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CNN Live At Daybreak

America's Voice: Presidential Election; Today's Talker: Clinton, Kerry

Aired June 15, 2004 - 06:30   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: In money news, oh, the joy. The government says the average price for a gallon of regular gas has dipped below $2 for the first time in five weeks. Still, the price is 47 cents higher than a year ago.
In culture, the morning-after birth control pill has just gotten the endorsement of the nation's largest doctors group. At its annual meeting, the American Medical Association approved a resolution opposing the government's rejection of over-the-counter sales of the emergency contraceptive.

In sports, L.A. Lakers forward Karl Malone will not face charges for poking a fan -- you saw it there -- poking a fan in the face before game three of the NBA finals. A prosecutor says the incident was way too minor to warrant prosecution.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: There are 15 more days left before the planned transfer of power in Iraq. So, here's our situation report for you this morning.

Iraq's new interim prime minister says Iraq plans to take possession of Saddam Hussein and other detainees with the transfer of power, but Pentagon sources say the coalition will hold them until they are satisfied with Iraq's arrangement to secure those detainees.

A private interrogator in Iraq reportedly told investigators that Army guards at the Abu Ghraib prison kept some prisoners awake as much as 20 hours per day. The AP reports the interrogator says the guards got their orders from private contractors and military intelligence soldiers. The statement conflicts with accounts by some top generals.

Iraq's interim prime minister also vows to tighten security after the recent spate of bombings in Baghdad. Sixteen people, including five foreign nationals, have been killed in the past 24 hours.

And just about a half-hour from now, Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi will be on "AMERICAN MORNING" to talk about the custody of Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi prisoners, as well as the handover of power. That comes your way at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.

We have some new numbers for you this morning. The handover of power in Iraq is approaching, as I said. The Iraqis seem to be taking control. So, how do Americans feel about Iraq right now?

The man who knows, live in Princeton, New Jersey, our friend, Frank Newport.

Good morning, Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

Indeed, the attitudinal environment on the part of the U.S. public preparatory to the handover, which, as you said, is coming in about two weeks, is negative. So, is that bad for the Bush administration? Not necessarily. There is a contrast theory hypothesis, which I think is interesting. Things are so bad, says the American public, that any sign of improvement that may come with the handover may be a plus for the Bush administration. So, let's not say it's all negative.

But here's the bottom line. Are things going badly in Iraq? Sixty percent of Americans say yes. Approve of Bush's handling of Iraq. Well, this is the disapprove number and that's 57 percent -- almost as high.

So, almost every number that we and other pollsters put in front of the public comes back fairly negative.

It's very political, no question about that. This is Bush's war. Now, the reason you say that is Republicans, 76 percent -- this is fascinating -- say that it is worth it to have been in Iraq. But look on the right-hand side. Exactly the same number, 76 percent, of Democrats nationally say it wasn't worth it. We couldn't get any more polarized than that.

COSTELLO: Wow!

NEWPORT: The key is there in the middle there, Carol. Those are Independents. Right now, they're tilting towards saying it's not worth it. This is the group that you'll need to monitor, because maybe they'll be the ones that will change when they see what happens after June 30th.

COSTELLO: Yes, they may well decide the election.

Talking about the election, the presidential campaign is heating up again. You know, there's been a lot of focus on young voters. But do young voters really care about voting for president?

NEWPORT: Well, they don't care as much as those who are older. No question about that. Actually, some good news this year is everybody is caring more than they did before. And the young people still care less. No question about that. But all of the rising tide has lifted all boats, so to speak. We're getting higher levels of interest in this election than we've seen at this point in almost any election that we can find in our Gallup annals.

This is the percent who say they're paying quite a bit of attention, giving quite a bit of thought to the election. And sure enough, 18 to 29s, shamefully, only 52 percent say yes. You can see how the numbers go up as Americans get older. That's why, of course, senior citizens are so valuable. They turn out and vote. They care. They're interested, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, a very powerful voting block. Frank Newport, live in Princeton, New Jersey, thank you.

Speaking of the election season, how much will we be seeing of Bill Clinton? We know he's got a new book coming out. But will John Kerry take a page from the Al Gore playbook and distance himself from the former president?

And then their name is NASCAR royalty. Their mission is to help sick children get a taste of the good life in memory of their own son. Chad will talk with Kyle Petty and his wife, Patty. That's coming up on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He won his first statewide office at age 30, sworn in as governor at 32. He's a five- time governor of Arkansas, the first man from that state to become the president. He's also the first man in his party since Franklin Roosevelt to win a second term in the White House. And I can tell you more of the story, but it's coming out in fine bookstores all over America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And that would be President Bush joking with Bill Clinton as Clinton's portrait was unveiled. Actually, President Clinton has a busy few weeks ahead. His book, "My Life," is coming out, and the politicking has begun. And that is our hot talker of the morning.

Bill Clinton's book as a tool to push John Kerry, is that a good idea? Or will it backfire?

Live in our studios this morning, liberal talk master Mike Malloy.

MIKE MALLOY, LIBERAL RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hi, Carol.

COSTELLO: And syndicated libertarian conservative talker Neal Boortz.

Welcome to you both.

NEAL BOORTZ, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: How are you doing?

MALLOY: Hey.

COSTELLO: Good. Mike, let's start with you. Does Bill Clinton's very shadow, very large shadow, overwhelm John Kerry?

MALLOY: I don't think overwhelm, Carol. Clinton leaves a big footprint, there's no question. As far as Clinton's book helping Kerry in his efforts, I think that's true. I think that will happen. The contrast of having Bill Clinton out speaking extemporaneously, no notes, just talking about issues, compare that to George Bush's torture of the English language, and I think people -- much less the record of these two men. I think people will be very inclined to link Kerry and Clinton, and I think that's a good move on Kerry's part. That was a mistake that Al Gore made, by the way.

COSTELLO: And a lot of our viewers agree.

Neal, before you answer, I want to read you an e-mail from Don from Knoxville, Tennessee. He says: "Clinton may be larger than life to you, but he's a moral midget to me."

Clinton carries a lot of baggage. Might that not hurt John Kerry?

BOORTZ: The tour is going hurt John Kerry. The tour is intended to hurt John Kerry. George Bush was smiling at Bill Clinton yesterday, because Bill Clinton is the best friend George Bush has right now on the campaign. Bill Clinton could have delayed this book until after the election. Winter books sell very well. Christmas books sell very well.

The timing of this book is to suck, as they say, the oxygen out of the campaign right now and to deny the poodle the press that he's looking for. The last person in the world who wants to help John Kerry be elected president is Bill Clinton or his so-called wife.

COSTELLO: Could that be true, Mike?

MALLOY: No. Neal has been hitting the caffeine a little bit too hard this morning. I swear he has.

BOORTZ: No caffeine.

MALLOY: All right. He's been hitting the decaf a little bit too hard this morning. But no, I don't think that's true at all. I think it amazes me how the right-wing in this country, as soon as something happens that's coincidental they see conspiracy. So Clinton's book, Clinton conspired with the publishing world to get the book just when John Kerry was going to be out there stumping prior to the convention.

BOORTZ: Mike gets it.

MALLOY: Everybody planned this, you see, Carol. This was all planned years ago. Now, it just amazes me. The right-wing is great on conspiracy but very short on substance.

COSTELLO: Yes, but, you know, you have to admit if Bill Clinton is going to be on "Oprah," he's going to be on "60 Minutes." I mean, that's a lot of publicity for the Democrats as a whole. And might some of that...

BOORTZ: It is.

COSTELLO: ... rub off on John Kerry even if it's...

BOORTZ: Oh, sure, it might. But it's publicity for Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton does not want to run against an incumbent in 2008.

MALLOY: Oh!

BOORTZ: If John Kerry is in office, she has an incumbent to deal with. The last people in this country that want John Kerry to win that presidency this fall are Bill and Hillary Clinton.

COSTELLO: Well...

BOORTZ: So get used to it.

MALLOY: So...

BOORTZ: They do not intend to help John Kerry in this campaign. Oh, they'll pretend. They'll posture. But their goal in the timing of this book is to harm John Kerry's candidacy.

MALLOY: You see? It's all about Hillary Clinton, Carol. We knew this. The right-wing will tell you this. It's all about Hillary Clinton. It has nothing...

BOORTZ: Mike, I'm going to have to call your probation officer again.

MALLOY: It has nothing to do with Bill, nothing to do with John, nothing to do with George. It's about Hillary!

BOORTZ: Mike gets it! I like this.

COSTELLO: All right...

BOORTZ: We're educating the man.

COSTELLO: With the conspiracy theory, we'll have to have -- we'll let that be the last word. Neal Boortz, Mike Malloy, thank you for joining us, as usual, on Tuesday morning.

MALLOY: You bet.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

An apparent failed car bombing in Gaza. Israeli military source says Israeli troops fired on a car as it headed toward them this morning. Explosives in that car apparently detonated, killing the driver.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai meets this morning with President Bush. The Afghan president predicts security problems in the run-up to the constitutional assembly elections in September. In other words, he's going to run for re-election in September -- or election for the first time, I should say. In money news, AT&T reportedly plans to stop offering local phone service in several states. It's in response to a court ruling that goes into effect today. That decision lifts regulations, forcing regional phone carriers to share their networks with competitors at discounted rates.

In culture, a new movie about a love affair between two women is stirring protests across India. Police will be out in full force today at theaters where this film is being shown.

In sports, quarterback Tim Couch is heading to Green Bay. Cleveland's former top draft pick will be one of Bret Favre's backups. Couch will be paid a whopping 1,250,000 bucks for a one-year contract.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

Time for a little business buzz right now. EBay settles a lawsuit for millions of dollars.

Carrie Lee has more live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Good morning.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Hi, Carol.

$9.25 million to be exact. We're talking about PayPal, which is eBay's online payment system, and they're settling a federal class- action lawsuit.

Now, the case involves individuals and businesses that had a PayPal account during the period from October 1, 1999 through January 31, 2004. Some customers are alleging that the company did not appropriately communicate information regarding customer transactions, and didn't appropriately process limits that were placed on some customer accounts.

So, we'll see if this settlement is approved. Not sure exactly what this is going to mean in terms of compensation for each customer. But that's the latest on eBay.

We want to turn to "The Wall Street Journal," talking about wealthy individuals in this country. A report expected to come out today, the World Wealth Report," finds that the population of people with financial assets worth over $1 million surged by 14 percent in the U.S. last year and more than 7 percent globally. The reason? More people invested in the stock market. After leaving the market in droves in 2001, people came back last year, and more millionaires this time around -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Wow!

LEE: That's the latest from here.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Carrie Lee, live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Let's stay live in New York and go to the "AMERICAN MORNING" studios and Bill and Soledad to check what's coming up there.

Good morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol. Good morning to you. Some of the stories that are making headlines on this "AMERICAN MORNING," we're talking about the handover of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi prime minister says it's going to happen soon. The Pentagon is saying, though, not quite so fast. This morning, we talk with the interim prime minister about that.

HEMMER: Also, this plot in Columbus, Ohio, a lot of questions are still out there, Carol. Which mall was targeted? Is it just this one Somali, who is now being held back in Ohio? Were others involved? We'll talk to the mayor in Columbus, get a feel for what they're saying in central Ohio this morning about that.

O'BRIEN: Yes, lots of questions about that. And then, of course, did you see the pictures of President Bush and former President Bill Clinton?

HEMMER: They were playing nice with it...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Yukking it up. Best friends they look like if you look at the pictures. Chelsea Clinton is glowing, looks fabulous. We're going to find out why they were saying such nice things about each other yesterday.

COSTELLO: They really were, weren't they?

O'BRIEN: I know.

COSTELLO: It was kind of scary, actually.

O'BRIEN: It was. I was going to say nauseating, but scary is a good word, too.

COSTELLO: Both are good adjectives. Bill and Soledad, many thanks. We'll check you out in 10 minutes.

It doesn't cost a thing, and it will bring smiles to a lot of sick children. See how a legendary NASCAR family hopes to help others in the memory of a lost son.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A little over six years ago, I had the honor of interviewing Adam Petty as he won his very first ASA race in Missouri. The first thing he did was to pick up the phone and call his dad, Kyle. A racing accident up in New Hampshire took Adam away from us way too soon, but in his honor, his father, Kyle, and obviously mom, Patty, and a whole lot of other people have been working on this Victory Junction camp in Randleman, North Carolina.

And joining us this morning is Kyle.

Kyle, it's been a while. The last time I talked to you I think we were talking about your ride across America on a Harley.

KYLE PETTY, FOUNDER, VICTORY JUNCTION: Yes.

MYERS: And now it's coming to fruition. Can you believe it? It's actually there. It's opening. The gang, the Junction camp is actually coming to fruition and it's opening this summer. Tell us about it.

PETTY: It's hard to believe that the day has finally arrived. You know, we started this project -- we broke ground on this project a little bit over, I guess, 18, 19, 20 months ago. And everything you see behind us right now has been done in an incredible amount of time.

We'll see kids this Sunday, and our first group is hemophilia and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. And we're just extremely -- have been extremely blessed to be in a community like NASCAR and the Nextel Cup Series, where so many people and the outpouring from all of the drivers and the owners and the corporate sponsors. But the fans that watch our sports, the outpouring that has helped us this build this place have just been phenomenal.

And it's hard to believe that we're sitting here on a Tuesday. Our grand opening is today. The ribbon cutting is today.

MYERS: That's phenomenal.

PETTY: But the kids will be in here in another four or five days.

MYERS: I can't imagine the looks on their face when they walk into that camp. It's going to make you beam, it's going to make Patty beam, and obviously the whole camp there. But there's an awful lot of volunteer work, too. We're talking about a lot of money. But you have to have camp counselors. You have to have medical on staff, because really you're working with sick children.

PETTY: Yes, we have our own medical staff here. We have, I think, one doctor, two doctors -- one doctor and four or five nurses that are on staff here. Our counselors have come in, and we've got a great group of kids being counselors this year. They've been phenomenal. They brought a lot of life to the place over the last four or five weeks.

We need a lot of volunteers, too, and that's a big issue for us. Because the way the camp is set up, medical staff plus counselors, the ratio is two to one. We try to have two adults or two counselors for every kid that we have, and we hope to see somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 to 120 kids a week. So, we've got a lot of great volunteers here in central North Carolina that are coming out and helping us these first few weeks. But we need counselors from all over.

MYERS: The land came from your dad. The Jumbotron came from basically the NASCAR family. You've been getting just donations from all over the country. How can people still donate?

PETTY: You know, people can be a part of the camp in a number of ways. There are quilts that ladies are making all over the country, quilts and teddy bears. When the kids come to camp, it's a free camp. We pay for medicine. We pay for everything. But they take their quilt that's on their bed with them, and they take their teddy bear with them.

So, we've got thousands of teddy bears and thousands of quilts that need to be made. We've got thousands of volunteers that we would like to get on our books and say, can you volunteer for the week of July x? Or can you volunteer for August whatever? And, you know, you can always go online to VictoryJunction.org.

And we need -- well, obviously we're past the building stage now. We've got it up and we've got it running, but it's going to cost us somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 million to $3 million a year. So, we're in a campaign to keep the thing up and running right now. So, we've had thousands of checks for $45 in memory of Adam. Like you said, that was his number.

MYERS: Yes.

PETTY: That's the reason I wear this hat. And they can help in any different way. Just by praying for us they can help us, too.

MYERS: Kyle, what are the kids going to be able to do when they're there? I mean, what's the camp all about?

PETTY: The camp is to let these kids do everything that any normal kid does when they go to camp. So many times these children have been told that you can't do that, you have hemophilia. No, you can't do that, you have HIV. No, you can't do that, you have cancer.

When they come here, it's under a medical environment, where they can ride horses, they can fish. The Bass Pro Shop has donated tons of boats and fishing rods for us, and kids have been out here fishing for the last couple of days. We've been trying some things out. There are arts and crafts. We're in a huge pottery area here in North Carolina, where pottery is a big industry. We've got things where kids can make pottery. We've got a theater where they can do talent shows and go on stage and tell jokes or put on a play or do things like that.

So, basically it's your typical camp experience with the medical aspect thrown into it. And we want the kids, if they're out in the field and they're playing a game or whatever and they need a band-aid or they need something to happen, the medical staff goes to them. They don't have to go to the hospital. Because these kids spend so much time in a hospital, we don't want the medical to be in the forefront. We want it to be way in the background.

MYERS: Kyle, we're running out of satellite time, so thank you very much for your time this morning. It has been a pleasure. Congratulations. It's finally coming to fruition for you and Patty.

PETTY: Thank you, guys. God bless you for having us.

MYERS: All right. Take care. Bye.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And she just had a baby, that Courteney Cox Arquette.

MYERS: And she looks great.

COSTELLO: At 40.

MYERS: You know, I've always...

COSTELLO: We love that.

MYERS: I've always loved Helen Hunt, too. So, happy birthday, Helen.

COSTELLO: And she's 41 and looks great.

MYERS: I know.

COSTELLO: And she just had a baby.

MYERS: She's my age. There is still hope.

Anyway, we've got to give away the coffee mug. There it is. We've got to give away the one from yesterday, and I have the questions for today. So, we'll go.

What is the name of the Saturn's moon? Well, we would have given you this one, but Phoebe was the one we were looking for, but obviously Saturn has a number of moons. And what president signed an Act of Congress designating June 4th as Flag Day? And that was...

COSTELLO: June 14th.

MYERS: June 14th.

COSTELLO: That's Flag Day.

MYERS: Yesterday. As Flag Day, and that was Harry Truman.

The correct winner, Gayla Spaulding of Broad Brook, Connecticut. Good morning, Gayla, congratulations.

COSTELLO: Congratulations. The cup is in the mail. MYERS: And now the questions for today. What is the name of the camp founded by Richard, Kyle and Patty Petty in memory of their son, Adam Petty? We just had that interview. And, No. 2, according to Diana Muriel's report, what does the Greek Finance Ministry estimate the 2004 Summer Games will cost?

COSTELLO: Oh, that's a tough one.

MYERS: It's going to be a big number, too.

COSTELLO: Yes. Daybreak@CNN.com. Daybreak@CNN.com. Get those answers in so you can win that beautiful cup.

MYERS: We've had them all.

COSTELLO: Kyle Petty was nice.

MYERS: He was. It was a really nice interview with Kyle, and he's a really great guy. Well, you know, we've talked.

COSTELLO: It seems like it.

MYERS: Yes. And that's in Randleman, North Carolina, and it was VictoryJunction.org if you didn't get the Web site.

COSTELLO: Thanks for that, Chad.

MYERS: You bet.

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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 June 15, 2004 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In money news, oh, the joy. The government says the average price for a gallon of regular gas has dipped below $2 for the first time in five weeks. Still, the price is 47 cents higher than a year ago.
In culture, the morning-after birth control pill has just gotten the endorsement of the nation's largest doctors group. At its annual meeting, the American Medical Association approved a resolution opposing the government's rejection of over-the-counter sales of the emergency contraceptive.

In sports, L.A. Lakers forward Karl Malone will not face charges for poking a fan -- you saw it there -- poking a fan in the face before game three of the NBA finals. A prosecutor says the incident was way too minor to warrant prosecution.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: There are 15 more days left before the planned transfer of power in Iraq. So, here's our situation report for you this morning.

Iraq's new interim prime minister says Iraq plans to take possession of Saddam Hussein and other detainees with the transfer of power, but Pentagon sources say the coalition will hold them until they are satisfied with Iraq's arrangement to secure those detainees.

A private interrogator in Iraq reportedly told investigators that Army guards at the Abu Ghraib prison kept some prisoners awake as much as 20 hours per day. The AP reports the interrogator says the guards got their orders from private contractors and military intelligence soldiers. The statement conflicts with accounts by some top generals.

Iraq's interim prime minister also vows to tighten security after the recent spate of bombings in Baghdad. Sixteen people, including five foreign nationals, have been killed in the past 24 hours.

And just about a half-hour from now, Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi will be on "AMERICAN MORNING" to talk about the custody of Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi prisoners, as well as the handover of power. That comes your way at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.

We have some new numbers for you this morning. The handover of power in Iraq is approaching, as I said. The Iraqis seem to be taking control. So, how do Americans feel about Iraq right now?

The man who knows, live in Princeton, New Jersey, our friend, Frank Newport.

Good morning, Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

Indeed, the attitudinal environment on the part of the U.S. public preparatory to the handover, which, as you said, is coming in about two weeks, is negative. So, is that bad for the Bush administration? Not necessarily. There is a contrast theory hypothesis, which I think is interesting. Things are so bad, says the American public, that any sign of improvement that may come with the handover may be a plus for the Bush administration. So, let's not say it's all negative.

But here's the bottom line. Are things going badly in Iraq? Sixty percent of Americans say yes. Approve of Bush's handling of Iraq. Well, this is the disapprove number and that's 57 percent -- almost as high.

So, almost every number that we and other pollsters put in front of the public comes back fairly negative.

It's very political, no question about that. This is Bush's war. Now, the reason you say that is Republicans, 76 percent -- this is fascinating -- say that it is worth it to have been in Iraq. But look on the right-hand side. Exactly the same number, 76 percent, of Democrats nationally say it wasn't worth it. We couldn't get any more polarized than that.

COSTELLO: Wow!

NEWPORT: The key is there in the middle there, Carol. Those are Independents. Right now, they're tilting towards saying it's not worth it. This is the group that you'll need to monitor, because maybe they'll be the ones that will change when they see what happens after June 30th.

COSTELLO: Yes, they may well decide the election.

Talking about the election, the presidential campaign is heating up again. You know, there's been a lot of focus on young voters. But do young voters really care about voting for president?

NEWPORT: Well, they don't care as much as those who are older. No question about that. Actually, some good news this year is everybody is caring more than they did before. And the young people still care less. No question about that. But all of the rising tide has lifted all boats, so to speak. We're getting higher levels of interest in this election than we've seen at this point in almost any election that we can find in our Gallup annals.

This is the percent who say they're paying quite a bit of attention, giving quite a bit of thought to the election. And sure enough, 18 to 29s, shamefully, only 52 percent say yes. You can see how the numbers go up as Americans get older. That's why, of course, senior citizens are so valuable. They turn out and vote. They care. They're interested, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, a very powerful voting block. Frank Newport, live in Princeton, New Jersey, thank you.

Speaking of the election season, how much will we be seeing of Bill Clinton? We know he's got a new book coming out. But will John Kerry take a page from the Al Gore playbook and distance himself from the former president?

And then their name is NASCAR royalty. Their mission is to help sick children get a taste of the good life in memory of their own son. Chad will talk with Kyle Petty and his wife, Patty. That's coming up on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He won his first statewide office at age 30, sworn in as governor at 32. He's a five- time governor of Arkansas, the first man from that state to become the president. He's also the first man in his party since Franklin Roosevelt to win a second term in the White House. And I can tell you more of the story, but it's coming out in fine bookstores all over America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And that would be President Bush joking with Bill Clinton as Clinton's portrait was unveiled. Actually, President Clinton has a busy few weeks ahead. His book, "My Life," is coming out, and the politicking has begun. And that is our hot talker of the morning.

Bill Clinton's book as a tool to push John Kerry, is that a good idea? Or will it backfire?

Live in our studios this morning, liberal talk master Mike Malloy.

MIKE MALLOY, LIBERAL RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hi, Carol.

COSTELLO: And syndicated libertarian conservative talker Neal Boortz.

Welcome to you both.

NEAL BOORTZ, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: How are you doing?

MALLOY: Hey.

COSTELLO: Good. Mike, let's start with you. Does Bill Clinton's very shadow, very large shadow, overwhelm John Kerry?

MALLOY: I don't think overwhelm, Carol. Clinton leaves a big footprint, there's no question. As far as Clinton's book helping Kerry in his efforts, I think that's true. I think that will happen. The contrast of having Bill Clinton out speaking extemporaneously, no notes, just talking about issues, compare that to George Bush's torture of the English language, and I think people -- much less the record of these two men. I think people will be very inclined to link Kerry and Clinton, and I think that's a good move on Kerry's part. That was a mistake that Al Gore made, by the way.

COSTELLO: And a lot of our viewers agree.

Neal, before you answer, I want to read you an e-mail from Don from Knoxville, Tennessee. He says: "Clinton may be larger than life to you, but he's a moral midget to me."

Clinton carries a lot of baggage. Might that not hurt John Kerry?

BOORTZ: The tour is going hurt John Kerry. The tour is intended to hurt John Kerry. George Bush was smiling at Bill Clinton yesterday, because Bill Clinton is the best friend George Bush has right now on the campaign. Bill Clinton could have delayed this book until after the election. Winter books sell very well. Christmas books sell very well.

The timing of this book is to suck, as they say, the oxygen out of the campaign right now and to deny the poodle the press that he's looking for. The last person in the world who wants to help John Kerry be elected president is Bill Clinton or his so-called wife.

COSTELLO: Could that be true, Mike?

MALLOY: No. Neal has been hitting the caffeine a little bit too hard this morning. I swear he has.

BOORTZ: No caffeine.

MALLOY: All right. He's been hitting the decaf a little bit too hard this morning. But no, I don't think that's true at all. I think it amazes me how the right-wing in this country, as soon as something happens that's coincidental they see conspiracy. So Clinton's book, Clinton conspired with the publishing world to get the book just when John Kerry was going to be out there stumping prior to the convention.

BOORTZ: Mike gets it.

MALLOY: Everybody planned this, you see, Carol. This was all planned years ago. Now, it just amazes me. The right-wing is great on conspiracy but very short on substance.

COSTELLO: Yes, but, you know, you have to admit if Bill Clinton is going to be on "Oprah," he's going to be on "60 Minutes." I mean, that's a lot of publicity for the Democrats as a whole. And might some of that...

BOORTZ: It is.

COSTELLO: ... rub off on John Kerry even if it's...

BOORTZ: Oh, sure, it might. But it's publicity for Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton does not want to run against an incumbent in 2008.

MALLOY: Oh!

BOORTZ: If John Kerry is in office, she has an incumbent to deal with. The last people in this country that want John Kerry to win that presidency this fall are Bill and Hillary Clinton.

COSTELLO: Well...

BOORTZ: So get used to it.

MALLOY: So...

BOORTZ: They do not intend to help John Kerry in this campaign. Oh, they'll pretend. They'll posture. But their goal in the timing of this book is to harm John Kerry's candidacy.

MALLOY: You see? It's all about Hillary Clinton, Carol. We knew this. The right-wing will tell you this. It's all about Hillary Clinton. It has nothing...

BOORTZ: Mike, I'm going to have to call your probation officer again.

MALLOY: It has nothing to do with Bill, nothing to do with John, nothing to do with George. It's about Hillary!

BOORTZ: Mike gets it! I like this.

COSTELLO: All right...

BOORTZ: We're educating the man.

COSTELLO: With the conspiracy theory, we'll have to have -- we'll let that be the last word. Neal Boortz, Mike Malloy, thank you for joining us, as usual, on Tuesday morning.

MALLOY: You bet.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

An apparent failed car bombing in Gaza. Israeli military source says Israeli troops fired on a car as it headed toward them this morning. Explosives in that car apparently detonated, killing the driver.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai meets this morning with President Bush. The Afghan president predicts security problems in the run-up to the constitutional assembly elections in September. In other words, he's going to run for re-election in September -- or election for the first time, I should say. In money news, AT&T reportedly plans to stop offering local phone service in several states. It's in response to a court ruling that goes into effect today. That decision lifts regulations, forcing regional phone carriers to share their networks with competitors at discounted rates.

In culture, a new movie about a love affair between two women is stirring protests across India. Police will be out in full force today at theaters where this film is being shown.

In sports, quarterback Tim Couch is heading to Green Bay. Cleveland's former top draft pick will be one of Bret Favre's backups. Couch will be paid a whopping 1,250,000 bucks for a one-year contract.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

Time for a little business buzz right now. EBay settles a lawsuit for millions of dollars.

Carrie Lee has more live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Good morning.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Hi, Carol.

$9.25 million to be exact. We're talking about PayPal, which is eBay's online payment system, and they're settling a federal class- action lawsuit.

Now, the case involves individuals and businesses that had a PayPal account during the period from October 1, 1999 through January 31, 2004. Some customers are alleging that the company did not appropriately communicate information regarding customer transactions, and didn't appropriately process limits that were placed on some customer accounts.

So, we'll see if this settlement is approved. Not sure exactly what this is going to mean in terms of compensation for each customer. But that's the latest on eBay.

We want to turn to "The Wall Street Journal," talking about wealthy individuals in this country. A report expected to come out today, the World Wealth Report," finds that the population of people with financial assets worth over $1 million surged by 14 percent in the U.S. last year and more than 7 percent globally. The reason? More people invested in the stock market. After leaving the market in droves in 2001, people came back last year, and more millionaires this time around -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Wow!

LEE: That's the latest from here.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Carrie Lee, live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Let's stay live in New York and go to the "AMERICAN MORNING" studios and Bill and Soledad to check what's coming up there.

Good morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol. Good morning to you. Some of the stories that are making headlines on this "AMERICAN MORNING," we're talking about the handover of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi prime minister says it's going to happen soon. The Pentagon is saying, though, not quite so fast. This morning, we talk with the interim prime minister about that.

HEMMER: Also, this plot in Columbus, Ohio, a lot of questions are still out there, Carol. Which mall was targeted? Is it just this one Somali, who is now being held back in Ohio? Were others involved? We'll talk to the mayor in Columbus, get a feel for what they're saying in central Ohio this morning about that.

O'BRIEN: Yes, lots of questions about that. And then, of course, did you see the pictures of President Bush and former President Bill Clinton?

HEMMER: They were playing nice with it...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Yukking it up. Best friends they look like if you look at the pictures. Chelsea Clinton is glowing, looks fabulous. We're going to find out why they were saying such nice things about each other yesterday.

COSTELLO: They really were, weren't they?

O'BRIEN: I know.

COSTELLO: It was kind of scary, actually.

O'BRIEN: It was. I was going to say nauseating, but scary is a good word, too.

COSTELLO: Both are good adjectives. Bill and Soledad, many thanks. We'll check you out in 10 minutes.

It doesn't cost a thing, and it will bring smiles to a lot of sick children. See how a legendary NASCAR family hopes to help others in the memory of a lost son.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A little over six years ago, I had the honor of interviewing Adam Petty as he won his very first ASA race in Missouri. The first thing he did was to pick up the phone and call his dad, Kyle. A racing accident up in New Hampshire took Adam away from us way too soon, but in his honor, his father, Kyle, and obviously mom, Patty, and a whole lot of other people have been working on this Victory Junction camp in Randleman, North Carolina.

And joining us this morning is Kyle.

Kyle, it's been a while. The last time I talked to you I think we were talking about your ride across America on a Harley.

KYLE PETTY, FOUNDER, VICTORY JUNCTION: Yes.

MYERS: And now it's coming to fruition. Can you believe it? It's actually there. It's opening. The gang, the Junction camp is actually coming to fruition and it's opening this summer. Tell us about it.

PETTY: It's hard to believe that the day has finally arrived. You know, we started this project -- we broke ground on this project a little bit over, I guess, 18, 19, 20 months ago. And everything you see behind us right now has been done in an incredible amount of time.

We'll see kids this Sunday, and our first group is hemophilia and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. And we're just extremely -- have been extremely blessed to be in a community like NASCAR and the Nextel Cup Series, where so many people and the outpouring from all of the drivers and the owners and the corporate sponsors. But the fans that watch our sports, the outpouring that has helped us this build this place have just been phenomenal.

And it's hard to believe that we're sitting here on a Tuesday. Our grand opening is today. The ribbon cutting is today.

MYERS: That's phenomenal.

PETTY: But the kids will be in here in another four or five days.

MYERS: I can't imagine the looks on their face when they walk into that camp. It's going to make you beam, it's going to make Patty beam, and obviously the whole camp there. But there's an awful lot of volunteer work, too. We're talking about a lot of money. But you have to have camp counselors. You have to have medical on staff, because really you're working with sick children.

PETTY: Yes, we have our own medical staff here. We have, I think, one doctor, two doctors -- one doctor and four or five nurses that are on staff here. Our counselors have come in, and we've got a great group of kids being counselors this year. They've been phenomenal. They brought a lot of life to the place over the last four or five weeks.

We need a lot of volunteers, too, and that's a big issue for us. Because the way the camp is set up, medical staff plus counselors, the ratio is two to one. We try to have two adults or two counselors for every kid that we have, and we hope to see somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 to 120 kids a week. So, we've got a lot of great volunteers here in central North Carolina that are coming out and helping us these first few weeks. But we need counselors from all over.

MYERS: The land came from your dad. The Jumbotron came from basically the NASCAR family. You've been getting just donations from all over the country. How can people still donate?

PETTY: You know, people can be a part of the camp in a number of ways. There are quilts that ladies are making all over the country, quilts and teddy bears. When the kids come to camp, it's a free camp. We pay for medicine. We pay for everything. But they take their quilt that's on their bed with them, and they take their teddy bear with them.

So, we've got thousands of teddy bears and thousands of quilts that need to be made. We've got thousands of volunteers that we would like to get on our books and say, can you volunteer for the week of July x? Or can you volunteer for August whatever? And, you know, you can always go online to VictoryJunction.org.

And we need -- well, obviously we're past the building stage now. We've got it up and we've got it running, but it's going to cost us somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 million to $3 million a year. So, we're in a campaign to keep the thing up and running right now. So, we've had thousands of checks for $45 in memory of Adam. Like you said, that was his number.

MYERS: Yes.

PETTY: That's the reason I wear this hat. And they can help in any different way. Just by praying for us they can help us, too.

MYERS: Kyle, what are the kids going to be able to do when they're there? I mean, what's the camp all about?

PETTY: The camp is to let these kids do everything that any normal kid does when they go to camp. So many times these children have been told that you can't do that, you have hemophilia. No, you can't do that, you have HIV. No, you can't do that, you have cancer.

When they come here, it's under a medical environment, where they can ride horses, they can fish. The Bass Pro Shop has donated tons of boats and fishing rods for us, and kids have been out here fishing for the last couple of days. We've been trying some things out. There are arts and crafts. We're in a huge pottery area here in North Carolina, where pottery is a big industry. We've got things where kids can make pottery. We've got a theater where they can do talent shows and go on stage and tell jokes or put on a play or do things like that.

So, basically it's your typical camp experience with the medical aspect thrown into it. And we want the kids, if they're out in the field and they're playing a game or whatever and they need a band-aid or they need something to happen, the medical staff goes to them. They don't have to go to the hospital. Because these kids spend so much time in a hospital, we don't want the medical to be in the forefront. We want it to be way in the background.

MYERS: Kyle, we're running out of satellite time, so thank you very much for your time this morning. It has been a pleasure. Congratulations. It's finally coming to fruition for you and Patty.

PETTY: Thank you, guys. God bless you for having us.

MYERS: All right. Take care. Bye.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And she just had a baby, that Courteney Cox Arquette.

MYERS: And she looks great.

COSTELLO: At 40.

MYERS: You know, I've always...

COSTELLO: We love that.

MYERS: I've always loved Helen Hunt, too. So, happy birthday, Helen.

COSTELLO: And she's 41 and looks great.

MYERS: I know.

COSTELLO: And she just had a baby.

MYERS: She's my age. There is still hope.

Anyway, we've got to give away the coffee mug. There it is. We've got to give away the one from yesterday, and I have the questions for today. So, we'll go.

What is the name of the Saturn's moon? Well, we would have given you this one, but Phoebe was the one we were looking for, but obviously Saturn has a number of moons. And what president signed an Act of Congress designating June 4th as Flag Day? And that was...

COSTELLO: June 14th.

MYERS: June 14th.

COSTELLO: That's Flag Day.

MYERS: Yesterday. As Flag Day, and that was Harry Truman.

The correct winner, Gayla Spaulding of Broad Brook, Connecticut. Good morning, Gayla, congratulations.

COSTELLO: Congratulations. The cup is in the mail. MYERS: And now the questions for today. What is the name of the camp founded by Richard, Kyle and Patty Petty in memory of their son, Adam Petty? We just had that interview. And, No. 2, according to Diana Muriel's report, what does the Greek Finance Ministry estimate the 2004 Summer Games will cost?

COSTELLO: Oh, that's a tough one.

MYERS: It's going to be a big number, too.

COSTELLO: Yes. Daybreak@CNN.com. Daybreak@CNN.com. Get those answers in so you can win that beautiful cup.

MYERS: We've had them all.

COSTELLO: Kyle Petty was nice.

MYERS: He was. It was a really nice interview with Kyle, and he's a really great guy. Well, you know, we've talked.

COSTELLO: It seems like it.

MYERS: Yes. And that's in Randleman, North Carolina, and it was VictoryJunction.org if you didn't get the Web site.

COSTELLO: Thanks for that, Chad.

MYERS: You bet.

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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