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CNN Live At Daybreak
Release of Prisoners From Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq; Latest Developments in Fighting Between Iraqi Insurgents, U.S. Troops
Aired May 14, 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: Rolling away to freedom -- can the release of hundreds of Iraqi prisoners soften anti-American anger in Iraq? We'll take you live there in three minutes.
It's Friday, May 14.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thank you for joining us.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
At that notorious prison south of Baghdad, hundreds of inmates are being released today. It's the first release since images surfaced of abuse at the hands of American military police.
Secretary of State Colin Powell plays the gracious host today. He's meeting with foreign ministers of seven industrialized nations. The gathering is in preparation for the G8 summit in June.
On Capitol Hill, the House votes to keep tax cuts that were set to expire at the end of this year. Now they'll consider legislation keeping the child tax credit at $1,000 instead of allowing it to drop to $700 next year.
And in sports, oh, what a wild and crazy game five. In the Lakers first play-offs, Derek Fisher at the buzzer. L.A. beats 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 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 those hundreds of prisoners this morning from the Abu Ghraib Prison outside of Baghdad.
Ben Wedeman was there when it happened.
He joins us live now from the Iraqi capital.
Tell us about it -- Ben. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, well, the first bus left Abu Ghraib Prison full of prisoners, about 70, I'd say, at about 9:20 local time. That's just more than three hours ago. And the bus went straight from the main entrance of Abu Ghraib down the road in the direction of Baghdad.
Many hundreds of people had assembled outside the prison this morning. They'd heard rumors that there would be a release today, but there were no details on names of those who would be released. They waved as bus went by and the people in the bus waved back. After that, we saw four other buses emerge from the prison, one apparently going to Fallujah. The other three, we were told, would be going to Ba'qubah to the northeast of Baghdad.
Now, already we are hearing reports that those who have been released are saying that they have been abused, they have been tortured, they have been humiliated by their captors. We've got no independent confirmation, obviously, on those claims.
In total, we are told by senior coalition officials, that 315 prisoners were released today. And, of course, more are expected a Major General Geoffrey Miller, the new head of Abu Ghraib, continues to try to clean up the situation out there and reduce the prison population -- Carol.
COSTELLO: A couple of questions for you, Ben.
First of all, these prisoners that were being released that say they were abused, we really -- as you said, we don't know for sure, and sometimes people just say things to say things. And they may be doing that in this case, right?
WEDEMAN: Yes, that's certainly the case. Oftentimes people outside the prison, when you speak with the relatives, for instance, they tend to overstate the case and I've never met anybody waiting for somebody inside the prison who said that their relative was in any way guilty of what they may have been charged of.
Having said that, we do know that anywhere between 70 and 90 percent of the detainees, according to a Red Cross report that was issued in February, were arrested by mistake. But really at this point, we're just getting these reports from people who are getting off those buses, which it's very difficult to confirm their tales of torture and abuse -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Ben, how many prisoners do you think will be released in the days to come?
WEDEMAN: Well, we had been told about a week and a half ago by Major General Geoffrey Miller that the population of the prison then was around 3,800 and that their plan is to reduce it to anywhere between, 1,500 and 2,000. So the difference is what's obviously going to be released. No particular details on what they want the final prison population to be.
Now, Carol, we do know that they are preparing new facilities outside the old prison facilities that were built by Saddam Hussein -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman live in Baghdad this morning.
Of course, this subject, Abu Ghraib, the prison, brings us to this morning's e-mail question -- do you think the prison should be destroyed? Do you think they should use a new facility? E-mail us your opinions at daybreak@cnn.com, that's daybreak@cnn.com. And, of course, we will read some of your comments on the air throughout our two hours.
Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is on his way back to the United States from that unannounced trip to Iraq. In addition to touring the prison, Rumsfeld also met with the military leadership in Baghdad. The defense secretary's plane is due to arrive back in the States, oh, about two and a half hours from now.
Senator John Kerry gives a quick nod when asked if he's outraged at new photos and videos of alleged abuses at the prison. That would be 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 pictures and videos.
Horrific details of the strippings, the beatings and the forced masturbation are emerging, though. Published reports say the first soldier scheduled for court-martial, Specialist Jeremy Sivits, is providing graphic editorials to investigators. He says the soldiers involved laughed and mocked the prisoners and he appears to exonerate the chain of command saying, "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 dismissed Sivits' accounts, saying he's entered a plea agreement with the government and is getting leniency for testifying against other soldiers.
Britain has been dealing with its own humiliating prisoner abuse pictures. But now it turns out the photographs may, indeed, be fakes.
Let's go live to London and Robin Oakley -- tell us, this is so strange, Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, yes, those pictures which appeared on the U.K. newspaper the "Daily Mirror" caused huge political problems for the government when they appeared to show British troops abusing an Iraqi detainee, urinating on him, putting -- hitting him in sensitive areas with a rifle butt, generally maltreating the detainee.
Now, those were pictures which, as far as British law makers were concerned, shamed Britain and its efforts in Iraq, and, of course, put soldiers in danger. But steadily over the last few days, ministers have been hinting, suggesting that the pictures which the "Daily Mirror" used were fakes.
First of all, we heard it from Geoff Hune, the defense secretary; then from Tony Blair, the prime minister. Yesterday, Adam Ingram, the armed services minister, in a statement in the House of Commons, said that the pictures which were shown by the "Daily Mirror" were categorically not taken in Iraq. And he went on to say that the truck inside which the pictures were taken had never been in Iraq.
So the furor now continues. The editor of the "Daily Mirror," Piers Morgan, now under pressure from M.P.s to resign, says he's not going to do so, and he maintains that the pictures accurately illustrated what he said were the practices of the minority of British troops in Iraq.
But certainly the government feels that it's won a round back against its detractors on Iraq over this issue now -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, Robin, is there any pressure being put on the "Daily Mirror" editor as to where these pictures came from and who took them?
OAKLEY: Yes, he's being pressed by the defense ministry to cooperate more with the investigations, which they say are going on. Adam Ingram, the armed services minister, said that there could be offenses against military law here, which was why he couldn't give too much detail precisely. He is alleging that the "Daily Mirror" has refused to cooperate with the inquiry going on. The "Daily Mirror" denies that. But certainly investigations are continuing. Charges may well follow and the pressures on Mr. Morgan to quit will certainly increase.
Alistair Campbell, Tony Blair's former director of communications, is one of those who has said that if the pictures are shown to be a hoax or fakes then Mr. Morgan certainly should resign. And it's very obvious that the language used by the "Daily Mirror" is now very careful when it says that these pictures accurately reflected what went on. A lot of people are now suggesting that this was a deliberate reenactment of something that the "Mirror" believed had taken place, but they were not genuine photographs -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, wow.
Robin Oakley live in London for us this morning.
Let's turn our attention now to the war front. There is more fighting this morning in Najaf. Explosions rocked the holy city. U.S. troops there are battling a militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Jane Arraf is embedded with the troops in Najaf in Iraq.
She joins us live now -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, there was supposed to be a day, this Friday Muslim holy day of rest, in which hundreds of thousands of people came out into the streets to demonstrate that they wanted peace, to demonstrate that they wanted the militia to disband.
Instead, a series of attacks, some of them against the police station, where a police chief was newly installed yesterday. There, suspected militia members with rocket propelled grenades attacked that station. At the same time, there were clashes near the holy city.
U.S. forces say that they have killed more than a dozen suspected members of the militia and captured others. And the violence is continuing. No political in sight, although there's a lot of talks going on. But still these ambushes, clashes and more Mahdi militia members being killed. No U.S. casualties reported so far -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live this morning from Najaf, Iraq.
Now there are concerns about the way prisoners are being treated at Guantanamo Bay. The International Committee of the Red Cross has given the Bush administration a report outlining its concerns about detainees at the U.S. prison. It is confidential because that's the Red Cross policy. But a State Department spokesman says those concerns will be discussed with Red Cross officials.
In Cuba today, the largest public demonstration since the days of Elian Gonzalez. Havana tells the Cuban people to prepare for the invasion by the United States? We'll explain.
It may only be a game, but it is the passion of the Egyptians. They are jostling to host an event that's still six years away.
And are you a carb counter? We'll have more on the diet fad that some think has gotten completely out of control.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:14 Eastern time.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Gunfire again in the streets of Najaf, Iraq, the Shiite holy city. No word yet on casualties. U.S. troops have been clashing in Najaf with militia loyal to the radical cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr.
A judge in Washington has said Zaid Safarini is a cold-blooded murderer and has sentenced him to 160 years in prison. Safarini 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 -- pardon the pun -- 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, though, for filing an inaccurate application to ride in the Derby.
In culture, a royal wedding today in Denmark. Crown Prince Frederik will marry Australian law school graduate Mary Donaldson, who is a commoner. The two met in a Sydney bar during the 2000 Olympic Games -- Chad.
MYERS: They met at the corner of the bar. Now she's going to be a princess.
COSTELLO: It's insane.
MYERS: It's all right.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
The father of Nicholas Berg says his son had a chance encounter five years ago with someone connected to terrorism. Michael Berg said his son let a stranger on a bus in Oklahoma use his laptop and gave him his password. Government sources tell CNN the stranger was an acquaintance of Zacarias Moussaoui, who later used Berg's password. Moussaoui, as you may remember, attended flight school in Oklahoma, but apparently never met Berg. The FBI ruled that Berg did not have any link to terrorism.
A private memorial service is being held this afternoon for Nicholas Berg at a Westchester, Pennsylvania synagogue. Family members are not revealing burial arrangements.
Our Maria Hinojosa is following the story from Westchester.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After three days of silence and seclusion, Nick Berg's father emerged. There were no tears, instead anger.
BERG: Nicholas Berg died for the sins of George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. The al Qaeda people are probably just as bad as they are.
HINOJOSA: His son, he says, supported the war, supported President Bush. Father and son, he said, on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
BERG: I would like to ask George Bush a question. I would like to ask him if it's true that al Qaeda offered to trade my son's life for the life of another person and, if that is true, well I need that information.
I need that information and I think that the people of the United States of America need to know what the fate of their sons and daughters might be in the hands of the Bush administration. HINOJOSA: The U.S. has said, however, it knew of no offer from al Qaeda that would have saved Nick Berg's life.
The family received flowers and letters from around the world but the question persists. Why was this smart, young man in Iraq alone without a guide, a translator or security? His friends spoke on "Good Morning America."
LUKE LORENZ, FRIEND OF NICHOLAS BERG: It was part of his vision. It was part of -- something inside of him said that he wanted to be there, be a part of the process to rebuild.
HINOJOSA: Michael Berg says his son wanted to see the good in all people, maybe even his captors.
BERG: The al Qaeda that killed my son didn't know what they were doing. They killed their best friend. Nick was there to build Iraq, not to tear it down. He was there to help people not to hurt anyone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And coming up next on DAYBREAK, a day after Donald Rumsfeld makes a surprise visit to a notorious Baghdad prison, several hundred prisoners get a taste of freedom this morning.
We are taking your e-mails on the subject -- should Abu Ghraib Prison be destroyed? E-mail us at daybreak@cnn.com. We'll read some of your responses after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The bus ride to freedom -- hundreds of Iraqis who had been behind bars at Abu Ghraib Prison free this morning. You are looking at new pictures just into us this morning. More than 300 prisoners were loaded onto those buses you're seeing. It is the first mass prisoner release since the abuse scandal broke and we understand from Ben Wedeman that more prisoners will be released in the days to come.
We've been asking you our e-mail question of the day -- do you think that the Abu Ghraib Prison should be destroyed? And we've been getting a lot of responses, and we thank you for that.
This from Frank from Alison, Massachusetts. He said: "I don't understand what the physical prison has to do with the torture and abuse that were meted out by humans acting barbarically towards other humans. It happens in the most modern of facilities, too. So how will tearing down the prison change the attitude of those in charge of the prison, who ordered this behavior in the first place?"
This one from Deborah (ph) from Santa Cruz, California. She says: "If Abu Ghraib Prison is still a useable facility, it should be turned over to the Iraqi people to be remodeled for peaceful purposes, such as education or health care, not torn down."
And this one from Judy from Cushing, Maine. She says: "Yes, we should destroy Abu Ghraib Prison. It would be a powerful symbolic gesture."
Keep the e-mails coming, daybreak@cnn.com.
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.
Riggs Bank in Washington has been fined a record $25 million for money laundering. The bank handled tens of millions of dollars in cash in accounts controlled by diplomats from Saudi Arabia. Those accounts came under investigation for possible links to terrorism financing.
A privately developed manned rocket has soared to 211,400 feet over the Mojave Desert. First, a plane carried it to 46,000 feet. It was the third and highest powered flight of a reusable launch vehicle piloted by Mike Melvill. I hope you got all that.
Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
There's some lighter fare on the menu. We'll serve up a call for low carb sanity.
And a story you'll get a kick out of. As soccer's best hold their breath, it's the final countdown to a decision on who will host the 2010 World Cup.
And a sweet release from an infamous prison in Iraq -- we'll get the latest from Baghdad.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ever since the debut of the handheld organizer, one company has continued to dominate the market for PDAs -- palmOne. Despite competition from handhelds running Microsoft's software, palmOne continues to lead with a 38 percent market share. PalmOne merged with rival Handspring in 2003, giving it a much needed foothold in smart phone with the Treo product line.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: On the road to freedom -- the U.S. military reduces the number of prisoners at that infamous prison south of Baghdad. You're looking at a prisoner release.
It is Friday, May 14.
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.
Let me bring you up to date now.
U.S. forces have begun releasing prisoners from the Abu Ghraib Prison. More than 200 Iraqis are on buses this morning on their way back home. This comes after a surprise visit to Baghdad by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Firefights in the streets of Najaf today. U.S. troops are again battling militiaman loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The outlawed cleric is to deliver a sermon at Friday prayers.
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 did not shake up Tampa Bay. The Lightning skates past the Flyers 4-1, taking a 2-1 lead in the NHL Eastern Conference finals.
And in culture, Miramax Film Studio cofounder Harvey Weinstein is writing his memoirs. He will document the founding of the premier independent movie studio. Publisher Harper Collins says the book is due out in two years -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 14, 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: Rolling away to freedom -- can the release of hundreds of Iraqi prisoners soften anti-American anger in Iraq? We'll take you live there in three minutes.
It's Friday, May 14.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Thank you for joining us.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
At that notorious prison south of Baghdad, hundreds of inmates are being released today. It's the first release since images surfaced of abuse at the hands of American military police.
Secretary of State Colin Powell plays the gracious host today. He's meeting with foreign ministers of seven industrialized nations. The gathering is in preparation for the G8 summit in June.
On Capitol Hill, the House votes to keep tax cuts that were set to expire at the end of this year. Now they'll consider legislation keeping the child tax credit at $1,000 instead of allowing it to drop to $700 next year.
And in sports, oh, what a wild and crazy game five. In the Lakers first play-offs, Derek Fisher at the buzzer. L.A. beats 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 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 those hundreds of prisoners this morning from the Abu Ghraib Prison outside of Baghdad.
Ben Wedeman was there when it happened.
He joins us live now from the Iraqi capital.
Tell us about it -- Ben. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, well, the first bus left Abu Ghraib Prison full of prisoners, about 70, I'd say, at about 9:20 local time. That's just more than three hours ago. And the bus went straight from the main entrance of Abu Ghraib down the road in the direction of Baghdad.
Many hundreds of people had assembled outside the prison this morning. They'd heard rumors that there would be a release today, but there were no details on names of those who would be released. They waved as bus went by and the people in the bus waved back. After that, we saw four other buses emerge from the prison, one apparently going to Fallujah. The other three, we were told, would be going to Ba'qubah to the northeast of Baghdad.
Now, already we are hearing reports that those who have been released are saying that they have been abused, they have been tortured, they have been humiliated by their captors. We've got no independent confirmation, obviously, on those claims.
In total, we are told by senior coalition officials, that 315 prisoners were released today. And, of course, more are expected a Major General Geoffrey Miller, the new head of Abu Ghraib, continues to try to clean up the situation out there and reduce the prison population -- Carol.
COSTELLO: A couple of questions for you, Ben.
First of all, these prisoners that were being released that say they were abused, we really -- as you said, we don't know for sure, and sometimes people just say things to say things. And they may be doing that in this case, right?
WEDEMAN: Yes, that's certainly the case. Oftentimes people outside the prison, when you speak with the relatives, for instance, they tend to overstate the case and I've never met anybody waiting for somebody inside the prison who said that their relative was in any way guilty of what they may have been charged of.
Having said that, we do know that anywhere between 70 and 90 percent of the detainees, according to a Red Cross report that was issued in February, were arrested by mistake. But really at this point, we're just getting these reports from people who are getting off those buses, which it's very difficult to confirm their tales of torture and abuse -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Ben, how many prisoners do you think will be released in the days to come?
WEDEMAN: Well, we had been told about a week and a half ago by Major General Geoffrey Miller that the population of the prison then was around 3,800 and that their plan is to reduce it to anywhere between, 1,500 and 2,000. So the difference is what's obviously going to be released. No particular details on what they want the final prison population to be.
Now, Carol, we do know that they are preparing new facilities outside the old prison facilities that were built by Saddam Hussein -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman live in Baghdad this morning.
Of course, this subject, Abu Ghraib, the prison, brings us to this morning's e-mail question -- do you think the prison should be destroyed? Do you think they should use a new facility? E-mail us your opinions at daybreak@cnn.com, that's daybreak@cnn.com. And, of course, we will read some of your comments on the air throughout our two hours.
Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is on his way back to the United States from that unannounced trip to Iraq. In addition to touring the prison, Rumsfeld also met with the military leadership in Baghdad. The defense secretary's plane is due to arrive back in the States, oh, about two and a half hours from now.
Senator John Kerry gives a quick nod when asked if he's outraged at new photos and videos of alleged abuses at the prison. That would be 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 pictures and videos.
Horrific details of the strippings, the beatings and the forced masturbation are emerging, though. Published reports say the first soldier scheduled for court-martial, Specialist Jeremy Sivits, is providing graphic editorials to investigators. He says the soldiers involved laughed and mocked the prisoners and he appears to exonerate the chain of command saying, "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 dismissed Sivits' accounts, saying he's entered a plea agreement with the government and is getting leniency for testifying against other soldiers.
Britain has been dealing with its own humiliating prisoner abuse pictures. But now it turns out the photographs may, indeed, be fakes.
Let's go live to London and Robin Oakley -- tell us, this is so strange, Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, yes, those pictures which appeared on the U.K. newspaper the "Daily Mirror" caused huge political problems for the government when they appeared to show British troops abusing an Iraqi detainee, urinating on him, putting -- hitting him in sensitive areas with a rifle butt, generally maltreating the detainee.
Now, those were pictures which, as far as British law makers were concerned, shamed Britain and its efforts in Iraq, and, of course, put soldiers in danger. But steadily over the last few days, ministers have been hinting, suggesting that the pictures which the "Daily Mirror" used were fakes.
First of all, we heard it from Geoff Hune, the defense secretary; then from Tony Blair, the prime minister. Yesterday, Adam Ingram, the armed services minister, in a statement in the House of Commons, said that the pictures which were shown by the "Daily Mirror" were categorically not taken in Iraq. And he went on to say that the truck inside which the pictures were taken had never been in Iraq.
So the furor now continues. The editor of the "Daily Mirror," Piers Morgan, now under pressure from M.P.s to resign, says he's not going to do so, and he maintains that the pictures accurately illustrated what he said were the practices of the minority of British troops in Iraq.
But certainly the government feels that it's won a round back against its detractors on Iraq over this issue now -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, Robin, is there any pressure being put on the "Daily Mirror" editor as to where these pictures came from and who took them?
OAKLEY: Yes, he's being pressed by the defense ministry to cooperate more with the investigations, which they say are going on. Adam Ingram, the armed services minister, said that there could be offenses against military law here, which was why he couldn't give too much detail precisely. He is alleging that the "Daily Mirror" has refused to cooperate with the inquiry going on. The "Daily Mirror" denies that. But certainly investigations are continuing. Charges may well follow and the pressures on Mr. Morgan to quit will certainly increase.
Alistair Campbell, Tony Blair's former director of communications, is one of those who has said that if the pictures are shown to be a hoax or fakes then Mr. Morgan certainly should resign. And it's very obvious that the language used by the "Daily Mirror" is now very careful when it says that these pictures accurately reflected what went on. A lot of people are now suggesting that this was a deliberate reenactment of something that the "Mirror" believed had taken place, but they were not genuine photographs -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Oh, wow.
Robin Oakley live in London for us this morning.
Let's turn our attention now to the war front. There is more fighting this morning in Najaf. Explosions rocked the holy city. U.S. troops there are battling a militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Jane Arraf is embedded with the troops in Najaf in Iraq.
She joins us live now -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, there was supposed to be a day, this Friday Muslim holy day of rest, in which hundreds of thousands of people came out into the streets to demonstrate that they wanted peace, to demonstrate that they wanted the militia to disband.
Instead, a series of attacks, some of them against the police station, where a police chief was newly installed yesterday. There, suspected militia members with rocket propelled grenades attacked that station. At the same time, there were clashes near the holy city.
U.S. forces say that they have killed more than a dozen suspected members of the militia and captured others. And the violence is continuing. No political in sight, although there's a lot of talks going on. But still these ambushes, clashes and more Mahdi militia members being killed. No U.S. casualties reported so far -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live this morning from Najaf, Iraq.
Now there are concerns about the way prisoners are being treated at Guantanamo Bay. The International Committee of the Red Cross has given the Bush administration a report outlining its concerns about detainees at the U.S. prison. It is confidential because that's the Red Cross policy. But a State Department spokesman says those concerns will be discussed with Red Cross officials.
In Cuba today, the largest public demonstration since the days of Elian Gonzalez. Havana tells the Cuban people to prepare for the invasion by the United States? We'll explain.
It may only be a game, but it is the passion of the Egyptians. They are jostling to host an event that's still six years away.
And are you a carb counter? We'll have more on the diet fad that some think has gotten completely out of control.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:14 Eastern time.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Gunfire again in the streets of Najaf, Iraq, the Shiite holy city. No word yet on casualties. U.S. troops have been clashing in Najaf with militia loyal to the radical cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr.
A judge in Washington has said Zaid Safarini is a cold-blooded murderer and has sentenced him to 160 years in prison. Safarini 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 -- pardon the pun -- 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, though, for filing an inaccurate application to ride in the Derby.
In culture, a royal wedding today in Denmark. Crown Prince Frederik will marry Australian law school graduate Mary Donaldson, who is a commoner. The two met in a Sydney bar during the 2000 Olympic Games -- Chad.
MYERS: They met at the corner of the bar. Now she's going to be a princess.
COSTELLO: It's insane.
MYERS: It's all right.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
The father of Nicholas Berg says his son had a chance encounter five years ago with someone connected to terrorism. Michael Berg said his son let a stranger on a bus in Oklahoma use his laptop and gave him his password. Government sources tell CNN the stranger was an acquaintance of Zacarias Moussaoui, who later used Berg's password. Moussaoui, as you may remember, attended flight school in Oklahoma, but apparently never met Berg. The FBI ruled that Berg did not have any link to terrorism.
A private memorial service is being held this afternoon for Nicholas Berg at a Westchester, Pennsylvania synagogue. Family members are not revealing burial arrangements.
Our Maria Hinojosa is following the story from Westchester.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After three days of silence and seclusion, Nick Berg's father emerged. There were no tears, instead anger.
BERG: Nicholas Berg died for the sins of George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld. The al Qaeda people are probably just as bad as they are.
HINOJOSA: His son, he says, supported the war, supported President Bush. Father and son, he said, on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
BERG: I would like to ask George Bush a question. I would like to ask him if it's true that al Qaeda offered to trade my son's life for the life of another person and, if that is true, well I need that information.
I need that information and I think that the people of the United States of America need to know what the fate of their sons and daughters might be in the hands of the Bush administration. HINOJOSA: The U.S. has said, however, it knew of no offer from al Qaeda that would have saved Nick Berg's life.
The family received flowers and letters from around the world but the question persists. Why was this smart, young man in Iraq alone without a guide, a translator or security? His friends spoke on "Good Morning America."
LUKE LORENZ, FRIEND OF NICHOLAS BERG: It was part of his vision. It was part of -- something inside of him said that he wanted to be there, be a part of the process to rebuild.
HINOJOSA: Michael Berg says his son wanted to see the good in all people, maybe even his captors.
BERG: The al Qaeda that killed my son didn't know what they were doing. They killed their best friend. Nick was there to build Iraq, not to tear it down. He was there to help people not to hurt anyone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And coming up next on DAYBREAK, a day after Donald Rumsfeld makes a surprise visit to a notorious Baghdad prison, several hundred prisoners get a taste of freedom this morning.
We are taking your e-mails on the subject -- should Abu Ghraib Prison be destroyed? E-mail us at daybreak@cnn.com. We'll read some of your responses after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The bus ride to freedom -- hundreds of Iraqis who had been behind bars at Abu Ghraib Prison free this morning. You are looking at new pictures just into us this morning. More than 300 prisoners were loaded onto those buses you're seeing. It is the first mass prisoner release since the abuse scandal broke and we understand from Ben Wedeman that more prisoners will be released in the days to come.
We've been asking you our e-mail question of the day -- do you think that the Abu Ghraib Prison should be destroyed? And we've been getting a lot of responses, and we thank you for that.
This from Frank from Alison, Massachusetts. He said: "I don't understand what the physical prison has to do with the torture and abuse that were meted out by humans acting barbarically towards other humans. It happens in the most modern of facilities, too. So how will tearing down the prison change the attitude of those in charge of the prison, who ordered this behavior in the first place?"
This one from Deborah (ph) from Santa Cruz, California. She says: "If Abu Ghraib Prison is still a useable facility, it should be turned over to the Iraqi people to be remodeled for peaceful purposes, such as education or health care, not torn down."
And this one from Judy from Cushing, Maine. She says: "Yes, we should destroy Abu Ghraib Prison. It would be a powerful symbolic gesture."
Keep the e-mails coming, daybreak@cnn.com.
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.
Riggs Bank in Washington has been fined a record $25 million for money laundering. The bank handled tens of millions of dollars in cash in accounts controlled by diplomats from Saudi Arabia. Those accounts came under investigation for possible links to terrorism financing.
A privately developed manned rocket has soared to 211,400 feet over the Mojave Desert. First, a plane carried it to 46,000 feet. It was the third and highest powered flight of a reusable launch vehicle piloted by Mike Melvill. I hope you got all that.
Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
There's some lighter fare on the menu. We'll serve up a call for low carb sanity.
And a story you'll get a kick out of. As soccer's best hold their breath, it's the final countdown to a decision on who will host the 2010 World Cup.
And a sweet release from an infamous prison in Iraq -- we'll get the latest from Baghdad.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ever since the debut of the handheld organizer, one company has continued to dominate the market for PDAs -- palmOne. Despite competition from handhelds running Microsoft's software, palmOne continues to lead with a 38 percent market share. PalmOne merged with rival Handspring in 2003, giving it a much needed foothold in smart phone with the Treo product line.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: On the road to freedom -- the U.S. military reduces the number of prisoners at that infamous prison south of Baghdad. You're looking at a prisoner release.
It is Friday, May 14.
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.
Let me bring you up to date now.
U.S. forces have begun releasing prisoners from the Abu Ghraib Prison. More than 200 Iraqis are on buses this morning on their way back home. This comes after a surprise visit to Baghdad by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Firefights in the streets of Najaf today. U.S. troops are again battling militiaman loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The outlawed cleric is to deliver a sermon at Friday prayers.
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 did not shake up Tampa Bay. The Lightning skates past the Flyers 4-1, taking a 2-1 lead in the NHL Eastern Conference finals.
And in culture, Miramax Film Studio cofounder Harvey Weinstein is writing his memoirs. He will document the founding of the premier independent movie studio. Publisher Harper Collins says the book is due out in two years -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
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