.
WEDEMAN: Certainly many of the former prisoners we've spoken with want some sort of compensation and may consider legal action. It's significant, for instance, that in the Taguba report, they mention that 60 percent of the inmates of Abu Ghraib are not threats to society. And, of course, the Red Cross report that came out in February said anywhere between 70 and 90 percent of those in Abu Ghraib were arrested by mistake.
So obviously there's a lot of issues out -- coming out of Abu Ghraib and Secretary Rumsfeld will probably be addressing some of them. But a lot of them are going to fall into the lap of the Coalition Authority, as -- which, as we know, already has a lot to do here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Ben Wedeman, we'll get back to you. Ben Wedeman live in Baghdad.
Again, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, along with Richard Myers, head of the joint chiefs of staff, in Baghdad this morning. We don't know their itinerary. When we know more, of course, we'll pass it along to you. and now we say good-bye to our international viewers.
Our domestic viewers, you stay right there.
Let's go on with other headlines this Thursday.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee says he'll resign about four hours from now. His announcement comes as his ruling party concedes defeat in the parliamentary elections.
In money news, The Gap is blowing the whistle on itself, saying many of its overseas workers are mistreated. The company issued what it calls a social responsibility report vowing to improve conditions.
In sports, Minnesota now leads Sacramento two games to one in second round NBA play-off action. It wasn't easy. The game went into overtime and the final score was 114-113.
In culture, last week we said good-bye to "Friends." Tonight, we bid adieu to "Frasier," which started as a spin-off of "Cheers" and lasted 11 successful seasons.
And in weather, take a look at these ominous pictures from south central Kansas. At least two tornadoes touched down. This one damaged three homes in the town of Attica. No injuries reported, but have things settled down now -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: It's an all too familiar scenario -- a convoy traveling through Baghdad hit by a roadside bomb. It happened again today. One U.S. soldier is dead, a second injured. Seven hundred and seventy-seven American service members have been killed in Iraq, 648 since President Bush declared an end to major combat.
Also today, three mortar shells land at the oil ministry in Baghdad. No serious injuries reported here.
And these are the sounds of war. This is Najaf, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. These are pictures that came in overnight of the fighting there. Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr still holed up in that holy city. He has the support of his so-called Mahdi Army militia.
We want to get details on the new fighting from Jane Arraf. She's with U.S. troops there.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, that fighting looks pretty intense, but it's actually become pretty routine. Now, what that was was, according to officials here, a routine military patrol on the edge of the holy city of Najaf that came under ambush from rocket propelled grenades last night.
Now, the firefight lasted for about an hour and officials say that they killed three suspected militia members. No U.S. casualties. And the interesting thing is they say that it is the closest to the holy city that they have come under fire. They say they're responding to Iraqi police reports that there were men with rocket propelled grenades on the edge of a cemetery.
Now, this is a holy cemetery near the Imam Ali Shrine. Shias from all over the world aspire to be buried there. Now, it is where, according to U.S. officials, members of the Mahdi militia are storing arms. They accuse them of storing weapons in the crypt and in coffins in that cemetery.
Now, all this against the backdrop of a political effort to get the militia to disband. There are calls from political parties for a huge demonstration in Najaf tomorrow. They say they're calling out hundreds of thousands of people to come out in the streets and demonstrate for peace -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Demonstrate for peace, but Muqtada al-Sadr actually held a press conference yesterday calling for more violence.
Where is he and does the United States still plan to arrest him?
ARRAF: That's a really interesting question. He is in between Najaf and Kufa. He makes a point of traveling between the two cities. And military officials here tell us that they are going to steadily expand their patrols, that they are not shrinking back despite these political movements that are trying to be developed on that front.
Now, what he has called for is he's essentially said that he will disband, but in return, the United States has to move out of this base. And this base that we're in, the main U.S. Army base, is essentially in the middle of Najaf. It is far from the holy sites, but it is within Najaf city limits. Military officials say that they cannot move out of here until Najaf and Kufa are stable. And that certainly isn't the case, as we've seen so far -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Najaf, Iraq this morning.
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has a big job this morning trying to get more money out of Congress for Iraq and Afghanistan. Wolfowitz appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee at 9:30 Eastern time. He's asking for a reserve fund of $25 billion. That would help pay the almost $5 billion a month it costs to operate in Iraq.
Among items the reserve money would fund -- $705 million for armored Humvees and $295 million for body armor. The White House estimates the war could cost up to $200 billion.
Two more U.S. soldiers will be court-martialed for allegedly abusing Iraqis at the Abu Ghraib Prison. The charges against Sergeant Javal Davis and Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick include assault, maltreating prisoners, conspiracy to maltreat prisoners and dereliction of duty. Relatives of the two say the allegations are inconsistent with their characters. The military trials will follow the court-martial of Specialist Jeremy Sivits. That's expected to start next week in Baghdad. One of the soldiers implicated in the scandal says she was just following orders when they posed for those now infamous photos. PFC Lynndie England tells a Denver TV station, quoting here, "We were doing our job, which meant we were doing what we were told and the outcome was what they wanted." Her attorney says the scandal stems from the involvement of civilian contractors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGIO RA'SHADD, LYNNDIE ENGLAND'S ATTORNEY: And if the military command structure allows civilians to exclude them from the structure and hijacks it and there's no military person there that is willing to take charge and take responsibility, then a bunch of young kids who are given instructions and encouragement to help facilitate information to protect force structure, will probably end up doing some of the things they're instructed if there's no one else to over watch the civilian intelligence infrastructure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Several investigations into the abuse scandal now under way.
We can only imagine what friends and family of Nicholas Berg are going through. In Westchester, Pennsylvania tomorrow afternoon, a private memorial service will be held for the American who was beheaded in Iraq. Berg's remains arrived back in the United States yesterday.
In the meantime, friends and neighbors commented on Berg's life and death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE HAUSER, FRIEND OF NICHOLAS BERG'S FAMILY: I've known Nick ever since he was a young child, probably around the age of four, watched him grow up to be an adult. And if you would know the Nick Berg that I've known, you would say to yourself why did this happen to such a nice young man?
DAN STICK, FRIEND OF NICHOLAS BERG: He's a great guy. Everyone wanted to be around Nick. He was always fun and he had a lot of -- he was just an entertaining person. Something was always happening around him because he was a great people person and there are countless stories where he did something funny. And it's just a tragedy what happened to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We want to know what you think. How well do you think the media have handled the release of the prisoner photos from Iraq? E-mail us your opinions, daybreak@cnn.com. And, of course, we'll read those e-mails later on in our program.
A humanitarian crisis beyond belief -- thousands upon thousands of refugees are fleeing from Sudan to neighboring Chad -- a beleaguered nation that cannot even care for its own people.
Oil prices jumped to a record high. Fingers of blame point to Iraq.
And teaching the fine points of interrogation -- a look inside the Army's training school.
And rolling out the red carpet in France -- movie stars, wannabes and shutterbugs all flock to the Riviera.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Baghdad this morning for a surprise visit. He's being accompanied by General Richard Myers, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
In Madison, Wisconsin this morning, there will be a pretrial conference for the college student who is accused of faking her own abduction. Audrey Seiler faces two misdemeanor counts in connection with her four day disappearance.
In money news, Maria Shriver is launching a line of jewelry promoting California landmarks -- for example, a charm bracelet featuring the Golden Gate Bridge. Some of the profits will help the state promote trade with other countries.
In sports, the NCAA says 35 percent of its male athletes admit to betting on college sports within the past year. For female athletes, that figure stands at 10 percent.
In culture, Disney will sell Michael Moore's controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 911" to the co-chairman of Miramax. Disney had blocked release of the film, which is critical of President Bush's handling of the terror attacks.
And in weather -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
In Washington, they're calling it the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. A few U.N. aide workers are trying to save thousands of refugees from the war in Sudan who have fled into neighboring Chad.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour live in northern Chad -- hello, Christiane. CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, indeed, and top U.S. officials are involved in trying to relieve some of the suffering here. Many millions of dollars have been poured into this relief, but it's going to be a very, very daunting challenge to actually get help for some 70,000 refugees who are still out in the open.
They had planned here to simply shelter about 50,000 or so. But that number has skyrocketed and refugees keep pouring from the war in the Darfur region of Sudan, over across into northern Chad, which can barely look after itself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR (voice-over): The small village of Bahai in northern Chad is overwhelmed, its population of 5,000 tripled by refugees fleeing the war in Sudan's Darfur region, just next door. Bahi is so poor, it can barely sustain itself. But for more than a year, it's been sharing its meager resources with 15,000 refugees.
The U.N. and other international agencies only turned up a few months ago, and they still haven't managed to set up camps this far north. Now, they're in a race against time to keep all these people alive.
HELENE CAUX, UNHCR: The rainy season is coming at the end of May, the beginning of June. All this area will be completely flooded. So we see some of the challenge for us to try to move as many refugees as we can before this rainy season starts.
AMANPOUR: But no one really thinks they'll be able to move that many. Children are now dying of preventable diseases like diarrhea, for lack of water and health care. Helene Caux tries to give this little girl rehydration salts. Her mother then tries to drip feed her with a syringe, but she won't take the liquid.
Over at another hut, Hiatt (ph) has just given birth to her sixth child. The little boy already has a cold and Hiatt worries it'll get worse because there's not enough food to sustain her breast milk and keep the boy alive.
Dr. Camilo Valderrama works for the International Rescue Committee. His job is to try to plug the health care hole. Chad has exactly 271 doctors for a population estimated at over nine million.
Here, in wretched northern Chad, there's not even a doctor or a nurse, just a medical technician who's qualified to hand out basic drugs.
DR. CAMILO VALDERRAMA, INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS: But here for this area, there's one technical agent who has basic, basic training for 30,000 people almost.
AMANPOUR (on camera): One for 30,000 people?
(voice-over): Once a week, Dr. Camilo does hut calls to these desperate refugees. The babies are the most vulnerable. This little boy is 22 days old, his parents say, and yet he's not growing. His hands are shriveled, his face that of an old man.
Severe malnutrition, says Dr. Camilo. The only answer, to drive at least five hours to the nearest newly set up international health facility.
These people say they had a decent life in Darfur until the Sudanese government, which is Arab, went to war against Darfur indigenous African people, a war for power and resources. The refugees told us about the attacks. "They send in aircraft to bomb our villages," says Ahmed Salah (ph). "And then the militias come on horseback and burn down our houses and take all our possessions."
Adam Suleyman told us they kill the men and brutally attack the women and young girls.
ADAM SULEYMAN, REFUGEE: All women, older and younger, are raped.
AMANPOUR (on camera): So they're raping old women and young women?
SULEYMAN: All of the women, yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: So this isn't just a civil war. According to top U.S. and U.N. officials and human rights organizations, the Sudanese government is conducting a campaign of ethnic cleansing against these African residents of Darfur. The U.S. and the E.U. have been trying to broker a cease-fire, which has, for the most part, held for the last 30 days or so, but it's still to be renewed in a couple of weeks and there's no guarantee that that's going to happen.
But even though the Sudanese government has agreed to this cease- fire, their militias continue to maraud and continue to (AUDIO GAP) villages -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Christiane Amanpour live in the Sudan this morning.
More horrific pictures the White House does not want you to see. And how well do you think the media have handled the release of those photos from Iraq? Have we shown you too much, have we shown you too little? Do you want to see more pictures?
E-mail us your opinions this morning, daybreak@cnn.com, daybreak@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CBS NEWS)
DAN RATHER, CBS EVENING NEWS: A day after an al Qaeda linked Web site showed pictures of the execution -- the beheading -- of American Nick Berg by captors in Iraq, President Bush said Berg's gruesome death would not shake America's resolve.
PETER JENNINGS, ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT HOST: They looked at more pictures and videotape from Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. After seeing the pictures, one senator said, "I don't know how the hell these people got into our Army."
TOM BROKAW, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS HOST: The furor surrounding the abuse of Iraqi prisoners has reverberated around the globe, but what effect has it had on the 120,000 American troops in Iraq and how they are perceived in that country?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Some examples of how the networks covered the release of those Iraqi prison abuse photos and also the beheading of Nicholas Berg. We've been asking you the question this morning, how well do you think the media have handled the release of those photos from Iraq? You've been e-mailing us your opinions and I'd like to read some to you right now.
This is from Debbie from Illinois, from Peoria. She says, "I think the public needed to see the pictures of the prisoners, maybe not so often. But I think it's very unfair to the Berg family for all of the media to stay after they have asked them to leave." And she means stay near their home, waiting for the Berg family to come out to say something.
This from Gary. He says: "I think the media has over killed the Iraqi prisoner abuse incident. I'd like to see a poll on how many Americans really care."
And this one from Holly. She says: "I think the media always blows things bigger than what they are. Has anyone checked on what some of these people did, as far as the Iraqis being held in prison?"
And, yes, we have, Debbie.
We're going to be reading more of your e-mails in the hours to come on DAYBREAK, daybreak@cnn.com.
All right, let's talk about something good out of Iraq. Let's talk about Iraq's football team. We call it soccer. Well, it is headed to the Olympics. In a stunning upset victory, the Iraqi national football team defeated Saudi Arabia to earn a trip to the Summer Olympic Games in Athens. It is the first time in Iraq's history that its football team will compete in the Olympics.
Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
Donald Rumsfeld in Iraq this morning. The latest on his surprise visit. We'll have a live report for you.
Also, high gas prices at the pump -- the turmoil in Iraq is fanning fears of a global supply crunch. We'll examine efforts to get the oil flowing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Big surprise this morning -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld drops in on troops in Iraq.
It is Thursday, May 13.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is trying to pump up troop morale in Iraq and look into the prison abuse scandal. He arrived in Iraq a short time ago for a surprise visit. We'll take you live to Baghdad in just a bit.
Another American soldier has been killed and one wounded in Baghdad. A roadside bomb blows up next to their convoy. That brings the total number of troops killed in Iraq to 777.
In money news, the Walt Disney Company is reporting a 71 percent jump in profits. The company cites growth in attendance at its theme parks, global sales of DVDs and strength in its cable operations.
In sports, the Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers 100-88. That ties the best of seven Eastern Conference Semifinal series at two games apiece.
In culture, Cannes rolled out the red carpet for its prestigious film festival in the south of France. Forty-six world premiers are showcased.
And in weather, talk about flood waters -- heavy rains sweep through southern Louisiana, causing street closures and power outages -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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