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CNN Live At Daybreak
Release of Hundreds of Prisoners from Abu Ghraib; U.S. Offensive Against Muqtada Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army
Aired May 14, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hundreds of prisoners from the now infamous Abu Ghraib Prison are released this morning. New pictures just in to CNN to show you.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, May 14.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
U.S. forces have begun releasing more than 300 Iraqis from the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. It's the first mass prisoner release since allegations of abuse and comes a day after a surprise visit to Baghdad by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Secretary of State Colin Powell plays the gracious host today. He's meeting with the foreign ministers of seven industrialized nations. The gathering is in preparation for the G8 summit in June.
In money news, federal regulators have fined Riggs Bank in Washington, D.C. a record $25 million for alleged money laundering. The FBI had been investigating cash transactions in Riggs accounts, suspected of terrorism connections.
In sports, oh, what a wild and crazy game five in the Lakers first play-offs. Derek Fisher at the buzzer. L.A. beat San Antonio 74-73, to take a 3-2 lead in the seven game series.
In culture, the doctor has left the building. The popular situation comedy "Frasier" has ended its 11 year run. Kelsey Grammer, as you know, played a shrink who gave advice to callers of a Seattle radio station -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: We want to get more now on the release of hundreds of prisoners this morning from Abu Ghraib Prison outside of Baghdad.
CNN's Ben Wedeman was there as it happened.
He joins us live now from the Iraqi capital to tell us more -- hello, Ben. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi, Carol. Well, we're told by coalition sources that 315 prisoners were released from Abu Ghraib Prison. We were there as several busses went at different times, leaving the prison. There were hundreds of people assembled outside the prison, anxious to find out if any of their relatives were among those being released. But as it appeared, what happened was the buses just went out on that main highway that links Baghdad to Amman, Jordan. One bus went west in the direction of Amman. It's assumed it went to Falluja. One bus went to Baghdad and three went to the northwest of the -- rather, the northeast of the capital.
Now, already we are hearing reports from those who have been released that they have been tortured, humiliated and otherwise abused. It's very difficult at this early stage in the game to find out whether these claims are true, but we did see that there is a lot of anger out at Abu Ghraib Prison, frustration with the way the prison has been run. Many people saying that they had no idea if their relatives were going to be released today. They have a hard time just getting visits with them.
So, as we know, the prison authorities now, led by General, Major General Geoffrey Miller, are trying to reduce the population at Abu Ghraib from about 3,800 a week and a half ago to somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000. And there are more of such massive prisoner releases expected in the days ahead -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman live in Baghdad this morning.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is on his way back to the United States from that unannounced trip to Iraq. In addition to touring the Abu Ghraib Prison, Rumsfeld also met with the military leadership in Baghdad. The defense secretary's plane is due to arrive back in the States about an hour and a half from now.
Senator John Kerry gives a quick nod when asked if he's outraged at new photos and video of alleged abuses at the Abu Ghraib Prison. He got to see the pictures last night after returning to Washington from a campaign trip. The Pentagon is considering whether to release those new photos.
Horrific details of strippings, beatings and forced masturbation are emerging, though. Published reports say the first soldiers scheduled for court-martial, Specialist Jeremy Sivits, is providing graphic details to investigators. He says the soldiers involved laughed and mocked the prisoners and he appears to exonerate the chain of command. Quoting here, he says: "Our command would have slammed us. They believe in doing the right thing. If they saw what was going on, there would be hell to pay."
Attorneys for some of the other accused soldiers dismiss Sivits's accounts, saying he's entered a plea agreement with the government and is getting leniency for testifying against the other soldiers.
Well, the CIA has been studying the video showing the beheading of American Nicholas Berg in Iraq. A CIA official says the man who beheaded Berg was likely Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The video was posted on an al Qaeda linked Web site.
The U.S. government believes al-Zarqawi is a close associate of al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
One U.S. senator says the U.S. needs to do more to find Berg's killers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R-PA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: It is clear now that Mr. Al-Zarqawi and the al Qaeda link is clear. It's not just claimed, it's real. And that we are seeing this horrific act of violence by terrorists in this country against American citizens and it's something that we have to redouble our efforts in Iraq on this war on terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A memorial for Nicholas Berg is being held today in Westchester, Pennsylvania.
Stories across America this Friday.
A federal judge in Boston says marriage licenses can be issued to same sex couples in Massachusetts beginning on Monday. The judge ruled the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court had proper jurisdiction when it ruled that gay marriage was legal. Conservative groups say they'll go to the U.S. Court of Appeals.
The gas station in Louisville, Kentucky did not plan ahead. Its old pumps won't go higher than $1.99, and we are sure that is just absolutely fine with customers.
Lawyer, heal thyself -- that's the message from a doctor in Columbus, Ohio. He says lawyers are motivated by greed and he will not treat them or their families.
If you've been in a minor car accident, you know how expensive even a little fender bender can be. Just ahead, why it may be cheaper just to total out your entire car.
And underwater -- a small town struggles to stay afloat.
And later, fly me to the moon -- a company moves closer to offering the public, as in you, flights into outer space.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, May 14.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Battles in the streets of Najaf again this morning. U.S. troops have been clashing with the Mahdi Army, the militia of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
CNN's Jane Arraf is embedded with the 1st Armored Division at Najaf, Iraq. She joins us live with the commander of Old Ironsides -- hello, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, it's Jane.
(UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(AUDIO GAP)
COSTELLO: Jane, can you hear us?
I don't think Jane can hear us.
When we get those technical problems fixed, of course we'll head back live to Najaf.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 6:10 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
A judge in Washington has called Zaid Safarini a cold-blooded murderer and has sentenced him to 160 years in prison. He was convicted of leading terrorists who stormed a plane in 1986 in Pakistan and killed 21 passengers.
In money news, a whopping big fine for Pfizer, the drug maker. It has agreed to pay $430 million for illegally marketing an epilepsy drug for unapproved uses like migraine headaches.
In sports, Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones is the runaway favorite -- oh, pardon the pun -- anyway, he is the runaway favorite in tomorrow's Preakness, the second jewel in racing's Triple Crown. Once again, jockey Stewart Elliot will be in the saddle. He had to pay a thousand dollar fine for filing an inaccurate application to ride in the Derby.
In culture, a royal wedding today in Denmark. Crown Prince Fredrik will marry Australian law school graduate Mary Donaldson, a commoner. The two met in a Sydney bar during the 2000 Olympic Games -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning.
I've got a what is it question for you this morning.
COSTELLO: OK.
MYERS: What is it? What is it?
COSTELLO: I don't know. A cake.
MYERS: It's a birthday cake.
COSTELLO: Oh. MYERS: It's my birthday cake from yesterday. Shev Patrick (ph) from Sugarloaf made me a birthday cake yesterday. And there's the two kids there.
COSTELLO: Oh.
MYERS: So we were partying late, late last night, though.
And you know where I'm going today, don't you?
COSTELLO: Are you going to Poipu today?
MYERS: I'm going to Honolulu today. Can you imagine?
COSTELLO: What a birthday gift to yourself.
MYERS: Exactly. I -- that's how I set it up. If you're going to have to get them, you might as well just pay for them yourself.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: All right, let's head back to Najaf, Iraq this morning and see if we can speak to Jane Arraf now -- Jane, can you hear us now?
ARRAF: I sure can, Carol.
And if you're hearing me, we are at a U.S. Army base in Najaf with Major General Martin Dempsey, head of the 1st Armored Division, whose troops have been sent out from Baghdad to fight the Mahdi militia.
General Dempsey, thanks very much for joining us.
MAJ. GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, COMMANDER, 1ST ARMORED DIVISION: My pleasure.
ARRAF: Now, your tanks and troops under your command are at the edge of the holy city, in the cemetery, by all accounts.
DEMPSEY: Right.
ARRAF: How far will you go?
DEMPSEY: Well, we are still trying to maintain our distance from sensitive sites. But we never give up the right of (AUDIO GAP) the specific case today, we were taking effective mortar fire from three different mortar systems in the cemetery. And so we actioned against those mortar systems to destroy them -- not with tanks; the tanks are on the perimeter -- but with wheeled vehicles.
(AUDIO GAP)
ARRAF: ... the people in Najaf came out to demonstrate for peace. Instead, there are engagements all over the place -- firefights, rocket propelled grenades. What does that say about the prospect there's a solution to this?
DEMPSEY: I don't know if it says anything about the prospects for a solution. I think it says something about what Muqtada al-Sadr hopes to achieve. I mean he probably, undoubtedly knew there was a planned pro-coalition, anti-Saddam rally. And so we actually helped with the decision to cancel it, because they didn't want to put those people in harm's way. And we also didn't want to get them intermingled and then have a difficult time separating friend from foe.
But in any case, he probably heard about this and ratcheted up the number of attacks today.
ARRAF: Are you still planning to arrest him?
DEMPSEY: Well, I am not the one who holds the indictment. So I am not planning to arrest him. However, in the course of our daily operations, we are -- we're becoming ubiquitous. We're not -- I wouldn't say we're ubiquitous in Najaf yet, by choice.
But if we encountered him in our daily operations, we would, of course, capture him.
ARRAF: You've got a lot of troops out here who thought they would be home by now.
How difficult is it to turn these guys around and have them stay out here in the desert for another three months?
DEMPSEY: Hey, god bless them, and their families, by the way. I will tell you that they are the most resilient, dedicated, disciplined bunch of young men and women that I've ever met, and I'm very proud of them. They took one in the stomach when they were told they had to stay a little longer. But they really quickly understood that they would contribute to a particular time in history. You know, the mission was teetering a bit. They have righted it and I'm very proud of what they've done.
ARRAF: So when do you all get to go home?
DEMPSEY: Well, I don't know that I want to put a date on it, because if I put a date on it and I'm wrong even by 24 hours it's, you know, the general said. So, what the general has said is -- and even the generals that the general works for -- is that they are taking steps even now to find units to replace us some time in about the 90 day time frame. We were extended from April 15. So we're within 60 or so days, I think, from having relief in place.
But there's things that could change that, of course.
ARRAF: Thanks very much, General.
DEMPSEY: All right.
ARRAF: Carol, that was General Martin Dempsey from the 1st Armored Division talking about what looks like a pretty long haul here for U.S. troops fighting the Mahdi militia -- back to you
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Najaf, Iraq this morning.
Time for a little business buzz now.
Are you torn between buying an SUV or conserving gasoline? Ford Motor can help, really.
Carrie Lee has how, live from the NASDAQ market site -- good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, Ford will soon let you cover all of the bases. According to "USA Today," Ford Motor's Escape hybrid sport utility vehicle is set to go on sale in August. Now, Ford plans to sell about 20,000 of these vehicles per year, but they already have 30,000 potential buyers. That's how many people have indicated to Ford through its Web site that they want to buy the Escape hybrid.
Now, Escape hybrid will be the first gas-electric hybrid vehicle from a Detroit auto maker and the first hybrid SUV sold in the USA. This is a look at the regular Escape, I should note. Meanwhile, Ford says the Escape hybrid is getting 28 to 30 miles per gallon in mixed city-highway tests. That's a little better than the regular Escape. We don't know exactly how much this new car is going to cost. Other hybrids about $3,000 more than similar, non-hybrid models. And if Ford follows suit, that would put the Escape hybrid in the $23,00 to $26,000 range.
So not exactly a low-priced car, Carol...
COSTELLO: No.
LEE: But you can do good and get a little more miles per gallon. And you know those gas prices so high these days. This is sure to be helpful to Ford when this comes out in August.
COSTELLO: Yes, but if you pay so much for the car, maybe that would negate the savings you're going to save from the gas. I mean I don't know.
LEE: That's true. That's true. That's true.
COSTELLO: But at least it's a start.
LEE: That's right.
COSTELLO: Let's look at the futures.
LEE: Things are looking weak this morning, Carol. Oil prices overnight hit a record high last night. That's causing investor jitteriness, continuing some fears about inflation. We get a big report on inflation at the consumer level this morning. That could affect trading. Meanwhile, Dell last night, after the bell, lost three percent. They did OK on profits for the last quarter. Profits up 22 percent year-over-year. But concern over rising costs for some computer parts putting a crimp in the stock results last night. We'll see what it does today.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee reporting live from the NASDAQ market site.
OK, so despite the sticker shock, you've talked yourself into buying a brand new car. You don't even want to think about wrecking that shiny new beauty, where even minor accidents might be prohibitively expensive to repair. Have you noticed that lately?
Julie Vallese has more on that.
She joins us live now from Rockville, Maryland to tell us why -- good morning.
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Your family car is the second largest investment any consumers make, but it doesn't take as much as it used to to total the family car, and more drivers are finding if they're in a wreck, their chances of having to start over are going up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALLESE (voice-over): A ding, a dent, to major damage -- cars today are more expensive to fix than ever.
KIM HAZELBAKER, HIGHWAY LOSS DATA INSTITUTE: What insurers worry about are really two things -- the frequency of repair and the cost to repair. The good news is the frequency of repair is down a bit. The bad news is the cost to repair has continued to go up.
VALLESE: The average price for repair, about $2,000. But because vehicles have more bells and whistles than ever, more and more aren't worth fixing and are just written off as totaled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The national figures over, between a period of 2000 to 2003, you'll see an increase in total losses of about 14 percent.
VALLESE: Insurers say the cost of replacing air bags is one reason. Some cars have up to six. Other factors -- on board computers. The Labor Department says new cars have more than the space shuttle. High tech headlamps may help drivers see better, but cracked or crushed, cost a lot, upwards of $3,000 to replace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you add the air bags up, you add the headlights, you add the on board computer system, when you tabulate all of that, you're getting close to total loss value.
VALLESE: But all of these options are considered safety features and in the end can help keep insurance premiums low.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALLESE: Now, if the totaled car trend continued, all the safety features designed to help prevent collisions may actually drive insurance premiums up -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Is that your Mercedes, Julie?
VALLESE: This new Mercedes is actually retrievable. There is one here in the lot, about $8,000 worth of damage. It was borderline, but in the end they decided it wasn't worth fixing and that consumer actually had to go out and buy a new car.
COSTELLO: Oh, well, if he has a Mercedes, he probably can afford to get a new one.
Julie Vallese reporting live from Rockville, Maryland this morning.
Coming up, a runaway teen leads police on a wild chase. What happened when the car finally came to a screeching halt?
And our DAYBREAK Photo of the Day. Ooh. What is it? That's not the whole picture. You won't believe what it really is, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We're talking about this Space Ship One.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: An amazing thing. Apparently this company's scaled composites is competing to fly people into space.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: They're competing for a big gob of cash, I was going to say.
MYERS: $10 million is the gob of cash, if they can get up to 62.5 miles in the sky, come back down, land safely and then do it again two weeks later. So they want to be able to find this reusable type aircraft.
COSTELLO: And this is called the Space Ship One. And it successfully had one flight and it flew, what, 40 miles up into the air?
MYERS: Forty miles. So they're not there yet. They're not going to win the money yet. But obviously they got up and they came back down and they're all safe. So that's the great news.
COSTELLO: Yes. The guy who flew it, whose name is Mr. Melvill. What's his first name? Darn it. Oh, I knew I would lose it. You know, I'm losing my voice, too, this morning.
MYERS: You'd better not.
COSTELLO: It's not a great morning for me.
MYERS: Because I can't read the prompter, so you're going to have to do all this.
COSTELLO: Anyway, Mr. Melvill was in that Space Ship One.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: And he said, "I feel great, it was fabulous, I would pay a million dollars to do that again." And he said he was so excited when the sky turned from blue to black.
MYERS: And he's 62 years old, the pilot there, too.
Did you know that Charles Lindbergh also won a prize when he flew across the Atlantic?
COSTELLO: Really?
MYERS: There was a prize for the first person to fly across the Atlantic. His prize? $25,000.
COSTELLO: That was big money back then.
MYERS: Actually, I guess. That was a lot of money then, right?
COSTELLO: Yes.
Time for our DAYBREAK Eye-Openers right now.
Check out this Utah state trooper's dashboard camera. Police chased a 15-year-old girl who had run off in her parents' car with two friends. Speeds reached 105 miles an hour before the car went off the road and crashed into a shallow lake. No one was seriously hurt and that in itself is amazing. Those kids are coming out of the car now.
Check out this video from Kansas -- Chad, help me with this.
This is an entire house being lifted off the ground by a tornado in Attica, Kansas.
MYERS: Yes, an F4 tornado, probably 230, 250 miles per hour in that storm. You don't get many F4s on the ground every year, and that's good news. But really good news, that nobody was hurt in this thing, and really a lot of farm, open land out there in Harper County, Kansas.
COSTELLO: In Tokyo, a new cell phone feature. Vodaphone's V601T can be folded in half to become a microphone. Just download your favorite tune from the Internet and plug it into your television. The screen will show you the lyrics and all you've got to do is make sure the neighbors don't mind a little tune or two. You can do karaoke in your own home.
MYERS: Oh, that's scary.
COSTELLO: So, did you figure out the DAYBREAK Photo of the Day?
MYERS: No. I have no idea. I even know what it is and I couldn't tell from that photo.
COSTELLO: Well, it's a lovely woman's face. We know that.
MYERS: It certainly is. Right. Right.
COSTELLO: But when the entire picture is revealed.
MYERS: Those are her legs over her head. Twisted sisters (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COSTELLO: These are contortionists.
MYERS: She is. And this was part of the circus?
COSTELLO: Yes. Yes.
MYERS: It's going to be performing in Newark, New Jersey all this week.
COSTELLO: It looks fabulous, too. It's amazing, isn't it?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Here's ahead -- here's what's ahead in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
This morning, hundreds of inmates are free from the now infamous Abu Ghraib Prison. We'll tell you why they were released.
And the short list -- we'll look at the Democratic veep stakes.
And later to France, where the Boys of Troy are heating things up at the Cannes Film Festival.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In the midst of a scandal, hundreds of prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison go free.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, May 14.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Welcome to DAYBREAK.
Here are the latest headlines for you now. U.S. forces have begun releasing more than 300 Iraqis from the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. This comes a day after a surprise visit to Baghdad by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Marcus Vick, quarterback for Virginia Tech, goes on trial along with two teammates today. They're charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Vick's brother Michael is quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.
In money news, "Playboy" has its eyes on Home Depot, quoting now: "Playboy.com is seeking Home Depot women who will shuck their orange aprons and show their hardware." Enough said.
In sports, a hostile crowd in Philadelphia didn't shake up Tampa Bay. The Lightning skates past the Flyers 4-1, taking a 2-1 lead in the NHL Eastern Conference Finals.
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Aired May 14, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hundreds of prisoners from the now infamous Abu Ghraib Prison are released this morning. New pictures just in to CNN to show you.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, May 14.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
U.S. forces have begun releasing more than 300 Iraqis from the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. It's the first mass prisoner release since allegations of abuse and comes a day after a surprise visit to Baghdad by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Secretary of State Colin Powell plays the gracious host today. He's meeting with the foreign ministers of seven industrialized nations. The gathering is in preparation for the G8 summit in June.
In money news, federal regulators have fined Riggs Bank in Washington, D.C. a record $25 million for alleged money laundering. The FBI had been investigating cash transactions in Riggs accounts, suspected of terrorism connections.
In sports, oh, what a wild and crazy game five in the Lakers first play-offs. Derek Fisher at the buzzer. L.A. beat San Antonio 74-73, to take a 3-2 lead in the seven game series.
In culture, the doctor has left the building. The popular situation comedy "Frasier" has ended its 11 year run. Kelsey Grammer, as you know, played a shrink who gave advice to callers of a Seattle radio station -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: We want to get more now on the release of hundreds of prisoners this morning from Abu Ghraib Prison outside of Baghdad.
CNN's Ben Wedeman was there as it happened.
He joins us live now from the Iraqi capital to tell us more -- hello, Ben. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi, Carol. Well, we're told by coalition sources that 315 prisoners were released from Abu Ghraib Prison. We were there as several busses went at different times, leaving the prison. There were hundreds of people assembled outside the prison, anxious to find out if any of their relatives were among those being released. But as it appeared, what happened was the buses just went out on that main highway that links Baghdad to Amman, Jordan. One bus went west in the direction of Amman. It's assumed it went to Falluja. One bus went to Baghdad and three went to the northwest of the -- rather, the northeast of the capital.
Now, already we are hearing reports from those who have been released that they have been tortured, humiliated and otherwise abused. It's very difficult at this early stage in the game to find out whether these claims are true, but we did see that there is a lot of anger out at Abu Ghraib Prison, frustration with the way the prison has been run. Many people saying that they had no idea if their relatives were going to be released today. They have a hard time just getting visits with them.
So, as we know, the prison authorities now, led by General, Major General Geoffrey Miller, are trying to reduce the population at Abu Ghraib from about 3,800 a week and a half ago to somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000. And there are more of such massive prisoner releases expected in the days ahead -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman live in Baghdad this morning.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is on his way back to the United States from that unannounced trip to Iraq. In addition to touring the Abu Ghraib Prison, Rumsfeld also met with the military leadership in Baghdad. The defense secretary's plane is due to arrive back in the States about an hour and a half from now.
Senator John Kerry gives a quick nod when asked if he's outraged at new photos and video of alleged abuses at the Abu Ghraib Prison. He got to see the pictures last night after returning to Washington from a campaign trip. The Pentagon is considering whether to release those new photos.
Horrific details of strippings, beatings and forced masturbation are emerging, though. Published reports say the first soldiers scheduled for court-martial, Specialist Jeremy Sivits, is providing graphic details to investigators. He says the soldiers involved laughed and mocked the prisoners and he appears to exonerate the chain of command. Quoting here, he says: "Our command would have slammed us. They believe in doing the right thing. If they saw what was going on, there would be hell to pay."
Attorneys for some of the other accused soldiers dismiss Sivits's accounts, saying he's entered a plea agreement with the government and is getting leniency for testifying against the other soldiers.
Well, the CIA has been studying the video showing the beheading of American Nicholas Berg in Iraq. A CIA official says the man who beheaded Berg was likely Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The video was posted on an al Qaeda linked Web site.
The U.S. government believes al-Zarqawi is a close associate of al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
One U.S. senator says the U.S. needs to do more to find Berg's killers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R-PA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: It is clear now that Mr. Al-Zarqawi and the al Qaeda link is clear. It's not just claimed, it's real. And that we are seeing this horrific act of violence by terrorists in this country against American citizens and it's something that we have to redouble our efforts in Iraq on this war on terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A memorial for Nicholas Berg is being held today in Westchester, Pennsylvania.
Stories across America this Friday.
A federal judge in Boston says marriage licenses can be issued to same sex couples in Massachusetts beginning on Monday. The judge ruled the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court had proper jurisdiction when it ruled that gay marriage was legal. Conservative groups say they'll go to the U.S. Court of Appeals.
The gas station in Louisville, Kentucky did not plan ahead. Its old pumps won't go higher than $1.99, and we are sure that is just absolutely fine with customers.
Lawyer, heal thyself -- that's the message from a doctor in Columbus, Ohio. He says lawyers are motivated by greed and he will not treat them or their families.
If you've been in a minor car accident, you know how expensive even a little fender bender can be. Just ahead, why it may be cheaper just to total out your entire car.
And underwater -- a small town struggles to stay afloat.
And later, fly me to the moon -- a company moves closer to offering the public, as in you, flights into outer space.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, May 14.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Battles in the streets of Najaf again this morning. U.S. troops have been clashing with the Mahdi Army, the militia of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
CNN's Jane Arraf is embedded with the 1st Armored Division at Najaf, Iraq. She joins us live with the commander of Old Ironsides -- hello, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, it's Jane.
(UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(AUDIO GAP)
COSTELLO: Jane, can you hear us?
I don't think Jane can hear us.
When we get those technical problems fixed, of course we'll head back live to Najaf.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 6:10 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
A judge in Washington has called Zaid Safarini a cold-blooded murderer and has sentenced him to 160 years in prison. He was convicted of leading terrorists who stormed a plane in 1986 in Pakistan and killed 21 passengers.
In money news, a whopping big fine for Pfizer, the drug maker. It has agreed to pay $430 million for illegally marketing an epilepsy drug for unapproved uses like migraine headaches.
In sports, Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones is the runaway favorite -- oh, pardon the pun -- anyway, he is the runaway favorite in tomorrow's Preakness, the second jewel in racing's Triple Crown. Once again, jockey Stewart Elliot will be in the saddle. He had to pay a thousand dollar fine for filing an inaccurate application to ride in the Derby.
In culture, a royal wedding today in Denmark. Crown Prince Fredrik will marry Australian law school graduate Mary Donaldson, a commoner. The two met in a Sydney bar during the 2000 Olympic Games -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning.
I've got a what is it question for you this morning.
COSTELLO: OK.
MYERS: What is it? What is it?
COSTELLO: I don't know. A cake.
MYERS: It's a birthday cake.
COSTELLO: Oh. MYERS: It's my birthday cake from yesterday. Shev Patrick (ph) from Sugarloaf made me a birthday cake yesterday. And there's the two kids there.
COSTELLO: Oh.
MYERS: So we were partying late, late last night, though.
And you know where I'm going today, don't you?
COSTELLO: Are you going to Poipu today?
MYERS: I'm going to Honolulu today. Can you imagine?
COSTELLO: What a birthday gift to yourself.
MYERS: Exactly. I -- that's how I set it up. If you're going to have to get them, you might as well just pay for them yourself.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: All right, let's head back to Najaf, Iraq this morning and see if we can speak to Jane Arraf now -- Jane, can you hear us now?
ARRAF: I sure can, Carol.
And if you're hearing me, we are at a U.S. Army base in Najaf with Major General Martin Dempsey, head of the 1st Armored Division, whose troops have been sent out from Baghdad to fight the Mahdi militia.
General Dempsey, thanks very much for joining us.
MAJ. GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, COMMANDER, 1ST ARMORED DIVISION: My pleasure.
ARRAF: Now, your tanks and troops under your command are at the edge of the holy city, in the cemetery, by all accounts.
DEMPSEY: Right.
ARRAF: How far will you go?
DEMPSEY: Well, we are still trying to maintain our distance from sensitive sites. But we never give up the right of (AUDIO GAP) the specific case today, we were taking effective mortar fire from three different mortar systems in the cemetery. And so we actioned against those mortar systems to destroy them -- not with tanks; the tanks are on the perimeter -- but with wheeled vehicles.
(AUDIO GAP)
ARRAF: ... the people in Najaf came out to demonstrate for peace. Instead, there are engagements all over the place -- firefights, rocket propelled grenades. What does that say about the prospect there's a solution to this?
DEMPSEY: I don't know if it says anything about the prospects for a solution. I think it says something about what Muqtada al-Sadr hopes to achieve. I mean he probably, undoubtedly knew there was a planned pro-coalition, anti-Saddam rally. And so we actually helped with the decision to cancel it, because they didn't want to put those people in harm's way. And we also didn't want to get them intermingled and then have a difficult time separating friend from foe.
But in any case, he probably heard about this and ratcheted up the number of attacks today.
ARRAF: Are you still planning to arrest him?
DEMPSEY: Well, I am not the one who holds the indictment. So I am not planning to arrest him. However, in the course of our daily operations, we are -- we're becoming ubiquitous. We're not -- I wouldn't say we're ubiquitous in Najaf yet, by choice.
But if we encountered him in our daily operations, we would, of course, capture him.
ARRAF: You've got a lot of troops out here who thought they would be home by now.
How difficult is it to turn these guys around and have them stay out here in the desert for another three months?
DEMPSEY: Hey, god bless them, and their families, by the way. I will tell you that they are the most resilient, dedicated, disciplined bunch of young men and women that I've ever met, and I'm very proud of them. They took one in the stomach when they were told they had to stay a little longer. But they really quickly understood that they would contribute to a particular time in history. You know, the mission was teetering a bit. They have righted it and I'm very proud of what they've done.
ARRAF: So when do you all get to go home?
DEMPSEY: Well, I don't know that I want to put a date on it, because if I put a date on it and I'm wrong even by 24 hours it's, you know, the general said. So, what the general has said is -- and even the generals that the general works for -- is that they are taking steps even now to find units to replace us some time in about the 90 day time frame. We were extended from April 15. So we're within 60 or so days, I think, from having relief in place.
But there's things that could change that, of course.
ARRAF: Thanks very much, General.
DEMPSEY: All right.
ARRAF: Carol, that was General Martin Dempsey from the 1st Armored Division talking about what looks like a pretty long haul here for U.S. troops fighting the Mahdi militia -- back to you
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Najaf, Iraq this morning.
Time for a little business buzz now.
Are you torn between buying an SUV or conserving gasoline? Ford Motor can help, really.
Carrie Lee has how, live from the NASDAQ market site -- good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, Ford will soon let you cover all of the bases. According to "USA Today," Ford Motor's Escape hybrid sport utility vehicle is set to go on sale in August. Now, Ford plans to sell about 20,000 of these vehicles per year, but they already have 30,000 potential buyers. That's how many people have indicated to Ford through its Web site that they want to buy the Escape hybrid.
Now, Escape hybrid will be the first gas-electric hybrid vehicle from a Detroit auto maker and the first hybrid SUV sold in the USA. This is a look at the regular Escape, I should note. Meanwhile, Ford says the Escape hybrid is getting 28 to 30 miles per gallon in mixed city-highway tests. That's a little better than the regular Escape. We don't know exactly how much this new car is going to cost. Other hybrids about $3,000 more than similar, non-hybrid models. And if Ford follows suit, that would put the Escape hybrid in the $23,00 to $26,000 range.
So not exactly a low-priced car, Carol...
COSTELLO: No.
LEE: But you can do good and get a little more miles per gallon. And you know those gas prices so high these days. This is sure to be helpful to Ford when this comes out in August.
COSTELLO: Yes, but if you pay so much for the car, maybe that would negate the savings you're going to save from the gas. I mean I don't know.
LEE: That's true. That's true. That's true.
COSTELLO: But at least it's a start.
LEE: That's right.
COSTELLO: Let's look at the futures.
LEE: Things are looking weak this morning, Carol. Oil prices overnight hit a record high last night. That's causing investor jitteriness, continuing some fears about inflation. We get a big report on inflation at the consumer level this morning. That could affect trading. Meanwhile, Dell last night, after the bell, lost three percent. They did OK on profits for the last quarter. Profits up 22 percent year-over-year. But concern over rising costs for some computer parts putting a crimp in the stock results last night. We'll see what it does today.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee reporting live from the NASDAQ market site.
OK, so despite the sticker shock, you've talked yourself into buying a brand new car. You don't even want to think about wrecking that shiny new beauty, where even minor accidents might be prohibitively expensive to repair. Have you noticed that lately?
Julie Vallese has more on that.
She joins us live now from Rockville, Maryland to tell us why -- good morning.
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Your family car is the second largest investment any consumers make, but it doesn't take as much as it used to to total the family car, and more drivers are finding if they're in a wreck, their chances of having to start over are going up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALLESE (voice-over): A ding, a dent, to major damage -- cars today are more expensive to fix than ever.
KIM HAZELBAKER, HIGHWAY LOSS DATA INSTITUTE: What insurers worry about are really two things -- the frequency of repair and the cost to repair. The good news is the frequency of repair is down a bit. The bad news is the cost to repair has continued to go up.
VALLESE: The average price for repair, about $2,000. But because vehicles have more bells and whistles than ever, more and more aren't worth fixing and are just written off as totaled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The national figures over, between a period of 2000 to 2003, you'll see an increase in total losses of about 14 percent.
VALLESE: Insurers say the cost of replacing air bags is one reason. Some cars have up to six. Other factors -- on board computers. The Labor Department says new cars have more than the space shuttle. High tech headlamps may help drivers see better, but cracked or crushed, cost a lot, upwards of $3,000 to replace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you add the air bags up, you add the headlights, you add the on board computer system, when you tabulate all of that, you're getting close to total loss value.
VALLESE: But all of these options are considered safety features and in the end can help keep insurance premiums low.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALLESE: Now, if the totaled car trend continued, all the safety features designed to help prevent collisions may actually drive insurance premiums up -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Is that your Mercedes, Julie?
VALLESE: This new Mercedes is actually retrievable. There is one here in the lot, about $8,000 worth of damage. It was borderline, but in the end they decided it wasn't worth fixing and that consumer actually had to go out and buy a new car.
COSTELLO: Oh, well, if he has a Mercedes, he probably can afford to get a new one.
Julie Vallese reporting live from Rockville, Maryland this morning.
Coming up, a runaway teen leads police on a wild chase. What happened when the car finally came to a screeching halt?
And our DAYBREAK Photo of the Day. Ooh. What is it? That's not the whole picture. You won't believe what it really is, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We're talking about this Space Ship One.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: An amazing thing. Apparently this company's scaled composites is competing to fly people into space.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: They're competing for a big gob of cash, I was going to say.
MYERS: $10 million is the gob of cash, if they can get up to 62.5 miles in the sky, come back down, land safely and then do it again two weeks later. So they want to be able to find this reusable type aircraft.
COSTELLO: And this is called the Space Ship One. And it successfully had one flight and it flew, what, 40 miles up into the air?
MYERS: Forty miles. So they're not there yet. They're not going to win the money yet. But obviously they got up and they came back down and they're all safe. So that's the great news.
COSTELLO: Yes. The guy who flew it, whose name is Mr. Melvill. What's his first name? Darn it. Oh, I knew I would lose it. You know, I'm losing my voice, too, this morning.
MYERS: You'd better not.
COSTELLO: It's not a great morning for me.
MYERS: Because I can't read the prompter, so you're going to have to do all this.
COSTELLO: Anyway, Mr. Melvill was in that Space Ship One.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: And he said, "I feel great, it was fabulous, I would pay a million dollars to do that again." And he said he was so excited when the sky turned from blue to black.
MYERS: And he's 62 years old, the pilot there, too.
Did you know that Charles Lindbergh also won a prize when he flew across the Atlantic?
COSTELLO: Really?
MYERS: There was a prize for the first person to fly across the Atlantic. His prize? $25,000.
COSTELLO: That was big money back then.
MYERS: Actually, I guess. That was a lot of money then, right?
COSTELLO: Yes.
Time for our DAYBREAK Eye-Openers right now.
Check out this Utah state trooper's dashboard camera. Police chased a 15-year-old girl who had run off in her parents' car with two friends. Speeds reached 105 miles an hour before the car went off the road and crashed into a shallow lake. No one was seriously hurt and that in itself is amazing. Those kids are coming out of the car now.
Check out this video from Kansas -- Chad, help me with this.
This is an entire house being lifted off the ground by a tornado in Attica, Kansas.
MYERS: Yes, an F4 tornado, probably 230, 250 miles per hour in that storm. You don't get many F4s on the ground every year, and that's good news. But really good news, that nobody was hurt in this thing, and really a lot of farm, open land out there in Harper County, Kansas.
COSTELLO: In Tokyo, a new cell phone feature. Vodaphone's V601T can be folded in half to become a microphone. Just download your favorite tune from the Internet and plug it into your television. The screen will show you the lyrics and all you've got to do is make sure the neighbors don't mind a little tune or two. You can do karaoke in your own home.
MYERS: Oh, that's scary.
COSTELLO: So, did you figure out the DAYBREAK Photo of the Day?
MYERS: No. I have no idea. I even know what it is and I couldn't tell from that photo.
COSTELLO: Well, it's a lovely woman's face. We know that.
MYERS: It certainly is. Right. Right.
COSTELLO: But when the entire picture is revealed.
MYERS: Those are her legs over her head. Twisted sisters (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COSTELLO: These are contortionists.
MYERS: She is. And this was part of the circus?
COSTELLO: Yes. Yes.
MYERS: It's going to be performing in Newark, New Jersey all this week.
COSTELLO: It looks fabulous, too. It's amazing, isn't it?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Here's ahead -- here's what's ahead in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
This morning, hundreds of inmates are free from the now infamous Abu Ghraib Prison. We'll tell you why they were released.
And the short list -- we'll look at the Democratic veep stakes.
And later to France, where the Boys of Troy are heating things up at the Cannes Film Festival.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In the midst of a scandal, hundreds of prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison go free.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, May 14.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Welcome to DAYBREAK.
Here are the latest headlines for you now. U.S. forces have begun releasing more than 300 Iraqis from the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. This comes a day after a surprise visit to Baghdad by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Marcus Vick, quarterback for Virginia Tech, goes on trial along with two teammates today. They're charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Vick's brother Michael is quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.
In money news, "Playboy" has its eyes on Home Depot, quoting now: "Playboy.com is seeking Home Depot women who will shuck their orange aprons and show their hardware." Enough said.
In sports, a hostile crowd in Philadelphia didn't shake up Tampa Bay. The Lightning skates past the Flyers 4-1, taking a 2-1 lead in the NHL Eastern Conference Finals.
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