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CNN Live At Daybreak

President Bush's Visits Capitol Hill Yesterday to Rally Republicans; Fears in Television Industry of Consumers Downloading Shows

Aired May 21, 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: More Iraqis come home from prison as more photos of abuse surface at Abu Ghraib.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, May 21.

And good morning to you.

From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Here are the latest headlines for you now.

Union workers at the country's second largest local phone company walked off the job at midnight. Nearly 20,000 employees of SBC Communications in Connecticut, Ohio and Michigan are on a four day strike.

An Oregon attorney who had been held as a material witness in the Madrid train bombings has been set free. Spanish authorities now say a fingerprint found on a bag of detonators was not Brandon Mayfield's.

In money news, the House votes to keep the $1,000 per child tax credit. It now goes to the Senate. Without congressional action, the credit will drop to $700 next year.

In sports, the Detroit Pistons were firing on all cylinders as they swept past the New York Nets 90-69 in game seven of the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals.

In culture, a humanitarian award for Michael Eisner, Walt Disney's CEO. It comes from the United Jewish Appeal Federation. It's presented to legendary figures of vision in the entertainment industry.

To the forecast center now and Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mickey Mouse beaming with pride, I'm sure.

COSTELLO: Well, maybe.

MARCIANO: Good morning again, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: We have long heard about them. This morning they are out -- new, worse pictures of abuse inside Abu Ghraib. They're in the "Washington Post" this morning. The picture you're looking at appears to show a U.S. soldier with his right arm raised, his fist cocked over a pile of Iraqis. In another, a hooded detainee is in his underwear, his ankle handcuffed to the door behind him. And there are worse pictures and even a video.

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that more pictures do exist, and I'm quoting here, he said: "If these new pictures are released to the public, obviously it's going to make matters worse."

A bus to freedom -- these pictures just into us this morning. Dozens more Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib are being released. Dozens more will be let go throughout the day. The coalition's goal is to reduce the prison population at Abu Ghraib to 2,500.

Now the Iraqi situation report for you this morning. Insurgents killed four Iraqi security forces and wounded two others at a checkpoint in Baghdad, northeast -- in Ba'qubah, rather. That's northeast of Baghdad. American tanks and aircraft pounded insurgent positions in Karbala. The U.S. military says it killed 18 fighters loyal to rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. In Najaf, the main police station was attacked with mortars and small arms fire around midnight. The U.S. blames al-Sadr's militia for this attack.

The troops from Spain are mainly on the plain. The last Spanish troops have left their base in southern Iraq and within hours they will have left the country altogether. The head of the Iraqi National Congress, Ahmad Chalabi, says the raid on his compound was engineered by leftover elements of the Saddam regime. And you know many are wondering, though, what Chalabi's game is. We're going to talk more about the Chalabi factor later this hour with Patrick Basham of the Cato Institute. That's a libertarian think tank in Washington. And you can hear what Ahmad Chalabi has to say about this when he talks with Paula Zahn. You can see that tonight at 8:00 Eastern. u Just days after Republicans were sniping at each other, GOP law makers now say party infighting is a thing of the past. The Republicans appear unified after a visit from President Bush.

CNN's Ed Henry has the story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president came to Capitol Hill to rally the troops. House and Senate Republicans emerged from the closed-door meeting and said Bush touted his record on everything from the economy to Medicare and Iraq.

SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: He's resolved. He's going to stand strong for freedom. It was a good teem meeting.

REP. DEBORAH PRYCE (R), OHIO: He was very upbeat and positive about the direction we're going, and asked us to keep the faith and keep the pressure on and keep ahead on the right track. And I think that, to the last person in there, we're all behind him. HENRY: That support is critical for the president amid Republican concerns about his falling approval ratings.

SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Look, I mean, this was no surprise to anyone here that this has been a roughly couple of months for the president, particularly on the issues of Iraq and I think he was here to remind folks that we do have a policy and this policy is going to be tough. Things, as I think he commented, are very likely to get worse before they get better.

HENRY: When Bush vowed to finish the job in Iraq, he received one of several standing ovations. Senator Lamar Alexander said he could have had as many as he wanted. This was the choir and the choir was in tune today. But Democrats were singing a much different tune.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: I believe that the president's leadership in the actions taken in Iraq demonstrate an incompetence in terms of knowledge, judgment and experience in making the decisions that would have been necessary to truly accomplish the mission without the deaths to our troops and the cost to our taxpayers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: President Bush heads to Baton Rouge today to deliver the commencement speech at Louisiana State University. Aides say the speech will be a light-hearted look at the lessons students learned in college. The president also spent last Friday on campus giving the commencement at Concordia University in Wisconsin.

John Kerry makes a fundraising trip to White Plains, New York today. Campaign finance reports show Kerry has raised just over half of what George Bush has collected. Still, Kerry's $117 million haul is a Democratic record.

You can follow the candidates and the issues online. Just visit cnn.com/politics for all of the campaign headlines.

In Massachusetts, the weight is over. The three day waiting period has expired for gay couples who got their marriage licenses on Monday and scores of weddings are expected to take place today. In the meantime, Governor Mitt Romney is trying to keep same sex couples from out of state from coming to Massachusetts to get married.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MITT ROMNEY (R), MASSACHUSETTS: The harm is to the couple themselves or to children that may be in their marriage. If down the road, one of the members of that couple were to say, you know, when we got married, we didn't follow the Massachusetts law, therefore our marriage is null and void, therefore I'm walking away with no property settlement obligations, no alimony, no child support, that's where the harm lies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Some of those out of state cases have been referred to the state attorney general for possible legal action.

A kind of happy ending in Baltimore, as it applies to that little girl. A judge there will decide who gets custody of this 3-year-old who calls herself Courtney. She's now living in a foster home. The girl was abandoned earlier this month and now a woman in Washington, D.C. claims to be here mom and says the child's father abducted her two years ago. The woman also says the child's real name is Akasha.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY GERSTENFIELD, MOTHER'S ATTORNEY: He dropped the child off with a complete stranger, went out trying to buy drugs, apparently got arrested and the child was turned into the department of social services, the child thinking that her name is Courtney. And what she said was, "My name is Courtney and I am from Brooklyn," but what she meant was Brooklyn Avenue in Baltimore City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The man believed to be the child's father has been in jail in Baltimore on drug charges. He has posted bond. He's been released. We'll keep you posted.

Stories across America this Friday.

In Lakewood, New Jersey, a 7-month-old boy died after being accidentally left inside of a hot car for more than five hours. The baby's father has now been charged with second degree child endangerment.

A judge rules that a Fresno man accused of killing nine of his children will stand trial. Attorneys for Marcus Wesson had tried to get the charges against him dismissed. They argued that Wesson's 25- year-old daughter did the killings before taking her own life. Wesson's nine children, ages one to 25, were all found dead back in March.

And we'll find out today if prosecutors plan to retry former NBA star Jayson Williams on a charge of reckless manslaughter. The jury deadlocked on that charge in the shooting death of a limousine driver. Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter but convicted of lesser charges.

Still to come on DAYBREAK this morning, pinching pennies at the pumps -- we've got realistic tips to help you save money on gas. We're going to have a live report for you.

And he showed up to follow a story, but this reporter found himself chasing much more. Take a look at that. We'll explain further when DAYBREAK returns.

Plus, a sequel that will have audiences seeing green. We'll get a review of "Shrek 2" and some other front row fare.

And then, music isn't the only thing people are swapping on the Internet. The latest hot commodity has some in the TV biz concerned. This is DAYBREAK for May 21.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time for a little business buzz now.

Illegal file sharing over the Internet has hit the music and film industries hard and now it's turning to another industry.

Carrie Lee has more live from the NASDAQ market site.

Ooh, tell us more -- Carrie.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The television industry fears that it's going to be Napsterized, Carol, kind of a new buzz word circulating. It seems a lot of people don't want to have to wait and pay for the final episodes for things like "Friends" or "Frasier." So they're downloading these episodes onto their computers instead.

The television industry says it's a growing problem. They're not sure exactly how many shows have been swapped, but the television industry estimates the number in the millions.

It does take a little bit longer to download a television show than a song, say an hour versus a couple of minutes. So far, nobody's gotten in trouble for this, but it is illegal and we did see a lot of people kind of get caught in the middle when they were downloading songs. So who knows? We could see some people getting stuck if they're downloading television shows.

But there are a couple of ways to do this. For example, Gateway, Dell, they make media center PCs with built in TV tuners to record shows. So while it takes a little longer to download, Carol, it's not exactly a difficult process and it is something that more and more people are doing.

COSTELLO: So you can download the TV show before it airs on television?

LEE: Some of these shows are actually being downloaded before they air. So obviously the television industry is trying to figure out how to combat this problem. One option is to scramble the programming, and that's a little bit of a technical area to get into, but they're certainly worried about this as more people are doing it.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

LEE: Very interesting.

COSTELLO: A quick look at the futures?

LEE: Things are looking very strong this morning for today's session. We saw a pretty flat close yesterday, stocks really not doing too much throughout the session. Strong retail sales numbers helping things this morning. The Gap was out with profits last night; profits, in fact, up 54 percent year-over-year. Strong sales of spring items. They a lot of cute skirts and things like that. I can attest to that. I was in a Gap store a few weeks ago. So we'll see what the stock does today.

But overall looking very strong for stocks.

COSTELLO: Oh, I'm going to have to check that out.

LEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Carrie Lee, live from the NASDAQ market site.

Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 6:15 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Thousands of workers at the country's second largest local phone company, SBC Communications, went on strike at midnight, but only for four days. Union workers are protesting the company's latest contract offer. SBC serves 13 states.

Busloads of Iraqi prisoners are leaving the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison near Baghdad today. More than 470 prisoners are expected to be released today. Three hundred fifteen were released last week.

In money news, a Federal Reserve Board governor says the board should be able to gradually push interest rates higher in the coming months. He sees inflation ahead, but not enough to destabilize prices.

In sports, a goal of less than two minutes left in overtime gives the Philadelphia Flyers a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay in game six of their series. Game seven is tomorrow night and the winner faces the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup finals.

In culture, actress Sissy Spacek helps honor Rosie the Riveter at a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. As you probably know, or maybe you don't, Rosie the Riveter symbolized the American women who worked in defense plants and managed the home front during WWII -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Rosie's got some guns, hey, Carol? Look at those pipes on her.

COSTELLO: That's what she did. She made guns and other weaponry.

MARCIANO: That, too.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Two bucks a gallon. Filling up that behemoth SUV can now cost 50 or 60 bucks. And that's not all high gas prices can mean to your budget.

CNN's Julie Vallese joins us live from a gas station -- and, ooh, I see, oh, gas in Washington more than $2 a gallon, isn't it? But you're going to tell us how to save.

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

This gas station is actually just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol Building. And as you saw and can see, we're about a dime above the national average. And while we can't do a whole lot about the price of gasoline, there are some things that consumers can do to rev up their fuel economy every time they get in the car.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALLESE (voice-over): Filling up this means emptying this. At $2 or more a gallon, Americans are feeling the pinch at the pump. But a new powerful savings problem by the Department of Energy and the Alliance To Save Energy offers tips to rev up consumer saving.

DAVID GARMAN, ASSISTANT ENERGY SECRETARY: We're not asking them to do without their cars. We're not asking them to huddle by the fireplace in their sweaters. We're asking them to simply be smart about energy use, to do some very simple, basic things.

VALLESE: Such as tune up the car, check the tires for proper inflation, use the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil and keep air filters clean.

KATERI CALLAHAN, ALLIANCE TO SAVE ENERGY: If consumers do those four easy things and remember to do those before they hit the roads, they're going to improve their fuel economy by as much as 20 percent.

VALLESE: Driving the speed limit and not driving aggressively can improve fuel efficiency by as much as a third. And the education campaign asks consumers to be smart about new car purchases.

GARMAN: Think about these things. Make conscious choices, because I think this situation is going to be with us for a while.

VALLESE: But because demand is up, some predict high gas prices could be here for good.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALLESE: Now, there is one more thing consumers can do to get the most out of a tank of gas -- stop driving around looking for the cheapest gas. Find a station that's convenient to your home or work. All that driving around, it may save you a few cents, but it's going to cost you in the long run -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Isn't that funny, though? People will drive for miles to find the cheapest gas, not realizing they're wasting the gas already in their tank, Julie.

VALLESE: Well, it makes you feel good and you can boast about it, but it's going to cost you.

COSTELLO: Julie Vallese live from Washington this morning.

If you travel by bus or train, one city wants you to limit what you do on board. We'll tell you where a ban may go into effect.

Plus, a reporter tries to get the scoop on a story and ends up chasing a totally different one -- and I mean really chasing it.

And our DAYBREAK Photo of the Day. What is it? We'll tell you when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.

You know, time is flying. It's almost Memorial Day. Can you believe it?

MARCIANO: Yes, and Memorial Day the last couple of years takes on a whole new meaning, certainly the importance of it, at least.

COSTELLO: Absolutely.

MARCIANO: Yes.

COSTELLO: The comic strip "Doonesbury" is going to do something special. It's going to list all of the names in its little boxes of the comic strip, all 700 lives lost in Iraq.

MARCIANO: It can often be a political comic strip, so he's definitely taking it -- making a statement and obviously paying tribute to those who lost their lives.

COSTELLO: Well, you know what happened when Ted Koppel showed the pictures and read the names of those dead in Iraq on his show and all of the public outcry. There's been no public outcry about this and Gary Trudeau is infamous -- or famous, I should say -- for not giving interviews. So we're not going to hear from him.

MARCIANO: Over 700 names in such a small area, it's going to be tough to read. But obviously more of a statement and a tribute than anything else.

COSTELLO: That's what he says, at least.

All right, time for our DAYBREAK Eye-Opener right now.

Following up on a story we told you about Thursday, Marine First Lieutenant Jeremy Duncan is resting this morning in a San Antonio, Texas hospital after donating a kidney to childhood friend Jason Tully. Tully lost both kidneys after a life long battle with kidney disease.

All right, stay with us. The shaky video is from Shreveport, Louisiana. KSLA TV reporter Fred Childers chases down a suspect who ran from police as he was being booked into jail. And, sure enough, the reporter caught him.

MARCIANO: Freddy!

COSTELLO: Ah.

MARCIANO: Good job.

COSTELLO: Childers says he once considered becoming a police officer. He was just living out his childhood dreams. I don't really suggest that for most reporters, though.

MARCIANO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COSTELLO: Excuse me. I knew I was going to cough sooner or later. So let's look at that video while I sip some coffee.

MARCIANO: That's a chicken.

COSTELLO: That's a chicken. Let's talk about this chicken. You heard the question why did the chicken cross the road. But how about this chicken? He rode some 1,100 miles in the under carriage of a Texas truck driver. This is truck driver Connelly (ph). He and his wife raise chickens at their home. And this one decided to hitch a ride to Colorado. What a trip.

OK, Rob, they're going to turn off my microphone so I can cough. So you do the Picture of the Day.

MARCIANO: OK. What is this picture? Did you figure this out? Any guesses? I couldn't tell either. It's the end of the week and the end of the school year, so we're happy to share the happy photo of the day. Look at this, a group of students from Bramwood Elementary School in Oxford, Mississippi. Guess what song they're singing?

COSTELLO: OK. I'm OK now. I can guess.

MARCIANO: Guess.

COSTELLO: I bet they're singing "You Are My Sunshine."

MARCIANO: That would be a good -- is that right? Yes. I guess -- or, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." Are those two different songs.

COSTELLO: No, you are my sunshine, my, that song.

MARCIANO: I waited all week for Carol to sing something. Finally on Friday. You didn't disappoint.

COSTELLO: Well, it's good that coughing attack is over.

MARCIANO: Thank you.

Are you feeling better?

COSTELLO: I am. Thank you, Rob.

I appreciate that.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

How will customers be affected now that thousands of communication workers have walked off the job?

And with 40 days to go until the handover in Iraq, is this man a friend or a foe? We'll discuss the changing bizarre role of Ahmad Chalabi.

And Iraq isn't the only place where prisons are under investigation. Now the CIA is getting involved. We'll have a live report from another war zone when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Hundreds more prisoners head home from Abu Ghraib as new images of abuse emerge.

This is DAYBREAK for May 21.

Good morning to you.

From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Here are the latest headlines for you now.

After three days of daily clashes with Palestinians, the Israeli military is pulling out of Gaza. Palestinian sources say 40 Palestinians were killed, 107 injured since Tuesday. Israel says it destroyed tunnels used for smuggling guns and explosives.

In Iraq, insurgents kill four Iraqi security forces and wound two others at a checkpoint in Ba'qubah. That's northeast of Baghdad. The Iraqis were outnumbered two to one in the ambush.

In money news, Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate are postponing a vote on a $2.4 trillion budget. That's after avoiding what could have been an embarrassing election year defeat of the measure.

In sports, at the PGA's Colonial Tournament, Craig Perks opens play today in the lead. He had a bogey-free six under par, 64 in the opening round, to take a one stroke lead over Jesper Parnevik.

In culture, you can own a piece of the man in black. Sotheby's plans a September auction of Johnny Cash items. More than 650 instruments, handwritten lyrics, jackets; even his pickup, which is black, of course. Johnny Cash died last September -- Rob.

MARCIANO: That would be a nice rig or ride to have, that's for sure.

Hi, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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Aired May 21, 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: More Iraqis come home from prison as more photos of abuse surface at Abu Ghraib.
This is DAYBREAK for Friday, May 21.

And good morning to you.

From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Here are the latest headlines for you now.

Union workers at the country's second largest local phone company walked off the job at midnight. Nearly 20,000 employees of SBC Communications in Connecticut, Ohio and Michigan are on a four day strike.

An Oregon attorney who had been held as a material witness in the Madrid train bombings has been set free. Spanish authorities now say a fingerprint found on a bag of detonators was not Brandon Mayfield's.

In money news, the House votes to keep the $1,000 per child tax credit. It now goes to the Senate. Without congressional action, the credit will drop to $700 next year.

In sports, the Detroit Pistons were firing on all cylinders as they swept past the New York Nets 90-69 in game seven of the NBA's Eastern Conference semifinals.

In culture, a humanitarian award for Michael Eisner, Walt Disney's CEO. It comes from the United Jewish Appeal Federation. It's presented to legendary figures of vision in the entertainment industry.

To the forecast center now and Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mickey Mouse beaming with pride, I'm sure.

COSTELLO: Well, maybe.

MARCIANO: Good morning again, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: We have long heard about them. This morning they are out -- new, worse pictures of abuse inside Abu Ghraib. They're in the "Washington Post" this morning. The picture you're looking at appears to show a U.S. soldier with his right arm raised, his fist cocked over a pile of Iraqis. In another, a hooded detainee is in his underwear, his ankle handcuffed to the door behind him. And there are worse pictures and even a video.

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that more pictures do exist, and I'm quoting here, he said: "If these new pictures are released to the public, obviously it's going to make matters worse."

A bus to freedom -- these pictures just into us this morning. Dozens more Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib are being released. Dozens more will be let go throughout the day. The coalition's goal is to reduce the prison population at Abu Ghraib to 2,500.

Now the Iraqi situation report for you this morning. Insurgents killed four Iraqi security forces and wounded two others at a checkpoint in Baghdad, northeast -- in Ba'qubah, rather. That's northeast of Baghdad. American tanks and aircraft pounded insurgent positions in Karbala. The U.S. military says it killed 18 fighters loyal to rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. In Najaf, the main police station was attacked with mortars and small arms fire around midnight. The U.S. blames al-Sadr's militia for this attack.

The troops from Spain are mainly on the plain. The last Spanish troops have left their base in southern Iraq and within hours they will have left the country altogether. The head of the Iraqi National Congress, Ahmad Chalabi, says the raid on his compound was engineered by leftover elements of the Saddam regime. And you know many are wondering, though, what Chalabi's game is. We're going to talk more about the Chalabi factor later this hour with Patrick Basham of the Cato Institute. That's a libertarian think tank in Washington. And you can hear what Ahmad Chalabi has to say about this when he talks with Paula Zahn. You can see that tonight at 8:00 Eastern. u Just days after Republicans were sniping at each other, GOP law makers now say party infighting is a thing of the past. The Republicans appear unified after a visit from President Bush.

CNN's Ed Henry has the story for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president came to Capitol Hill to rally the troops. House and Senate Republicans emerged from the closed-door meeting and said Bush touted his record on everything from the economy to Medicare and Iraq.

SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: He's resolved. He's going to stand strong for freedom. It was a good teem meeting.

REP. DEBORAH PRYCE (R), OHIO: He was very upbeat and positive about the direction we're going, and asked us to keep the faith and keep the pressure on and keep ahead on the right track. And I think that, to the last person in there, we're all behind him. HENRY: That support is critical for the president amid Republican concerns about his falling approval ratings.

SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Look, I mean, this was no surprise to anyone here that this has been a roughly couple of months for the president, particularly on the issues of Iraq and I think he was here to remind folks that we do have a policy and this policy is going to be tough. Things, as I think he commented, are very likely to get worse before they get better.

HENRY: When Bush vowed to finish the job in Iraq, he received one of several standing ovations. Senator Lamar Alexander said he could have had as many as he wanted. This was the choir and the choir was in tune today. But Democrats were singing a much different tune.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: I believe that the president's leadership in the actions taken in Iraq demonstrate an incompetence in terms of knowledge, judgment and experience in making the decisions that would have been necessary to truly accomplish the mission without the deaths to our troops and the cost to our taxpayers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: President Bush heads to Baton Rouge today to deliver the commencement speech at Louisiana State University. Aides say the speech will be a light-hearted look at the lessons students learned in college. The president also spent last Friday on campus giving the commencement at Concordia University in Wisconsin.

John Kerry makes a fundraising trip to White Plains, New York today. Campaign finance reports show Kerry has raised just over half of what George Bush has collected. Still, Kerry's $117 million haul is a Democratic record.

You can follow the candidates and the issues online. Just visit cnn.com/politics for all of the campaign headlines.

In Massachusetts, the weight is over. The three day waiting period has expired for gay couples who got their marriage licenses on Monday and scores of weddings are expected to take place today. In the meantime, Governor Mitt Romney is trying to keep same sex couples from out of state from coming to Massachusetts to get married.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MITT ROMNEY (R), MASSACHUSETTS: The harm is to the couple themselves or to children that may be in their marriage. If down the road, one of the members of that couple were to say, you know, when we got married, we didn't follow the Massachusetts law, therefore our marriage is null and void, therefore I'm walking away with no property settlement obligations, no alimony, no child support, that's where the harm lies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Some of those out of state cases have been referred to the state attorney general for possible legal action.

A kind of happy ending in Baltimore, as it applies to that little girl. A judge there will decide who gets custody of this 3-year-old who calls herself Courtney. She's now living in a foster home. The girl was abandoned earlier this month and now a woman in Washington, D.C. claims to be here mom and says the child's father abducted her two years ago. The woman also says the child's real name is Akasha.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY GERSTENFIELD, MOTHER'S ATTORNEY: He dropped the child off with a complete stranger, went out trying to buy drugs, apparently got arrested and the child was turned into the department of social services, the child thinking that her name is Courtney. And what she said was, "My name is Courtney and I am from Brooklyn," but what she meant was Brooklyn Avenue in Baltimore City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The man believed to be the child's father has been in jail in Baltimore on drug charges. He has posted bond. He's been released. We'll keep you posted.

Stories across America this Friday.

In Lakewood, New Jersey, a 7-month-old boy died after being accidentally left inside of a hot car for more than five hours. The baby's father has now been charged with second degree child endangerment.

A judge rules that a Fresno man accused of killing nine of his children will stand trial. Attorneys for Marcus Wesson had tried to get the charges against him dismissed. They argued that Wesson's 25- year-old daughter did the killings before taking her own life. Wesson's nine children, ages one to 25, were all found dead back in March.

And we'll find out today if prosecutors plan to retry former NBA star Jayson Williams on a charge of reckless manslaughter. The jury deadlocked on that charge in the shooting death of a limousine driver. Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter but convicted of lesser charges.

Still to come on DAYBREAK this morning, pinching pennies at the pumps -- we've got realistic tips to help you save money on gas. We're going to have a live report for you.

And he showed up to follow a story, but this reporter found himself chasing much more. Take a look at that. We'll explain further when DAYBREAK returns.

Plus, a sequel that will have audiences seeing green. We'll get a review of "Shrek 2" and some other front row fare.

And then, music isn't the only thing people are swapping on the Internet. The latest hot commodity has some in the TV biz concerned. This is DAYBREAK for May 21.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time for a little business buzz now.

Illegal file sharing over the Internet has hit the music and film industries hard and now it's turning to another industry.

Carrie Lee has more live from the NASDAQ market site.

Ooh, tell us more -- Carrie.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The television industry fears that it's going to be Napsterized, Carol, kind of a new buzz word circulating. It seems a lot of people don't want to have to wait and pay for the final episodes for things like "Friends" or "Frasier." So they're downloading these episodes onto their computers instead.

The television industry says it's a growing problem. They're not sure exactly how many shows have been swapped, but the television industry estimates the number in the millions.

It does take a little bit longer to download a television show than a song, say an hour versus a couple of minutes. So far, nobody's gotten in trouble for this, but it is illegal and we did see a lot of people kind of get caught in the middle when they were downloading songs. So who knows? We could see some people getting stuck if they're downloading television shows.

But there are a couple of ways to do this. For example, Gateway, Dell, they make media center PCs with built in TV tuners to record shows. So while it takes a little longer to download, Carol, it's not exactly a difficult process and it is something that more and more people are doing.

COSTELLO: So you can download the TV show before it airs on television?

LEE: Some of these shows are actually being downloaded before they air. So obviously the television industry is trying to figure out how to combat this problem. One option is to scramble the programming, and that's a little bit of a technical area to get into, but they're certainly worried about this as more people are doing it.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

LEE: Very interesting.

COSTELLO: A quick look at the futures?

LEE: Things are looking very strong this morning for today's session. We saw a pretty flat close yesterday, stocks really not doing too much throughout the session. Strong retail sales numbers helping things this morning. The Gap was out with profits last night; profits, in fact, up 54 percent year-over-year. Strong sales of spring items. They a lot of cute skirts and things like that. I can attest to that. I was in a Gap store a few weeks ago. So we'll see what the stock does today.

But overall looking very strong for stocks.

COSTELLO: Oh, I'm going to have to check that out.

LEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Carrie Lee, live from the NASDAQ market site.

Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 6:15 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Thousands of workers at the country's second largest local phone company, SBC Communications, went on strike at midnight, but only for four days. Union workers are protesting the company's latest contract offer. SBC serves 13 states.

Busloads of Iraqi prisoners are leaving the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison near Baghdad today. More than 470 prisoners are expected to be released today. Three hundred fifteen were released last week.

In money news, a Federal Reserve Board governor says the board should be able to gradually push interest rates higher in the coming months. He sees inflation ahead, but not enough to destabilize prices.

In sports, a goal of less than two minutes left in overtime gives the Philadelphia Flyers a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay in game six of their series. Game seven is tomorrow night and the winner faces the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup finals.

In culture, actress Sissy Spacek helps honor Rosie the Riveter at a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. As you probably know, or maybe you don't, Rosie the Riveter symbolized the American women who worked in defense plants and managed the home front during WWII -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Rosie's got some guns, hey, Carol? Look at those pipes on her.

COSTELLO: That's what she did. She made guns and other weaponry.

MARCIANO: That, too.

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COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Two bucks a gallon. Filling up that behemoth SUV can now cost 50 or 60 bucks. And that's not all high gas prices can mean to your budget.

CNN's Julie Vallese joins us live from a gas station -- and, ooh, I see, oh, gas in Washington more than $2 a gallon, isn't it? But you're going to tell us how to save.

JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

This gas station is actually just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol Building. And as you saw and can see, we're about a dime above the national average. And while we can't do a whole lot about the price of gasoline, there are some things that consumers can do to rev up their fuel economy every time they get in the car.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALLESE (voice-over): Filling up this means emptying this. At $2 or more a gallon, Americans are feeling the pinch at the pump. But a new powerful savings problem by the Department of Energy and the Alliance To Save Energy offers tips to rev up consumer saving.

DAVID GARMAN, ASSISTANT ENERGY SECRETARY: We're not asking them to do without their cars. We're not asking them to huddle by the fireplace in their sweaters. We're asking them to simply be smart about energy use, to do some very simple, basic things.

VALLESE: Such as tune up the car, check the tires for proper inflation, use the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil and keep air filters clean.

KATERI CALLAHAN, ALLIANCE TO SAVE ENERGY: If consumers do those four easy things and remember to do those before they hit the roads, they're going to improve their fuel economy by as much as 20 percent.

VALLESE: Driving the speed limit and not driving aggressively can improve fuel efficiency by as much as a third. And the education campaign asks consumers to be smart about new car purchases.

GARMAN: Think about these things. Make conscious choices, because I think this situation is going to be with us for a while.

VALLESE: But because demand is up, some predict high gas prices could be here for good.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALLESE: Now, there is one more thing consumers can do to get the most out of a tank of gas -- stop driving around looking for the cheapest gas. Find a station that's convenient to your home or work. All that driving around, it may save you a few cents, but it's going to cost you in the long run -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Isn't that funny, though? People will drive for miles to find the cheapest gas, not realizing they're wasting the gas already in their tank, Julie.

VALLESE: Well, it makes you feel good and you can boast about it, but it's going to cost you.

COSTELLO: Julie Vallese live from Washington this morning.

If you travel by bus or train, one city wants you to limit what you do on board. We'll tell you where a ban may go into effect.

Plus, a reporter tries to get the scoop on a story and ends up chasing a totally different one -- and I mean really chasing it.

And our DAYBREAK Photo of the Day. What is it? We'll tell you when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK.

You know, time is flying. It's almost Memorial Day. Can you believe it?

MARCIANO: Yes, and Memorial Day the last couple of years takes on a whole new meaning, certainly the importance of it, at least.

COSTELLO: Absolutely.

MARCIANO: Yes.

COSTELLO: The comic strip "Doonesbury" is going to do something special. It's going to list all of the names in its little boxes of the comic strip, all 700 lives lost in Iraq.

MARCIANO: It can often be a political comic strip, so he's definitely taking it -- making a statement and obviously paying tribute to those who lost their lives.

COSTELLO: Well, you know what happened when Ted Koppel showed the pictures and read the names of those dead in Iraq on his show and all of the public outcry. There's been no public outcry about this and Gary Trudeau is infamous -- or famous, I should say -- for not giving interviews. So we're not going to hear from him.

MARCIANO: Over 700 names in such a small area, it's going to be tough to read. But obviously more of a statement and a tribute than anything else.

COSTELLO: That's what he says, at least.

All right, time for our DAYBREAK Eye-Opener right now.

Following up on a story we told you about Thursday, Marine First Lieutenant Jeremy Duncan is resting this morning in a San Antonio, Texas hospital after donating a kidney to childhood friend Jason Tully. Tully lost both kidneys after a life long battle with kidney disease.

All right, stay with us. The shaky video is from Shreveport, Louisiana. KSLA TV reporter Fred Childers chases down a suspect who ran from police as he was being booked into jail. And, sure enough, the reporter caught him.

MARCIANO: Freddy!

COSTELLO: Ah.

MARCIANO: Good job.

COSTELLO: Childers says he once considered becoming a police officer. He was just living out his childhood dreams. I don't really suggest that for most reporters, though.

MARCIANO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COSTELLO: Excuse me. I knew I was going to cough sooner or later. So let's look at that video while I sip some coffee.

MARCIANO: That's a chicken.

COSTELLO: That's a chicken. Let's talk about this chicken. You heard the question why did the chicken cross the road. But how about this chicken? He rode some 1,100 miles in the under carriage of a Texas truck driver. This is truck driver Connelly (ph). He and his wife raise chickens at their home. And this one decided to hitch a ride to Colorado. What a trip.

OK, Rob, they're going to turn off my microphone so I can cough. So you do the Picture of the Day.

MARCIANO: OK. What is this picture? Did you figure this out? Any guesses? I couldn't tell either. It's the end of the week and the end of the school year, so we're happy to share the happy photo of the day. Look at this, a group of students from Bramwood Elementary School in Oxford, Mississippi. Guess what song they're singing?

COSTELLO: OK. I'm OK now. I can guess.

MARCIANO: Guess.

COSTELLO: I bet they're singing "You Are My Sunshine."

MARCIANO: That would be a good -- is that right? Yes. I guess -- or, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." Are those two different songs.

COSTELLO: No, you are my sunshine, my, that song.

MARCIANO: I waited all week for Carol to sing something. Finally on Friday. You didn't disappoint.

COSTELLO: Well, it's good that coughing attack is over.

MARCIANO: Thank you.

Are you feeling better?

COSTELLO: I am. Thank you, Rob.

I appreciate that.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

How will customers be affected now that thousands of communication workers have walked off the job?

And with 40 days to go until the handover in Iraq, is this man a friend or a foe? We'll discuss the changing bizarre role of Ahmad Chalabi.

And Iraq isn't the only place where prisons are under investigation. Now the CIA is getting involved. We'll have a live report from another war zone when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Hundreds more prisoners head home from Abu Ghraib as new images of abuse emerge.

This is DAYBREAK for May 21.

Good morning to you.

From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

Here are the latest headlines for you now.

After three days of daily clashes with Palestinians, the Israeli military is pulling out of Gaza. Palestinian sources say 40 Palestinians were killed, 107 injured since Tuesday. Israel says it destroyed tunnels used for smuggling guns and explosives.

In Iraq, insurgents kill four Iraqi security forces and wound two others at a checkpoint in Ba'qubah. That's northeast of Baghdad. The Iraqis were outnumbered two to one in the ambush.

In money news, Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate are postponing a vote on a $2.4 trillion budget. That's after avoiding what could have been an embarrassing election year defeat of the measure.

In sports, at the PGA's Colonial Tournament, Craig Perks opens play today in the lead. He had a bogey-free six under par, 64 in the opening round, to take a one stroke lead over Jesper Parnevik.

In culture, you can own a piece of the man in black. Sotheby's plans a September auction of Johnny Cash items. More than 650 instruments, handwritten lyrics, jackets; even his pickup, which is black, of course. Johnny Cash died last September -- Rob.

MARCIANO: That would be a nice rig or ride to have, that's for sure.

Hi, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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