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CNN Live At Daybreak

Coordinated Attacks in Five Iraqi Cities; NASA Changes Ahead; Treating Our Eating; 'Daybreak' Scorecard: Basketball Diaries

Aired June 24, 2004 - 06:27   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: And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello. Let me bring you up to date right now.
Insurgents have launched coordinated attacks in five Iraqi cities this morning -- Fallujah, Ramadi, Baqubah, Mosul and Baghdad. Clashes with U.S. troops are continuing now. Three American soldiers are dead, and there are dozens of Iraqi casualties.

There has also been an attack in Turkey this morning. A small bomb exploded near a hotel in Ankara, where President Bush is expected to stay this weekend when he goes there for the NATO summit. Two people were wounded. They were police officers.

In money news, an accounting firm is calling on U.S. drug makers to stop charging so much for medications. Ernst & Young says federal price controls may be the only way to stop spiraling drug costs.

In culture, Mickey Mouse is celebrating his 75th birthday with some new Disney-themed postage stamps. Four new stamps honoring friendship feature Bambi and Thumper, the Lion King, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, and, of course, Mickey and his gang.

In sports, tennis players at Wimbledon are hoping to hit the lawn today after getting washed out by heavy rain. Organizers in London are scrambling to get the matches back on schedule after three days of steady downpours.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: The closer we get to the transfer of power in Iraq, the more the violence escalates. Case in point: today's coordinated attacks in five Iraqi cities.

M.J. Gohel, a terrorism expert with the Asia-Pacific Foundation, joins us live from London to give us some perspective.

Good morning.

M.J. GOHEL, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, coordinated suicide attacks in Baqubah, Fallujah, Baghdad and Mosul. The most logical thought here is that insurgents are trying to torpedo the handover of power. Is that how you see it?

GOHEL: Oh, absolutely. It was always known that as we neared the deadline of June the 30th the terrorists would ratchet up the violence there. And the beheading of the Korean hostage just a couple of days ago is part of that process of trying to derail this move to the transfer of sovereignty.

COSTELLO: I guess the next logical question would be: Is that connected? And I'm talking about, you know, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Already there is a claim of responsibility for one of the attacks this morning on a Saudi Web site. Do you think that he's to blame?

GOHEL: Well, certainly. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his group are the most dangerous in the region and beyond the region as well. (AUDIO GAP) Islamic fighters have been entering Iraq from neighboring countries for some time. And in addition to that, of course, there are old Saddam Hussein loyalists and there are bandits and criminals.

So, the threat is multidimensional, but the real threat, the major threat, comes from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and the Islamic terrorists all belonging to the global jihad movement. Their aim is to turn Iraq into another Taliban Afghanistan, a kind of a Taliban Afghanistan where terrorism can breed and impact upon neighboring countries also.

COSTELLO: Of course, the best thing that could happen is that U.S. troops find Zarqawi. Apparently, he's been hiding out maybe in Fallujah, and the difficult part about that is Fallujah is basically in control of the insurgents, because the troops pulled out of there.

GOHEL: Well, yes. Fallujah is a hotbed for the insurgents. There is a lot of militancy there. In fact, even around some other areas, where these attacks have taken place like Baqubah and Ramadi, these are part of what's known as the Sunni Triangle, which does have a lot of radical elements there that are willing to work with the terrorists.

The problem for the coalition forces is that there are not enough security personnel available, and this is one of the reasons why the attacks today were on police stations. And the reason is to demoralize the police force, to discourage new recruits into the police service, and to bring about a lawless state.

And, of course, there are times when Iraq does resemble the wild old west, as it were, where there was very little law and order.

COSTELLO: Yes. And many of the targets today were police stations. So, I guess the next question for you is: What can be done, especially after the handover takes place and the Iraqi government is sort of in charge of security?

GOHEL: Well, when the handover takes place, it will not mark the end of the problems. The problems will, of course, continue.

What will happen is that Iraqi government members will be targeted personally. We have already seen threats being issued to the Iraqi prime minister being seen, the Iraqi president being assassinated last month. The real difficulty for the coalition troops as well as the new Iraqi government is the lack of good intelligence. They are not receiving good intelligence from the ground, and the reason for this, of course, is that after Saddam Hussein was removed, there has been a kind of vacuum in the country. And to build up good intelligence takes many, many months, if not years.

So, the challenges are quite major for the new Iraqi government.

COSTELLO: M.J. Gohel joining us live from London. Thank you for your insight this morning.

Our series of specials on "Countdown to Handover" continues today as CNN's Richard Quest hosts a town hall meeting on Europe's influence in Iraq and the Middle East. That's live today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific time.

And at the same time on Friday, we'll take a look at how the old and new Europe will define relations with the United States.

International Space Station astronauts are getting ready for a walk on the wild side. NASA says tonight's scheduled space walk is more dangerous than usual. The ISS team is dealing with bad gear and weak communications as they try to replace a circuit breaker. The equipment they need has been grounded since NASA shut down space shuttle flights. They're on the International Space Station, by the way.

The shuttle and the space station are just two challenges facing NASA at this critical time. A major policy announcement is due today from the space agency's chief.

Kenneth Cowie from NASA Watch joins us to look at the sweeping changes that will take place at the agency.

Good morning.

KEITH COWING, NASA WATCH: Good morning. Actually it's Keith Cowie. My father is Kenneth.

COSTELLO: I'm so sorry. I so apologize.

COWING: No problem.

COSTELLO: It's been a wild morning for us here on DAYBREAK.

COWING: Yes.

COSTELLO: You've written a book about NASA and what's ahead for NASA. So, what have you found?

Well, my coauthor and I, Frank Sietzen, have been looking at the implementation of the Bush space policy. As you may recall, in January the president pretty much gave NASA a pat on the back and a challenge to go ahead. But at the same time, he told the agency, you know, we're going to look at how you're configured to do this. And a committee was put together, chaired by Pete Aldridge. They just reported back to NASA last week.

Now, what you're going to see is how NASA is going to respond to that challenge and how it's going to reorganize itself to meet that challenge.

COSTELLO: Does that mean more private entities will take over some NASA research entities?

COWING: Well, it's not certain. And also, it's a misnomer that there isn't any right now. If you look at satellites being launched for NASA on rockets other than the space shuttle, they bought those from private companies. Satellites are built mostly by private companies.

What you will see, though, is probably a bit more of a thought on NASA's part as to other new ways that we can bring the private sector in, new ways of doing things. So, yes. And the committee was very, very clear on that.

COSTELLO: Well, you talk about private sectors. SpaceShipOne in the Mojave Desert took off without a problem. It took a person to the edge of space. It was all privately-funded. There were a lot of NASA people in the audience watching. Why?

COWING: Jealously perhaps that they aren't allowed to play with toys like that, that they aren't allowed to exercise their imagination, and also it was a little bit of looking back to the days when this stuff was being done for the first time. And in a way it was being done for the first time.

COSTELLO: So, do you think that NASA will take a page from their book? I mean, will they join forces? And wouldn't that be a good idea and save the taxpayers a lot of money?

COWING: Well, if they can come up with the capabilities that NASA needs. This is a very cool spacecraft, but it only goes up to 100 kilometers, 62 miles. It comes right back to Earth. And what NASA needs right now are spaceships that can go up into space, dock with the space station and do other things. But, you know, Burt Rutan has signaled an interest in doing this, so I guess I'd have to say is, you know, wait and we'll see what happens.

COSTELLO: All right, Keith Cowing, we will wait and see what happens. And I apologize about the name. Thank you so much for joining DAYBREAK.

COWING: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: When celebrities are too thin, it's a medical disorder. But what about when average Americans are too heavy? The often untold truth about obesity. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is a Hollywood bombshell that anyone could have figured out. Teen actress Mary-Kate Olsen is reportedly suffering from anorexia. She has an eating disorder and is getting treatment at a very pricey facility. There's a lot of sympathy out there for her. But for more Americans, obesity is a far bigger problem. And there is not much sympathy there.

We wanted to explore that issue this morning. So for some insight on that, let's bring in Dr. Andrea Pennington.

Good morning, doctor.

DR. ANDREA PENNINGTON, PENNINGTON INSTITUTE: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: First, we want to make it clear we are not diminishing anorexia, because we know that disease can be deadly. But the perception is it's much more pervasive than obesity. Is that true?

PENNINGTON: That's not true. Unfortunately, what we're seeing in this country is obesity is at epidemic proportions. And while anorexia is definitely seriously and can lead to death, so can obesity. In fact, obesity is a chronic disease that affects every part of the body, including the brain.

COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you about that, because we know anorexia is considered a disease. There are many nice clinics to go to. Why don't we consider obesity a disease?

PENNINGTON: Well, actually we are now starting to do that, and there are more physicians, like myself, who are trained in a specialty called bariatric medicine. And we now know that treating obesity requires a multidisciplinary approach. It's not enough to just rely on willpower. One really needs an overarching inclusive support in changing their lifestyle, their behaviors, even their thought patterns.

And what we now know is that we cannot any longer tell our children to celebrate around food. In fact, what we tell our patients at our center is that food is fuel. Food is not meant for love, comfort or celebration or boredom or, you know, to assuage your stressful times. And that really requires support and education.

Fortunately now, more people are getting that treatment for obesity.

COSTELLO: Are there similarities between the diseases anorexia, and obesity? I mean, what's the differences? And what makes obesity a disease?

PENNINGTON: Well, obesity is a disease in that once you acquire all of these fat cells they are actually talking to your brain. So, there are changes that happen in the brain as well as in every other organ with obesity.

And one of the very familiar conditions that can sometimes lead to obesity is binge eating disorder. So, this is a true eating disorder that requires treatment by a specialist. And with binge eating disorder, these people are eating a large amount of food in a very brief period of time, feeling like they cannot control themselves or stop themselves. And then they tend to feel guilty and just terrible afterward. Now, binge eating disorder doesn't always go on to obesity, but it can.

You know, that's one extreme. For those people that just find themselves overeating in response to stress or anxiety or depression, what they're really doing is using and abusing food almost like a drug. And, again, a person with that sort of situation needs comprehensive support. So, like anorexics, they can get that help.

COSTELLO: You know, I understand it. But, you know, when you see Mary-Kate Olsen going into a clinic in this -- I was watching "Entertainment Tonight," and they had a special address where you could send cards and letters, you know, in sympathy for her. Would you like to see similar things done for maybe obese Hollywood stars? Because...

PENNINGTON: Carol, I...

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

PENNINGTON: I absolutely would, because that's the thing. Obesity has carried such a stigma for so long. People have said, oh, come on, get yourself under control here. But what they're failing to understand is that, again, there are changes in the brain. Food can actually stimulate certain reward centers in the brain to help people ease their psychic pain with depression and anxiety.

So, certainly one could look at a person who is overeating and say, hey, get it together. But they really do need sympathy. They do need support, and they need education, because every aspect of their life is going to have to change if they're going to be successful at maintaining that weight loss.

COSTELLO: Dr. Andrea Pennington joining us live from New York. Thank you very much.

PENNINGTON: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Insurgents are staging coordinated attacks in cities across Iraq. A U.S. soldier was killed in Mosul. Marines are under fire in Fallujah. And in Baqubah, two U.S. soldiers are among the dead. Dozens of Iraqis have been killed.

Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut says the government may have violated privacy laws when it asked for information for airline passengers. Four airlines and two reservation systems provided personal data as part of a test program for airline security.

In money news, the Senate has passed a $447 billion defense bill. That whopping total will only cover a faction of war costs, but it gives the military a pay raise. The White House is expected to ask for at least another 25 billion for the war. In culture, author Ray Bradbury wants his title back. Bradbury who wrote the classic novel, "Fahrenheit 451," wants filmmaker Michael Moore to change the name of his documentary from "Fahrenheit 9/11."

In sports, the world's fastest man may have to slow down. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is expected to seek a lifetime ban against sprinter Tim Montgomery. The agency has charged him with several drug violations. Montgomery's lawyer accuses the agency of using flimsy evidence to smear his client.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

Let's head live back to New York to check in with Bill and Soledad to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING," and I would guess you would be talking a lot more about what's happening in Iraq right now.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, you're so right, Carol. Baghdad, Baqubah, Mosul, Ramandi -- Ramadi, I should say, Fallujah, all centers of resistance today, getting various reports of the dead today. And it is a scene of violence throughout that country. Live reports from Baghdad. We'll talk to experts, too, about whether or not this increases in the next six days, whether it decreases, how the U.S. defends against it, et cetera. We'll get to it.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, the countdown is on. The time is coming.

HEMMER: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're talking about the Peterson trial. As you know, juror No. 5 has now been dismissed. We're going to talk to him live this morning. He says he's already made up his mind on the case. We'll also talk to Mr. Toobin about that and a little analysis.

HEMMER: And this juror No. 5, he's been talking to everybody.

O'BRIEN: He has been talking and talking and talking.

HEMMER: He's the new Bill Clinton.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

HEMMER: He's the everywhere man.

Also, saving for retirement today, why it needs to be automatic. David Bach, our financial contributor, is back with us today in our "Live Rich" segment.

O'BRIEN: Do you like the way that sounds? Live rich today segment.

HEMMER: Yes. I like the way it sounds. O'BRIEN: I do too.

HEMMER: I don't know if we can fill it or not.

O'BRIEN: We'll see if we can prove it.

HEMMER: See you at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: Aren't you up for sexiest man somewhere?

O'BRIEN: Is he really?

HEMMER: Who? Soledad or me?

COSTELLO: No, she would not be the sexiest man. That would be you.

HEMMER: I know, I know, I know. I don't know what you're talking about. Is that...

O'BRIEN: Are you? Yes, he is. He's saying, "I don't know what you're taking about." I know that.

HEMMER: I'm trying to avoid this, Carol.

O'BRIEN: Carol, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COSTELLO: "Playgirl" magazine.

O'BRIEN: What magazine?

HEMMER: I think Andy Rooney should get all of the votes.

COSTELLO: He's also...

O'BRIEN: Who?

COSTELLO: Andy Rooney.

HEMMER: He's got my vote. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) it's just some "Playboy" thing.

O'BRIEN: What magazine is Bill Hemmer up sexiest man?

COSTELLO: "Playgirl" magazine.

HEMMER: Or "Playgirl."

O'BRIEN: Really? Well, you know what?

HEMMER: It's not really a magazine I read.

O'BRIEN: I vote you. He is the sexiest man alive.

COSTELLO: I'm just wondering...

O'BRIEN: I sit next to him every day. I know!

COSTELLO: Exactly. I'm just wondering how he'll have to pose if he wins.

HEMMER: It ain't happening.

O'BRIEN: Something like that.

HEMMER: You're seeing it right now, Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you, guys.

HEMMER: Bye.

COSTELLO: It all gets started tonight with a little bit of magic. Orlando gets the first pick in the draft tonight, which is shaping to be quite the basketball drama. We'll take a look at the wheelings and dealings.

An edible fashion, it's dough and then it's a dress.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time to talk sports now. The NBA draft is tonight, and the No. 1 pick may well be another high school phenom. But the draft is not the only story in the NBA.

Joining me now is CNN's sports contributor Chris Cotter. And it's like "As the World Turns" in the NBA.

CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: It is. You know...

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Of course.

COTTER: I mean, you know how the baseball offseason is the hot story. Well, I think the NBA offseason is like our summer of discontent for everybody. All of these players, you know, I mean, you had Kobe in L.A. You know, I didn't really want Phil Jackson there. Phil Jackson is tired of this soap opera in L.A. So, he is out. You know, he's got his nine championships now.

COSTELLO: And now Shaquille O'Neal is mad because of that.

COTTER: Yes, Shaq is mad because Phil is out. So, now Shaq is saying, well, if Phil is not here then I want to get out. So, now all of the teams are kind of clamoring to position themselves to maybe make a trade for Shaq.

Meanwhile down in Orlando, you have Tracy McGrady who says, I don't want to play here anymore. The only team I'll sign a long-term contract with is Houston. Houston has Steve Francis. He says, if you trade me to Orlando I don't want to play there. It's back and forth. It's up and down.

You have McGrady and Shaq now on the trading block, and every team in the league is vying for either one of those two. So, the Orlando GM isn't pulling the trigger on it yet, because he's got all of these teams that say, maybe we'll offer you this and maybe we won't, and maybe we'll offer Elavis (ph) for Shaq. Everything is up in the air going into the draft tonight.

COSTELLO: Well, it could make the draft much more interesting.

COTTER: It should, because Orlando also has the No. 1 overall pick. So, who they pick is going to be determined largely by whether they have Tracy McGrady on the team or not, who they get for Tracy McGrady. We know one thing, or at least we thing we know one thing.

COSTELLO: Sure.

COTTER: That it will either be Dwight Howard, the high-schooler out of Atlanta, or it will be Emeka Okafor, the...

MYERS: It's got to be, the forward.

COTTER: Yes, the top forward out of UConn, the national champions.

MYERS: Yes.

COTTER: So, it will be one of those two players.

COSTELLO: Well, teens seem to do very well in the NBA. Look at the Cleveland team.

MYERS: Yes, sure.

COTTER: Teens actually have done fairly well, the guys coming out of high school. The problem is...

COSTELLO: Kobe Bryant was another teen that did well.

COTTER: Yes. The problem is with the NBA, the way it is with the rookies, four or five years down the road they can become free agents. So, when you're talking about an 18-year-old, he can become a free agent at 22, 23 years of age. Just when he's starting to come into his own in the league, he'll say, see, I've got another offer over here from another team, and then you've invested all of this time trying to get him ready to go. And right when he's ready, then he takes off. And that's an (UNINTELLIGIBLE) right away.

COSTELLO: And that's the chance you take.

MYERS: Yes. But you can't blame a high school kid, if they're going to get a million-dollar contract or a multimillion-dollar contract, for not going into the college arena and then take the money and then get hurt in college and then make no money at all.

COTTER: Yes, as long as...

MYERS: Right? I mean...

COTTER: Yes, as long as somebody says, or you have good information that says, hey, you'll be a No. 1 draft choice, you go to the NBA. I mean, the money is just too much, it's there, and your opportunity is there, you take that opportunity.

COSTELLO: Yes, and who cares about that stupid education stuff?

MYERS: You can go back and get that.

COSTELLO: Who needs that?

MYERS: You can go back and get that.

COTTER: If somebody offers you $1 million a year over five years, I'll take it.

COSTELLO: I would go to school.

COTTER: Well, you can have my diploma. Take it off the wall, I'll give it to you, and I'll take the money. How about that?

COSTELLO: OK, enough said.

Hey, let's give away our cup.

MYERS: Hey, OK, from yesterday?

COSTELLO: Yes, from yesterday.

MYERS: Yes, we had a good one actually. Daniel Sieberg's report about the ocean research cruise ship, it was on the what? Explorer of the Seas. And what musician so far has refused to play a concert for counter-programming the National Republican Convention? And that is Bruce Springsteen.

The winner, Wayne Onken from Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Congratulations Saint Cloud.

COSTELLO: Congratulations, Wayne. That's right.

MYERS: In fact, today is going to be a cold day in Saint Cloud. The high could be 62. That's pretty cool.

No time for the mug questions today.

COSTELLO: I guess that is cool for the end of June, isn't it? I'm thinking Minnesota, it's always cold there.

MYERS: Well, it should be 80 at least.

COSTELLO: All right. I apologize.

Chad will join me for "The Lightning Round." I'm sure Chris will be in the wings watching. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Beyonce's sister. I thought it was Beyonce at first, and she's only 18.

MYERS: She's 18.

COSTELLO: Wow! That's amazing.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: Stranger things have happened.

It's time for our "Lightning Round," so let's get to it.

You know, leave it to the French to come up with something like this. A wardrobe made entirely of bread.

MYERS: Oh.

COSTELLO: A dress bread. A bread -- how do you what that? A dress made of bread. Apparently, you have to have a lot of dough to buy it.

MYERS: I thought the Pillsbury Dough Boy already did that.

COSTELLO: Why would you make a dress of bread? Would you wear a dress of bread?

MYERS: Well...

COSTELLO: What if it rained?

MYERS: Really, don't dresses don't look good on me. My hips are too big.

COSTELLO: I understand.

Hong Kong may be known for its ultra-modern skyscrapers, but it's getting some old-fashioned help in building a cable car system. Mules are carrying construction materials down a road that's inaccessible to trucks.

MYERS: It looks like he's doing a pretty good job there.

COSTELLO: Yes, it does.

A month to hang the laundry. That's how long it took some school kids in South Africa to complete this 18-miles clothes line. The clothing will now go to charities across Africa. What a nice idea.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: That's an awesome idea. Good for them.

MYERS: Yes. It would be nice to have, like, a picture of that from the space, though. You could almost see it probably from way up there.

COSTELLO: Yes, that would be very cool. A quick look at the weather. That's what you do.

(WEATHER BREAK)

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

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Aired June 24, 2004 - 06:27   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello. Let me bring you up to date right now.
Insurgents have launched coordinated attacks in five Iraqi cities this morning -- Fallujah, Ramadi, Baqubah, Mosul and Baghdad. Clashes with U.S. troops are continuing now. Three American soldiers are dead, and there are dozens of Iraqi casualties.

There has also been an attack in Turkey this morning. A small bomb exploded near a hotel in Ankara, where President Bush is expected to stay this weekend when he goes there for the NATO summit. Two people were wounded. They were police officers.

In money news, an accounting firm is calling on U.S. drug makers to stop charging so much for medications. Ernst & Young says federal price controls may be the only way to stop spiraling drug costs.

In culture, Mickey Mouse is celebrating his 75th birthday with some new Disney-themed postage stamps. Four new stamps honoring friendship feature Bambi and Thumper, the Lion King, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, and, of course, Mickey and his gang.

In sports, tennis players at Wimbledon are hoping to hit the lawn today after getting washed out by heavy rain. Organizers in London are scrambling to get the matches back on schedule after three days of steady downpours.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: The closer we get to the transfer of power in Iraq, the more the violence escalates. Case in point: today's coordinated attacks in five Iraqi cities.

M.J. Gohel, a terrorism expert with the Asia-Pacific Foundation, joins us live from London to give us some perspective.

Good morning.

M.J. GOHEL, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, coordinated suicide attacks in Baqubah, Fallujah, Baghdad and Mosul. The most logical thought here is that insurgents are trying to torpedo the handover of power. Is that how you see it?

GOHEL: Oh, absolutely. It was always known that as we neared the deadline of June the 30th the terrorists would ratchet up the violence there. And the beheading of the Korean hostage just a couple of days ago is part of that process of trying to derail this move to the transfer of sovereignty.

COSTELLO: I guess the next logical question would be: Is that connected? And I'm talking about, you know, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Already there is a claim of responsibility for one of the attacks this morning on a Saudi Web site. Do you think that he's to blame?

GOHEL: Well, certainly. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his group are the most dangerous in the region and beyond the region as well. (AUDIO GAP) Islamic fighters have been entering Iraq from neighboring countries for some time. And in addition to that, of course, there are old Saddam Hussein loyalists and there are bandits and criminals.

So, the threat is multidimensional, but the real threat, the major threat, comes from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and the Islamic terrorists all belonging to the global jihad movement. Their aim is to turn Iraq into another Taliban Afghanistan, a kind of a Taliban Afghanistan where terrorism can breed and impact upon neighboring countries also.

COSTELLO: Of course, the best thing that could happen is that U.S. troops find Zarqawi. Apparently, he's been hiding out maybe in Fallujah, and the difficult part about that is Fallujah is basically in control of the insurgents, because the troops pulled out of there.

GOHEL: Well, yes. Fallujah is a hotbed for the insurgents. There is a lot of militancy there. In fact, even around some other areas, where these attacks have taken place like Baqubah and Ramadi, these are part of what's known as the Sunni Triangle, which does have a lot of radical elements there that are willing to work with the terrorists.

The problem for the coalition forces is that there are not enough security personnel available, and this is one of the reasons why the attacks today were on police stations. And the reason is to demoralize the police force, to discourage new recruits into the police service, and to bring about a lawless state.

And, of course, there are times when Iraq does resemble the wild old west, as it were, where there was very little law and order.

COSTELLO: Yes. And many of the targets today were police stations. So, I guess the next question for you is: What can be done, especially after the handover takes place and the Iraqi government is sort of in charge of security?

GOHEL: Well, when the handover takes place, it will not mark the end of the problems. The problems will, of course, continue.

What will happen is that Iraqi government members will be targeted personally. We have already seen threats being issued to the Iraqi prime minister being seen, the Iraqi president being assassinated last month. The real difficulty for the coalition troops as well as the new Iraqi government is the lack of good intelligence. They are not receiving good intelligence from the ground, and the reason for this, of course, is that after Saddam Hussein was removed, there has been a kind of vacuum in the country. And to build up good intelligence takes many, many months, if not years.

So, the challenges are quite major for the new Iraqi government.

COSTELLO: M.J. Gohel joining us live from London. Thank you for your insight this morning.

Our series of specials on "Countdown to Handover" continues today as CNN's Richard Quest hosts a town hall meeting on Europe's influence in Iraq and the Middle East. That's live today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Pacific time.

And at the same time on Friday, we'll take a look at how the old and new Europe will define relations with the United States.

International Space Station astronauts are getting ready for a walk on the wild side. NASA says tonight's scheduled space walk is more dangerous than usual. The ISS team is dealing with bad gear and weak communications as they try to replace a circuit breaker. The equipment they need has been grounded since NASA shut down space shuttle flights. They're on the International Space Station, by the way.

The shuttle and the space station are just two challenges facing NASA at this critical time. A major policy announcement is due today from the space agency's chief.

Kenneth Cowie from NASA Watch joins us to look at the sweeping changes that will take place at the agency.

Good morning.

KEITH COWING, NASA WATCH: Good morning. Actually it's Keith Cowie. My father is Kenneth.

COSTELLO: I'm so sorry. I so apologize.

COWING: No problem.

COSTELLO: It's been a wild morning for us here on DAYBREAK.

COWING: Yes.

COSTELLO: You've written a book about NASA and what's ahead for NASA. So, what have you found?

Well, my coauthor and I, Frank Sietzen, have been looking at the implementation of the Bush space policy. As you may recall, in January the president pretty much gave NASA a pat on the back and a challenge to go ahead. But at the same time, he told the agency, you know, we're going to look at how you're configured to do this. And a committee was put together, chaired by Pete Aldridge. They just reported back to NASA last week.

Now, what you're going to see is how NASA is going to respond to that challenge and how it's going to reorganize itself to meet that challenge.

COSTELLO: Does that mean more private entities will take over some NASA research entities?

COWING: Well, it's not certain. And also, it's a misnomer that there isn't any right now. If you look at satellites being launched for NASA on rockets other than the space shuttle, they bought those from private companies. Satellites are built mostly by private companies.

What you will see, though, is probably a bit more of a thought on NASA's part as to other new ways that we can bring the private sector in, new ways of doing things. So, yes. And the committee was very, very clear on that.

COSTELLO: Well, you talk about private sectors. SpaceShipOne in the Mojave Desert took off without a problem. It took a person to the edge of space. It was all privately-funded. There were a lot of NASA people in the audience watching. Why?

COWING: Jealously perhaps that they aren't allowed to play with toys like that, that they aren't allowed to exercise their imagination, and also it was a little bit of looking back to the days when this stuff was being done for the first time. And in a way it was being done for the first time.

COSTELLO: So, do you think that NASA will take a page from their book? I mean, will they join forces? And wouldn't that be a good idea and save the taxpayers a lot of money?

COWING: Well, if they can come up with the capabilities that NASA needs. This is a very cool spacecraft, but it only goes up to 100 kilometers, 62 miles. It comes right back to Earth. And what NASA needs right now are spaceships that can go up into space, dock with the space station and do other things. But, you know, Burt Rutan has signaled an interest in doing this, so I guess I'd have to say is, you know, wait and we'll see what happens.

COSTELLO: All right, Keith Cowing, we will wait and see what happens. And I apologize about the name. Thank you so much for joining DAYBREAK.

COWING: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: When celebrities are too thin, it's a medical disorder. But what about when average Americans are too heavy? The often untold truth about obesity. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is a Hollywood bombshell that anyone could have figured out. Teen actress Mary-Kate Olsen is reportedly suffering from anorexia. She has an eating disorder and is getting treatment at a very pricey facility. There's a lot of sympathy out there for her. But for more Americans, obesity is a far bigger problem. And there is not much sympathy there.

We wanted to explore that issue this morning. So for some insight on that, let's bring in Dr. Andrea Pennington.

Good morning, doctor.

DR. ANDREA PENNINGTON, PENNINGTON INSTITUTE: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: First, we want to make it clear we are not diminishing anorexia, because we know that disease can be deadly. But the perception is it's much more pervasive than obesity. Is that true?

PENNINGTON: That's not true. Unfortunately, what we're seeing in this country is obesity is at epidemic proportions. And while anorexia is definitely seriously and can lead to death, so can obesity. In fact, obesity is a chronic disease that affects every part of the body, including the brain.

COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you about that, because we know anorexia is considered a disease. There are many nice clinics to go to. Why don't we consider obesity a disease?

PENNINGTON: Well, actually we are now starting to do that, and there are more physicians, like myself, who are trained in a specialty called bariatric medicine. And we now know that treating obesity requires a multidisciplinary approach. It's not enough to just rely on willpower. One really needs an overarching inclusive support in changing their lifestyle, their behaviors, even their thought patterns.

And what we now know is that we cannot any longer tell our children to celebrate around food. In fact, what we tell our patients at our center is that food is fuel. Food is not meant for love, comfort or celebration or boredom or, you know, to assuage your stressful times. And that really requires support and education.

Fortunately now, more people are getting that treatment for obesity.

COSTELLO: Are there similarities between the diseases anorexia, and obesity? I mean, what's the differences? And what makes obesity a disease?

PENNINGTON: Well, obesity is a disease in that once you acquire all of these fat cells they are actually talking to your brain. So, there are changes that happen in the brain as well as in every other organ with obesity.

And one of the very familiar conditions that can sometimes lead to obesity is binge eating disorder. So, this is a true eating disorder that requires treatment by a specialist. And with binge eating disorder, these people are eating a large amount of food in a very brief period of time, feeling like they cannot control themselves or stop themselves. And then they tend to feel guilty and just terrible afterward. Now, binge eating disorder doesn't always go on to obesity, but it can.

You know, that's one extreme. For those people that just find themselves overeating in response to stress or anxiety or depression, what they're really doing is using and abusing food almost like a drug. And, again, a person with that sort of situation needs comprehensive support. So, like anorexics, they can get that help.

COSTELLO: You know, I understand it. But, you know, when you see Mary-Kate Olsen going into a clinic in this -- I was watching "Entertainment Tonight," and they had a special address where you could send cards and letters, you know, in sympathy for her. Would you like to see similar things done for maybe obese Hollywood stars? Because...

PENNINGTON: Carol, I...

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

PENNINGTON: I absolutely would, because that's the thing. Obesity has carried such a stigma for so long. People have said, oh, come on, get yourself under control here. But what they're failing to understand is that, again, there are changes in the brain. Food can actually stimulate certain reward centers in the brain to help people ease their psychic pain with depression and anxiety.

So, certainly one could look at a person who is overeating and say, hey, get it together. But they really do need sympathy. They do need support, and they need education, because every aspect of their life is going to have to change if they're going to be successful at maintaining that weight loss.

COSTELLO: Dr. Andrea Pennington joining us live from New York. Thank you very much.

PENNINGTON: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Insurgents are staging coordinated attacks in cities across Iraq. A U.S. soldier was killed in Mosul. Marines are under fire in Fallujah. And in Baqubah, two U.S. soldiers are among the dead. Dozens of Iraqis have been killed.

Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut says the government may have violated privacy laws when it asked for information for airline passengers. Four airlines and two reservation systems provided personal data as part of a test program for airline security.

In money news, the Senate has passed a $447 billion defense bill. That whopping total will only cover a faction of war costs, but it gives the military a pay raise. The White House is expected to ask for at least another 25 billion for the war. In culture, author Ray Bradbury wants his title back. Bradbury who wrote the classic novel, "Fahrenheit 451," wants filmmaker Michael Moore to change the name of his documentary from "Fahrenheit 9/11."

In sports, the world's fastest man may have to slow down. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is expected to seek a lifetime ban against sprinter Tim Montgomery. The agency has charged him with several drug violations. Montgomery's lawyer accuses the agency of using flimsy evidence to smear his client.

(WEATHER BREAK)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.

Let's head live back to New York to check in with Bill and Soledad to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING," and I would guess you would be talking a lot more about what's happening in Iraq right now.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, you're so right, Carol. Baghdad, Baqubah, Mosul, Ramandi -- Ramadi, I should say, Fallujah, all centers of resistance today, getting various reports of the dead today. And it is a scene of violence throughout that country. Live reports from Baghdad. We'll talk to experts, too, about whether or not this increases in the next six days, whether it decreases, how the U.S. defends against it, et cetera. We'll get to it.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, the countdown is on. The time is coming.

HEMMER: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're talking about the Peterson trial. As you know, juror No. 5 has now been dismissed. We're going to talk to him live this morning. He says he's already made up his mind on the case. We'll also talk to Mr. Toobin about that and a little analysis.

HEMMER: And this juror No. 5, he's been talking to everybody.

O'BRIEN: He has been talking and talking and talking.

HEMMER: He's the new Bill Clinton.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

HEMMER: He's the everywhere man.

Also, saving for retirement today, why it needs to be automatic. David Bach, our financial contributor, is back with us today in our "Live Rich" segment.

O'BRIEN: Do you like the way that sounds? Live rich today segment.

HEMMER: Yes. I like the way it sounds. O'BRIEN: I do too.

HEMMER: I don't know if we can fill it or not.

O'BRIEN: We'll see if we can prove it.

HEMMER: See you at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: Aren't you up for sexiest man somewhere?

O'BRIEN: Is he really?

HEMMER: Who? Soledad or me?

COSTELLO: No, she would not be the sexiest man. That would be you.

HEMMER: I know, I know, I know. I don't know what you're talking about. Is that...

O'BRIEN: Are you? Yes, he is. He's saying, "I don't know what you're taking about." I know that.

HEMMER: I'm trying to avoid this, Carol.

O'BRIEN: Carol, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COSTELLO: "Playgirl" magazine.

O'BRIEN: What magazine?

HEMMER: I think Andy Rooney should get all of the votes.

COSTELLO: He's also...

O'BRIEN: Who?

COSTELLO: Andy Rooney.

HEMMER: He's got my vote. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) it's just some "Playboy" thing.

O'BRIEN: What magazine is Bill Hemmer up sexiest man?

COSTELLO: "Playgirl" magazine.

HEMMER: Or "Playgirl."

O'BRIEN: Really? Well, you know what?

HEMMER: It's not really a magazine I read.

O'BRIEN: I vote you. He is the sexiest man alive.

COSTELLO: I'm just wondering...

O'BRIEN: I sit next to him every day. I know!

COSTELLO: Exactly. I'm just wondering how he'll have to pose if he wins.

HEMMER: It ain't happening.

O'BRIEN: Something like that.

HEMMER: You're seeing it right now, Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you, guys.

HEMMER: Bye.

COSTELLO: It all gets started tonight with a little bit of magic. Orlando gets the first pick in the draft tonight, which is shaping to be quite the basketball drama. We'll take a look at the wheelings and dealings.

An edible fashion, it's dough and then it's a dress.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time to talk sports now. The NBA draft is tonight, and the No. 1 pick may well be another high school phenom. But the draft is not the only story in the NBA.

Joining me now is CNN's sports contributor Chris Cotter. And it's like "As the World Turns" in the NBA.

CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: It is. You know...

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Of course.

COTTER: I mean, you know how the baseball offseason is the hot story. Well, I think the NBA offseason is like our summer of discontent for everybody. All of these players, you know, I mean, you had Kobe in L.A. You know, I didn't really want Phil Jackson there. Phil Jackson is tired of this soap opera in L.A. So, he is out. You know, he's got his nine championships now.

COSTELLO: And now Shaquille O'Neal is mad because of that.

COTTER: Yes, Shaq is mad because Phil is out. So, now Shaq is saying, well, if Phil is not here then I want to get out. So, now all of the teams are kind of clamoring to position themselves to maybe make a trade for Shaq.

Meanwhile down in Orlando, you have Tracy McGrady who says, I don't want to play here anymore. The only team I'll sign a long-term contract with is Houston. Houston has Steve Francis. He says, if you trade me to Orlando I don't want to play there. It's back and forth. It's up and down.

You have McGrady and Shaq now on the trading block, and every team in the league is vying for either one of those two. So, the Orlando GM isn't pulling the trigger on it yet, because he's got all of these teams that say, maybe we'll offer you this and maybe we won't, and maybe we'll offer Elavis (ph) for Shaq. Everything is up in the air going into the draft tonight.

COSTELLO: Well, it could make the draft much more interesting.

COTTER: It should, because Orlando also has the No. 1 overall pick. So, who they pick is going to be determined largely by whether they have Tracy McGrady on the team or not, who they get for Tracy McGrady. We know one thing, or at least we thing we know one thing.

COSTELLO: Sure.

COTTER: That it will either be Dwight Howard, the high-schooler out of Atlanta, or it will be Emeka Okafor, the...

MYERS: It's got to be, the forward.

COTTER: Yes, the top forward out of UConn, the national champions.

MYERS: Yes.

COTTER: So, it will be one of those two players.

COSTELLO: Well, teens seem to do very well in the NBA. Look at the Cleveland team.

MYERS: Yes, sure.

COTTER: Teens actually have done fairly well, the guys coming out of high school. The problem is...

COSTELLO: Kobe Bryant was another teen that did well.

COTTER: Yes. The problem is with the NBA, the way it is with the rookies, four or five years down the road they can become free agents. So, when you're talking about an 18-year-old, he can become a free agent at 22, 23 years of age. Just when he's starting to come into his own in the league, he'll say, see, I've got another offer over here from another team, and then you've invested all of this time trying to get him ready to go. And right when he's ready, then he takes off. And that's an (UNINTELLIGIBLE) right away.

COSTELLO: And that's the chance you take.

MYERS: Yes. But you can't blame a high school kid, if they're going to get a million-dollar contract or a multimillion-dollar contract, for not going into the college arena and then take the money and then get hurt in college and then make no money at all.

COTTER: Yes, as long as...

MYERS: Right? I mean...

COTTER: Yes, as long as somebody says, or you have good information that says, hey, you'll be a No. 1 draft choice, you go to the NBA. I mean, the money is just too much, it's there, and your opportunity is there, you take that opportunity.

COSTELLO: Yes, and who cares about that stupid education stuff?

MYERS: You can go back and get that.

COSTELLO: Who needs that?

MYERS: You can go back and get that.

COTTER: If somebody offers you $1 million a year over five years, I'll take it.

COSTELLO: I would go to school.

COTTER: Well, you can have my diploma. Take it off the wall, I'll give it to you, and I'll take the money. How about that?

COSTELLO: OK, enough said.

Hey, let's give away our cup.

MYERS: Hey, OK, from yesterday?

COSTELLO: Yes, from yesterday.

MYERS: Yes, we had a good one actually. Daniel Sieberg's report about the ocean research cruise ship, it was on the what? Explorer of the Seas. And what musician so far has refused to play a concert for counter-programming the National Republican Convention? And that is Bruce Springsteen.

The winner, Wayne Onken from Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Congratulations Saint Cloud.

COSTELLO: Congratulations, Wayne. That's right.

MYERS: In fact, today is going to be a cold day in Saint Cloud. The high could be 62. That's pretty cool.

No time for the mug questions today.

COSTELLO: I guess that is cool for the end of June, isn't it? I'm thinking Minnesota, it's always cold there.

MYERS: Well, it should be 80 at least.

COSTELLO: All right. I apologize.

Chad will join me for "The Lightning Round." I'm sure Chris will be in the wings watching. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Beyonce's sister. I thought it was Beyonce at first, and she's only 18.

MYERS: She's 18.

COSTELLO: Wow! That's amazing.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: Stranger things have happened.

It's time for our "Lightning Round," so let's get to it.

You know, leave it to the French to come up with something like this. A wardrobe made entirely of bread.

MYERS: Oh.

COSTELLO: A dress bread. A bread -- how do you what that? A dress made of bread. Apparently, you have to have a lot of dough to buy it.

MYERS: I thought the Pillsbury Dough Boy already did that.

COSTELLO: Why would you make a dress of bread? Would you wear a dress of bread?

MYERS: Well...

COSTELLO: What if it rained?

MYERS: Really, don't dresses don't look good on me. My hips are too big.

COSTELLO: I understand.

Hong Kong may be known for its ultra-modern skyscrapers, but it's getting some old-fashioned help in building a cable car system. Mules are carrying construction materials down a road that's inaccessible to trucks.

MYERS: It looks like he's doing a pretty good job there.

COSTELLO: Yes, it does.

A month to hang the laundry. That's how long it took some school kids in South Africa to complete this 18-miles clothes line. The clothing will now go to charities across Africa. What a nice idea.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: That's an awesome idea. Good for them.

MYERS: Yes. It would be nice to have, like, a picture of that from the space, though. You could almost see it probably from way up there.

COSTELLO: Yes, that would be very cool. A quick look at the weather. That's what you do.

(WEATHER BREAK)

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

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