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CNN Live At Daybreak
Pretrial Hearings for U.S. Soldiers Accused in Connection With Torture of Prisoners; Latest Developments in Kobe Bryant Case
Aired June 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: This notorious prison now a crime scene. So says a judge in Iraq who ordered Abu Ghraib to remain standing.
It is Monday, June 21.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
Pretrial hearings under way in Baghdad now in the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal. A military judge has agreed to allow a defense attorney to question top U.S. generals.
And we're just getting word that four U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq. Reuters is reporting the soldiers' bodies were found in a building in the town of Ramadi. No comment yet from the U.S. military.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia are still searching for the body of Paul Johnson. He was beheaded by al Qaeda militants three days ago.
In money news, Wachovia, the nation's fourth largest bank, is said to be in talks to buy Southtrust Corporation. The deal would expand Wachovia's presence in the Southeast.
In culture, "Dodgeball" was tops at the box office. The comedy pulled in $30 million over the weekend. "Dodgeball" did better than the Tom Hanks movie "The Terminal," which came in a distant second.
In sports, Retief Goosen wins his second U.S. Open title with a two shot win over Masters champion Phil Mickelson. Mickelson double bogied the 17th hole, to lose the lead late in the tournament. It was an exciting one, though, wasn't it -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That first putt was a putt for par and for a tie and for it to go into sudden death. Wow, you know? But, yes, he had a great -- he had a great Augusta. You can't take that away from him.
COSTELLO: Well, it wasn't Augusta this year, though.
MYERS: No, he...
COSTELLO: It was in...
MYERS: No, he had a great...
COSTELLO: Oh, last year.
MYERS: Yes, he won the Masters just a couple of weeks ago.
COSTELLO: Got you. Sorry.
MYERS: That's all right. You knew what I meant.
COSTELLO: I did. Now I do.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Top American generals can be called as witnesses in the courts-martial of M.P.s charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners. And the infamous Abu Ghraib Prison cannot be demolished until the courts- martials are complete. Those among the rulings of a military judge at today's pretrial hearings, covered in Baghdad by our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
She joins us live now -- hell, Christiane.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, it is the pretrial hearings for three of those seven Americans who've been accused in connection with the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib. One of them, as you know, pleaded guilty in a special court martial last month. Six more are undergoing this process. And, as I say, three of them were in court.
We're going to turn right now to Guy Womack, who is the civilian attorney for Specialist Charles Graner, who has been accused with the bulk of the crimes in this case.
Now, first, I wanted to ask you specifically, you have asked for a change of venue. They have said no. You have asked for, to try to depose some quite high level officials.
Tell me your defense and to what height in the chain of command are you going?
GUY WOMACK, CHARLES GRANER'S ATTORNEY: OK. Really, there is a two pronged defense. The first prong is that the individuals who were interrogated and photographed at Tier One Alpha of Abu Ghraib are not protected by international or American law and therefore you can't be guilty of maltreatment if they're not even protected bylaw.
The second prong it that the M.P.s, Specialist Graner and the others, were following what they believed to be lawful orders. They were ordered by military intelligence officers to do certain things, to soften up these prisoners. They were encouraged to do things. They were congratulated for how well they were doing it and they believed they were doing something that was lawful as part of the war on terrorism.
AMANPOUR: As you know, the U.S. government, from the president on down, says that these are bad apples, they were conducting this abuse within their own circle and that it does not go high up the chain of command. But you're talking about even deposing Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld.
WOMACK: We would like to. And the reason is, we do not think for a moment that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld or President Bush did anything wrong. I think the legal advice they were given that these were not protected persons was absolutely correct and we would like to flesh that out from talking to the secretary of defense.
Also, the secretary of defense, in waging a war on terrorism correctly loosened the reigns somewhat on interrogators. And ultimately, as that went down the chain of command, it accelerated. And by the time it got to Tier One Alpha at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, the junior officers and senior enlisted men in the military intelligence command thought they had pretty free reign to do a lot of things.
AMANPOUR: So are you saying that the climate in the United States enunciated by top level officials implicitly created this kind of abuse?
WOMACK: Very far down the chain. It's not that it led to it directly, but rather it loosened the reigns somewhat on the intelligence community. And ultimately at the next level down, the reigns were loosened a little bit more. And by the time it got to Tier One Alpha at Abu Ghraib, the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade thought they could do just about anything.
AMANPOUR: And you were saying earlier that this became almost a daily occurrence. You know, people have said that it's just these pictures, it's just this -- these incidents.
To your understanding, from speaking to everybody concerned now, was this a daily occurrence, this kind of abuse?
WOMACK: I think the general climate under which Tier One Alpha was run was a daily occurrence, at least in November and probably December of 2003. It wasn't just a one day or a two day thing. I'm sure it was a general run of the environment.
But keep in mind that the photographed events may have only happened two or three times, but the events that led up to that or that followed that were a daily part of life -- sleep deprivation, prisoners being held in isolation, prisoners being made to remain nude, these were daily events.
AMANPOUR: And you were saying that M.P.s -- that that wing or that part of the prison was put under the tactical command of military intelligence for the first time ever.
WOMACK: Yes.
AMANPOUR: An unprecedented affair. WOMACK: That is unprecedented. Under U.S. Army doctrine, military prisons, military brigs, stockades, are run strictly by military policemen. At Abu Ghraib, the mission of Abu Ghraib changed from being a detention center identifying Iraqi males and releasing them. It became, at One Alpha, merely an interrogation point. And necessarily that meant that military intelligence should run the operation.
General Sanchez, in his memo in November, ordered and clarified that chain of command and notified everyone that military intelligence was in tactical control over Abu Ghraib. That is unprecedented.
AMANPOUR: Mr. Womack, thank you very much, indeed.
Guy Womack, who is the civilian defense attorney for Specialist Charles Graner.
He had his pretrial hearing just earlier and now the third one of the day is under way for Ivan Fredrick. Now, he's charged in connection with that infamous now -- some people call it iconic picture of abuse, the hooded prisoner with the electric wires tied to his fingers and toes and other parts of his body standing on that box.
So these continue throughout this day -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Christiane Amanpour reporting live for us this morning.
Thank you.
South Korea has now sent a delegation to Jordan to try to gain the release of one of its citizens being held hostage in Iraq. Kidnappers have threatened to behead the man if South Korea doesn't withdraw its troops from Iraq. Seoul is rejecting that demand. As many as 10 other foreigners are reportedly being held captive with the South Korean hostage.
And as we get closer to the U.S. handover to Iraq, CNN is taking the pulse of world opinion on the situation. Today, CNN's Jim Clancy hosts a town hall forum in Dubai on the Arab world's obligation to Iraq and its relationship with the United States. That's today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific, right here on CNN.
Kobe Bryant will be back in a Colorado courtroom today, where he could learn when his trial may finally start.
Adrian Baschuk is live in Eagle, Colorado.
He joins us live now -- good morning.
ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Let's bring you and the viewers up to speed on what has happened leading into today's hearing.
First, the judge has allowed the defense to get as look into the AT&T text messaging records of the accuser, specifically, text messages sent between her and her boyfriend just in the hours after the alleged rape by Kobe Bryant happened.
Also, the judge has upheld Colorado's rape shield law. That law has had numerous attacks on it in its 30 year history. The law was designed to protect victims, advisers, alleged victims, from undue harm, humiliation and fishing expeditions into their sexual pasts. However, exceptions can be made to the law and defense attorneys will continue to argue that the judge must submit evidence that they allege the accuser had sex with multiple partners in the days before and one day after allegedly being raped by Kobe Bryant.
Now, the judge may set a trial date finally this hearing. We are in the lead up of the speedy trial process to a trial needing to take place. Kobe Bryant has six months from May 27 -- that is when he entered his plea of not guilty -- that a trial must take place. However, delays persist, specifically on DNA tests that both sides were independently conducting. Both sides are blaming each other for the long delays -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So many interesting things coming out of these hearings.
Tell us about the text messages between Kobe Bryant's accuser and her boyfriend.
Will they be admissible in court?
BASCHUK: The judge is going to have to rule. Both sides and the judge will meet in closed -- behind closed doors in the judge's chambers to debate whether or not those will be admissible. We don't know the exact text of what are in those records, but legal analysts say that they could possibly get Kobe Bryant off the hook -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So how long will Kobe Bryant actually be in Colorado this time?
BASCHUK: This hearing is scheduled for two days. It was originally scheduled for five, then down to three. But we know from the schedule released by the court that it's going to be today and tomorrow. And he should be out of Colorado by late tomorrow afternoon. But this time, no game to tend to -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Adrian Baschuk reporting live for us from Eagle, Colorado, thank you.
Others stories from across America this first day of summer.
In Wisconsin, three bodies found washed up on a Lake Michigan beach are identified as a father and his two sons. The bodies were tied together at the waist and weighed down with 50 pounds of sand. They have been missing from Chicago since early May. Police consider their deaths murder.
Oops! An investigation is under way after a Northwest Airlines flight landed at the wrong airport. Instead of landing in Rapid City, South Dakota, Flight 1152 from Minneapolis landed at nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base. Three hours later, the plane made the short hop to the correct airport.
A new chapter in aviation history in the making today. A private company is set to launch a rocket plan from California's Mohave Desert. Spaceship One is to soar to an altitude of 62 miles above the earth, to simulate both the view and feel of space travel.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, can the vice president explain a connection between Iraq and al Qaeda? The 9/11 Commission wants to know, and sooner rather than later.
Plus, he served the Princess of Wales, now he serves up his story on stage.
And we'll go back to our top story -- American soldiers defending themselves on charges of abuse at Abu Ghraib. An American soldier joins us to discuss those charges.
This is DAYBREAK for June 21.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 6:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Pretrial hearings under way in Iraq in the case of three American soldiers accused of abusing prisoners. The lawyer for one of the accused says he wants to call President Bush as a witness in the case.
South Korea is dispatching a team to negotiate the release of a man held hostage. Militant kidnappers say they'll kill the man if South Korean troops are not removed from Iraq. The South Korean government says it has no plans to withdraw.
In money news, the Bush administration says the economy is doing well and should continue to grow for the rest of the year. Treasury Secretary John Snow also says the war in Iraq has deflected attention from the economic recovery.
In culture, Paul McCartney played his first ever show in St. Petersburg, Russia. The concert was delayed almost an hour and a half, as people waited to pass through metal detectors and security lines.
In sports, they are gathered for the opening of the Wimbledon championships. Play gets under way in about an hour. Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova all in action today -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: The 9/11 Commission is nearing the end of its work. It concluded there was no evidence of a collaborative relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda in the September 11 attacks.
Vice President Cheney maintains that there were ties between the two.
Elaine Quijano has more from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): September 11th Commission members say if Vice President Dick Cheney has more information on the Iraq-al Qaeda link, they would be happy to receive it.
THOMAS KEAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: I don't know if we need to interview him, but obviously if there is any information still and it has to do with the subject of the report, we need it, and we need it pretty fast.
QUIJANO: It was in a television interview Thursday that the Vice President raised questions about what he knows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know things that the commission does not know?
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES: Probably.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do you think the Commission needs to know them?
CHENEY: I don't any -- I don't know what they know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: In a statement Sunday, Cheney's spokesman Kevin Kellems said -- "The administration has cooperated fully with the Commission, and given them unprecedented access to highly classified information. To my knowledge, we have not received a request for additional information of any kind".
The Bush Administration maintained it never directly stated that Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq collaborated with Al Qaeda to carry out the September 11th attacks. Instead, the White House has emphasized numerous contacts between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Both points not in conflict with the September 11th Commission's interim staff report.
LEE HAMILTON, 9/11 COMMISSION'S VICE CHMN: There were contacts between al Qaeda and Iraq prior to September 11th. I don't think there's any dispute about that. There were such contacts. The second assertion that we make is that there was no collaborative relationship. No operational relationship between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: A question for you this morning -- how valuable are those so-called enemy combatants being held at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba? Well, the "New York Times" is reporting that administration descriptions have been greatly exaggerated. The paper reports that only around a dozen of the nearly 600 detainees are sworn al Qaeda members and that no information gained from interrogations has thwarted any imminent attack. A Supreme Court decision on the legal status of those detainees is expected in the next week.
Time for a little business buzz now.
The nation's fourth largest bank wants to gobble up a bank for breakfast this morning.
Let's head live to the NASDAQ market site and Carrie Lee.
She has more -- good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Carol.
Published reports saying Wachovia is in talks to acquire Suntrust Bank. The "Wall Street Journal" pegs this deal to be worth about $13.8 billion. We don't have comments from the banks at this point, but these reports say that a deal could be announced as early as today.
Now, not sure what this is going to mean, if it happens, in terms of layoffs, but clearly Wachovia here is looking to gain more presence in the South. If it happens, the deal would expand Wachovia's presence in Florida and Texas, two very competitive markets, particularly Florida. If you think about all those retirees down there with disposable income, well, that's an attractive market for any bank and Wachovia does very well on the retail side. So they'll be watching these stocks today.
Meanwhile, this looks like it's boosting, in part, stock sentiment overall, because futures are pointing to a higher open for this Monday, following pretty tepid reaction last week. The Dow higher by just six points. The NASDAQ actually losing a little bit of ground.
Also, quickly, Hewlett Packard today expected to roll out new personal computers with high end media features. This is the way a lot of these companies are going. "USA Today" reporting the price points start at about $1,000, up to about $2,200, talking about things like TV recording capabilities and DVD players, as well. So we'll be watching HPQ as well as stocks overall today -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.
Thank you.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, Diana's butler -- devoted servant? Now the star of a one man play. We'll tell you what he's got to say about his new role and the royal family.
And we'll tell you about a historical mission to space planned for today.
This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: And welcome back to DAYBREAK.
A little chat for you right now about Paul Burell, Princess Diana's butler.
MYERS: OK. Yes?
COSTELLO: You know, he wrote the tell all book.
MYERS: Yes. He's now doing a play.
COSTELLO: A one man play.
MYERS: Is this just him?
COSTELLO: Just him, just talking about Princess Diana and all the dirt and gossip he can muster, although he wouldn't call it that. But he says that this will be kind of a cleansing affair. It will be helpful to serve the memory of Princess Diana and that the royal family, they probably won't mind.
MYERS: Right. Right.
Hey, Paul? Earth to Paul. Hello?
COSTELLO: And what a great segue, earth to Paul.
MYERS: I think a lot of folks would...
COSTELLO: Let's talk about this Spaceship One, shall we, because he needs to be on it.
MYERS: Exactly. If I had a rocket launcher...
COSTELLO: This is going to take off later today in the Mojave Desert, I believe 9:30 Eastern time. And this will take a civilian 62 miles up.
MYERS: Freefall like a shuttle cock of a -- in badminton...
COSTELLO: Badminton.
MYERS: Just kind of come down and then it'll turn and it'll coast to a landing.
COSTELLO: Yes, this is the first time a company, a private company, has taken a civilian up into space. You can actually look down at 62 miles up and see the earth below.
MYERS: But now you have to do it two times before you get the $10 million. COSTELLO: Yes, because another company is sponsoring this contest for whatever -- whoever can come up, whatever private company can come up with like a space rocket that can go up there two times.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: So this is their first attempt, this company.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: So will the winds be with them?
MYERS: The winds will be with them. They will. And it'll be fine.
Typically, they like less than 10 miles per hour so they don't care which way they have to land. This thing is going to land at about 100 miles per hour. A typical jetliner always wants to land into the wind if it can, because that slows its ground speed as you land. You don't want to be going with a 100 mile an hour wind, because then to land you've got to be going 200 miles an hour. If you get a 100 mile an hour wind going this way, you can almost land at zero. Well, they just want 10, so they don't care which way it comes down.
COSTELLO: I'm just laughing because we've got a pilot beside you. Ron Young is going to join us later.
MYERS: All right, well, then he knows.
COSTELLO: Wouldn't you like to be piloting that?
RON YOUNG: Oh, absolutely.
COSTELLO: Yes, I knew it.
I knew it.
Well, here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
Kenneth Lay -- remember Ken Lay, the Enron exec who escaped the legal debris when his company fell? Or did he? We'll discuss some new details emerging.
And then the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq -- were the defendants just following orders?
This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired June 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: This notorious prison now a crime scene. So says a judge in Iraq who ordered Abu Ghraib to remain standing.
It is Monday, June 21.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Here are the latest headlines for you now.
Pretrial hearings under way in Baghdad now in the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal. A military judge has agreed to allow a defense attorney to question top U.S. generals.
And we're just getting word that four U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq. Reuters is reporting the soldiers' bodies were found in a building in the town of Ramadi. No comment yet from the U.S. military.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia are still searching for the body of Paul Johnson. He was beheaded by al Qaeda militants three days ago.
In money news, Wachovia, the nation's fourth largest bank, is said to be in talks to buy Southtrust Corporation. The deal would expand Wachovia's presence in the Southeast.
In culture, "Dodgeball" was tops at the box office. The comedy pulled in $30 million over the weekend. "Dodgeball" did better than the Tom Hanks movie "The Terminal," which came in a distant second.
In sports, Retief Goosen wins his second U.S. Open title with a two shot win over Masters champion Phil Mickelson. Mickelson double bogied the 17th hole, to lose the lead late in the tournament. It was an exciting one, though, wasn't it -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That first putt was a putt for par and for a tie and for it to go into sudden death. Wow, you know? But, yes, he had a great -- he had a great Augusta. You can't take that away from him.
COSTELLO: Well, it wasn't Augusta this year, though.
MYERS: No, he...
COSTELLO: It was in...
MYERS: No, he had a great...
COSTELLO: Oh, last year.
MYERS: Yes, he won the Masters just a couple of weeks ago.
COSTELLO: Got you. Sorry.
MYERS: That's all right. You knew what I meant.
COSTELLO: I did. Now I do.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Top American generals can be called as witnesses in the courts-martial of M.P.s charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners. And the infamous Abu Ghraib Prison cannot be demolished until the courts- martials are complete. Those among the rulings of a military judge at today's pretrial hearings, covered in Baghdad by our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
She joins us live now -- hell, Christiane.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, it is the pretrial hearings for three of those seven Americans who've been accused in connection with the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib. One of them, as you know, pleaded guilty in a special court martial last month. Six more are undergoing this process. And, as I say, three of them were in court.
We're going to turn right now to Guy Womack, who is the civilian attorney for Specialist Charles Graner, who has been accused with the bulk of the crimes in this case.
Now, first, I wanted to ask you specifically, you have asked for a change of venue. They have said no. You have asked for, to try to depose some quite high level officials.
Tell me your defense and to what height in the chain of command are you going?
GUY WOMACK, CHARLES GRANER'S ATTORNEY: OK. Really, there is a two pronged defense. The first prong is that the individuals who were interrogated and photographed at Tier One Alpha of Abu Ghraib are not protected by international or American law and therefore you can't be guilty of maltreatment if they're not even protected bylaw.
The second prong it that the M.P.s, Specialist Graner and the others, were following what they believed to be lawful orders. They were ordered by military intelligence officers to do certain things, to soften up these prisoners. They were encouraged to do things. They were congratulated for how well they were doing it and they believed they were doing something that was lawful as part of the war on terrorism.
AMANPOUR: As you know, the U.S. government, from the president on down, says that these are bad apples, they were conducting this abuse within their own circle and that it does not go high up the chain of command. But you're talking about even deposing Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld.
WOMACK: We would like to. And the reason is, we do not think for a moment that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld or President Bush did anything wrong. I think the legal advice they were given that these were not protected persons was absolutely correct and we would like to flesh that out from talking to the secretary of defense.
Also, the secretary of defense, in waging a war on terrorism correctly loosened the reigns somewhat on interrogators. And ultimately, as that went down the chain of command, it accelerated. And by the time it got to Tier One Alpha at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, the junior officers and senior enlisted men in the military intelligence command thought they had pretty free reign to do a lot of things.
AMANPOUR: So are you saying that the climate in the United States enunciated by top level officials implicitly created this kind of abuse?
WOMACK: Very far down the chain. It's not that it led to it directly, but rather it loosened the reigns somewhat on the intelligence community. And ultimately at the next level down, the reigns were loosened a little bit more. And by the time it got to Tier One Alpha at Abu Ghraib, the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade thought they could do just about anything.
AMANPOUR: And you were saying earlier that this became almost a daily occurrence. You know, people have said that it's just these pictures, it's just this -- these incidents.
To your understanding, from speaking to everybody concerned now, was this a daily occurrence, this kind of abuse?
WOMACK: I think the general climate under which Tier One Alpha was run was a daily occurrence, at least in November and probably December of 2003. It wasn't just a one day or a two day thing. I'm sure it was a general run of the environment.
But keep in mind that the photographed events may have only happened two or three times, but the events that led up to that or that followed that were a daily part of life -- sleep deprivation, prisoners being held in isolation, prisoners being made to remain nude, these were daily events.
AMANPOUR: And you were saying that M.P.s -- that that wing or that part of the prison was put under the tactical command of military intelligence for the first time ever.
WOMACK: Yes.
AMANPOUR: An unprecedented affair. WOMACK: That is unprecedented. Under U.S. Army doctrine, military prisons, military brigs, stockades, are run strictly by military policemen. At Abu Ghraib, the mission of Abu Ghraib changed from being a detention center identifying Iraqi males and releasing them. It became, at One Alpha, merely an interrogation point. And necessarily that meant that military intelligence should run the operation.
General Sanchez, in his memo in November, ordered and clarified that chain of command and notified everyone that military intelligence was in tactical control over Abu Ghraib. That is unprecedented.
AMANPOUR: Mr. Womack, thank you very much, indeed.
Guy Womack, who is the civilian defense attorney for Specialist Charles Graner.
He had his pretrial hearing just earlier and now the third one of the day is under way for Ivan Fredrick. Now, he's charged in connection with that infamous now -- some people call it iconic picture of abuse, the hooded prisoner with the electric wires tied to his fingers and toes and other parts of his body standing on that box.
So these continue throughout this day -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Christiane Amanpour reporting live for us this morning.
Thank you.
South Korea has now sent a delegation to Jordan to try to gain the release of one of its citizens being held hostage in Iraq. Kidnappers have threatened to behead the man if South Korea doesn't withdraw its troops from Iraq. Seoul is rejecting that demand. As many as 10 other foreigners are reportedly being held captive with the South Korean hostage.
And as we get closer to the U.S. handover to Iraq, CNN is taking the pulse of world opinion on the situation. Today, CNN's Jim Clancy hosts a town hall forum in Dubai on the Arab world's obligation to Iraq and its relationship with the United States. That's today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific, right here on CNN.
Kobe Bryant will be back in a Colorado courtroom today, where he could learn when his trial may finally start.
Adrian Baschuk is live in Eagle, Colorado.
He joins us live now -- good morning.
ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Let's bring you and the viewers up to speed on what has happened leading into today's hearing.
First, the judge has allowed the defense to get as look into the AT&T text messaging records of the accuser, specifically, text messages sent between her and her boyfriend just in the hours after the alleged rape by Kobe Bryant happened.
Also, the judge has upheld Colorado's rape shield law. That law has had numerous attacks on it in its 30 year history. The law was designed to protect victims, advisers, alleged victims, from undue harm, humiliation and fishing expeditions into their sexual pasts. However, exceptions can be made to the law and defense attorneys will continue to argue that the judge must submit evidence that they allege the accuser had sex with multiple partners in the days before and one day after allegedly being raped by Kobe Bryant.
Now, the judge may set a trial date finally this hearing. We are in the lead up of the speedy trial process to a trial needing to take place. Kobe Bryant has six months from May 27 -- that is when he entered his plea of not guilty -- that a trial must take place. However, delays persist, specifically on DNA tests that both sides were independently conducting. Both sides are blaming each other for the long delays -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So many interesting things coming out of these hearings.
Tell us about the text messages between Kobe Bryant's accuser and her boyfriend.
Will they be admissible in court?
BASCHUK: The judge is going to have to rule. Both sides and the judge will meet in closed -- behind closed doors in the judge's chambers to debate whether or not those will be admissible. We don't know the exact text of what are in those records, but legal analysts say that they could possibly get Kobe Bryant off the hook -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So how long will Kobe Bryant actually be in Colorado this time?
BASCHUK: This hearing is scheduled for two days. It was originally scheduled for five, then down to three. But we know from the schedule released by the court that it's going to be today and tomorrow. And he should be out of Colorado by late tomorrow afternoon. But this time, no game to tend to -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Adrian Baschuk reporting live for us from Eagle, Colorado, thank you.
Others stories from across America this first day of summer.
In Wisconsin, three bodies found washed up on a Lake Michigan beach are identified as a father and his two sons. The bodies were tied together at the waist and weighed down with 50 pounds of sand. They have been missing from Chicago since early May. Police consider their deaths murder.
Oops! An investigation is under way after a Northwest Airlines flight landed at the wrong airport. Instead of landing in Rapid City, South Dakota, Flight 1152 from Minneapolis landed at nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base. Three hours later, the plane made the short hop to the correct airport.
A new chapter in aviation history in the making today. A private company is set to launch a rocket plan from California's Mohave Desert. Spaceship One is to soar to an altitude of 62 miles above the earth, to simulate both the view and feel of space travel.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, can the vice president explain a connection between Iraq and al Qaeda? The 9/11 Commission wants to know, and sooner rather than later.
Plus, he served the Princess of Wales, now he serves up his story on stage.
And we'll go back to our top story -- American soldiers defending themselves on charges of abuse at Abu Ghraib. An American soldier joins us to discuss those charges.
This is DAYBREAK for June 21.
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COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 6:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Pretrial hearings under way in Iraq in the case of three American soldiers accused of abusing prisoners. The lawyer for one of the accused says he wants to call President Bush as a witness in the case.
South Korea is dispatching a team to negotiate the release of a man held hostage. Militant kidnappers say they'll kill the man if South Korean troops are not removed from Iraq. The South Korean government says it has no plans to withdraw.
In money news, the Bush administration says the economy is doing well and should continue to grow for the rest of the year. Treasury Secretary John Snow also says the war in Iraq has deflected attention from the economic recovery.
In culture, Paul McCartney played his first ever show in St. Petersburg, Russia. The concert was delayed almost an hour and a half, as people waited to pass through metal detectors and security lines.
In sports, they are gathered for the opening of the Wimbledon championships. Play gets under way in about an hour. Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova all in action today -- Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: The 9/11 Commission is nearing the end of its work. It concluded there was no evidence of a collaborative relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda in the September 11 attacks.
Vice President Cheney maintains that there were ties between the two.
Elaine Quijano has more from Washington.
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ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): September 11th Commission members say if Vice President Dick Cheney has more information on the Iraq-al Qaeda link, they would be happy to receive it.
THOMAS KEAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: I don't know if we need to interview him, but obviously if there is any information still and it has to do with the subject of the report, we need it, and we need it pretty fast.
QUIJANO: It was in a television interview Thursday that the Vice President raised questions about what he knows.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know things that the commission does not know?
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES: Probably.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do you think the Commission needs to know them?
CHENEY: I don't any -- I don't know what they know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: In a statement Sunday, Cheney's spokesman Kevin Kellems said -- "The administration has cooperated fully with the Commission, and given them unprecedented access to highly classified information. To my knowledge, we have not received a request for additional information of any kind".
The Bush Administration maintained it never directly stated that Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq collaborated with Al Qaeda to carry out the September 11th attacks. Instead, the White House has emphasized numerous contacts between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Both points not in conflict with the September 11th Commission's interim staff report.
LEE HAMILTON, 9/11 COMMISSION'S VICE CHMN: There were contacts between al Qaeda and Iraq prior to September 11th. I don't think there's any dispute about that. There were such contacts. The second assertion that we make is that there was no collaborative relationship. No operational relationship between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: A question for you this morning -- how valuable are those so-called enemy combatants being held at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba? Well, the "New York Times" is reporting that administration descriptions have been greatly exaggerated. The paper reports that only around a dozen of the nearly 600 detainees are sworn al Qaeda members and that no information gained from interrogations has thwarted any imminent attack. A Supreme Court decision on the legal status of those detainees is expected in the next week.
Time for a little business buzz now.
The nation's fourth largest bank wants to gobble up a bank for breakfast this morning.
Let's head live to the NASDAQ market site and Carrie Lee.
She has more -- good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Carol.
Published reports saying Wachovia is in talks to acquire Suntrust Bank. The "Wall Street Journal" pegs this deal to be worth about $13.8 billion. We don't have comments from the banks at this point, but these reports say that a deal could be announced as early as today.
Now, not sure what this is going to mean, if it happens, in terms of layoffs, but clearly Wachovia here is looking to gain more presence in the South. If it happens, the deal would expand Wachovia's presence in Florida and Texas, two very competitive markets, particularly Florida. If you think about all those retirees down there with disposable income, well, that's an attractive market for any bank and Wachovia does very well on the retail side. So they'll be watching these stocks today.
Meanwhile, this looks like it's boosting, in part, stock sentiment overall, because futures are pointing to a higher open for this Monday, following pretty tepid reaction last week. The Dow higher by just six points. The NASDAQ actually losing a little bit of ground.
Also, quickly, Hewlett Packard today expected to roll out new personal computers with high end media features. This is the way a lot of these companies are going. "USA Today" reporting the price points start at about $1,000, up to about $2,200, talking about things like TV recording capabilities and DVD players, as well. So we'll be watching HPQ as well as stocks overall today -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.
Thank you.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, Diana's butler -- devoted servant? Now the star of a one man play. We'll tell you what he's got to say about his new role and the royal family.
And we'll tell you about a historical mission to space planned for today.
This is DAYBREAK.
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COSTELLO: And welcome back to DAYBREAK.
A little chat for you right now about Paul Burell, Princess Diana's butler.
MYERS: OK. Yes?
COSTELLO: You know, he wrote the tell all book.
MYERS: Yes. He's now doing a play.
COSTELLO: A one man play.
MYERS: Is this just him?
COSTELLO: Just him, just talking about Princess Diana and all the dirt and gossip he can muster, although he wouldn't call it that. But he says that this will be kind of a cleansing affair. It will be helpful to serve the memory of Princess Diana and that the royal family, they probably won't mind.
MYERS: Right. Right.
Hey, Paul? Earth to Paul. Hello?
COSTELLO: And what a great segue, earth to Paul.
MYERS: I think a lot of folks would...
COSTELLO: Let's talk about this Spaceship One, shall we, because he needs to be on it.
MYERS: Exactly. If I had a rocket launcher...
COSTELLO: This is going to take off later today in the Mojave Desert, I believe 9:30 Eastern time. And this will take a civilian 62 miles up.
MYERS: Freefall like a shuttle cock of a -- in badminton...
COSTELLO: Badminton.
MYERS: Just kind of come down and then it'll turn and it'll coast to a landing.
COSTELLO: Yes, this is the first time a company, a private company, has taken a civilian up into space. You can actually look down at 62 miles up and see the earth below.
MYERS: But now you have to do it two times before you get the $10 million. COSTELLO: Yes, because another company is sponsoring this contest for whatever -- whoever can come up, whatever private company can come up with like a space rocket that can go up there two times.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: So this is their first attempt, this company.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: So will the winds be with them?
MYERS: The winds will be with them. They will. And it'll be fine.
Typically, they like less than 10 miles per hour so they don't care which way they have to land. This thing is going to land at about 100 miles per hour. A typical jetliner always wants to land into the wind if it can, because that slows its ground speed as you land. You don't want to be going with a 100 mile an hour wind, because then to land you've got to be going 200 miles an hour. If you get a 100 mile an hour wind going this way, you can almost land at zero. Well, they just want 10, so they don't care which way it comes down.
COSTELLO: I'm just laughing because we've got a pilot beside you. Ron Young is going to join us later.
MYERS: All right, well, then he knows.
COSTELLO: Wouldn't you like to be piloting that?
RON YOUNG: Oh, absolutely.
COSTELLO: Yes, I knew it.
I knew it.
Well, here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.
Kenneth Lay -- remember Ken Lay, the Enron exec who escaped the legal debris when his company fell? Or did he? We'll discuss some new details emerging.
And then the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq -- were the defendants just following orders?
This is DAYBREAK.
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