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CNN Live At Daybreak

Man Suspected of Abducting Two Idaho Children Faces Judge Today

Aired July 06, 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: It is Tuesday, July 5.
We've heard from the world's musicians, now it's the world leaders' turn. Leaders from the top eight economic nations prepare to meet in Scotland.

Also, the man suspected of abducting two Idaho children faces a judge today, while investigators make a grizzly discovery in western Montana.

And it wasn't your typical fireworks display at the nation's capital as emergency plans are put to the test.

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

We'll have more on that capital evacuation drill in just a minute.

Also ahead, a day at the beach turns deadly in New Hampshire, and we're not talking sharks this time.

And it's hard to find healthy fare on the go, but we found some recommendations for fast, healthy food. How about McTofu?

But first, now in the news, Bahrain's top diplomatic in Iraq comes under attack this morning. Gunmen in a pickup truck opened fire on the man's car in western Baghdad. He was slightly wounded.

U.N. Security Council members who oppose Kofi Annan's plan to turn over confidential notes on Iraq's Oil For Food Program must register their objections today. The meeting notes were requested by investigators looking into possible fraud in the $64 billion aid program.

More rumblings in Indonesia. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of the island of Sumatra. Officials did issue a tsunami watch, but they do not think a tsunami is likely.

Chad is watching something else this morning -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A tropical storm watch, Carol, for most of the coast of Louisiana, including New Orleans. Right now, Cindy, tropical storm Cindy down here of that Yucatan Peninsula, making its way on up toward Mississippi, Alabama, even into Georgia. It should make landfall very close to Houma in Louisiana, somewhere around 8:00 tomorrow morning. As a tropical storm, not as a hurricane, probably 40, maybe 45 miles per hour. Fifty mile per hour gusts at best.

This storm out here, which is just tropical depression number four, is just coming here just south of Puerto Rico. It really has some momentum going with it. And now it's forecast to travel on up toward the west and toward the northwest and eventually by Saturday morning be very close to the northern coast of Cuba or south of Key West.

Now, remember, this band could go left or right 500 miles. So we have to keep watching it. That is days and days away.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: President Bush is getting ready for his trip to Europe and that big summit. He leaves just about two hours from now. First stop, Copenhagen, Denmark. He'll overnight at a castle, dine with royalty and say thanks to a wartime ally that has sent some 500 troops to Iraq. And then he's off to the main event, the G8 summit in Gleneagle, Scotland.

Climate change and aid for Africa expected to dominate the agenda for President Bush and the leaders of the world's most industrialized nations.

Police in Scotland, though, already have their hands full, as you can see. They've clashed with protesters ahead of the G8, making about 30 arrests. The protesters fear the world leaders won't stick to their pledges of aid for Africa. It's something British Prime Minister Tony Blair is certainly pushing for, and he holds the G8 presidency this year.

To Afghanistan's Hindu Kush Mountains now. The military says innocent civilians and terrorists were killed when a B52 bomber dropped six bombs on an operating base for militants. The stroke was in Kunar Province at a compound believed to have been sheltering insurgents connected to last week's downing of a military helicopter. Sixteen service members were killed trying to reach a team of Navy SEALS.

And U.S. forces are still searching that area for those Navy SEALS. So far, only one member of the four man team has been found alive. He was rescued Saturday. He's listed in stable condition this morning at Bagram Airfield. Sources tell us his wounds were superficial and he has provided some details about what happened to the rest of his team.

We'll ask CNN military analyst General James Marks just how difficult this search is for the missing SEALS in that rugged region. He'll join us live in about 20 minutes.

In Idaho, the man accused of kidnapping 8-year-old Shasta Groene will face a judge today. Joseph Duncan is expected to be formally charged with kidnapping and being a fugitive from justice. He's a registered sex offender wanted on an unrelated warrant.

In the meantime, there is discouraging news about Shasta's 9- year-old brother Dylan. Authorities found possible human remains at a Montana site where the children may have been held captive. DNA tests are being conducted to determine whether the remains could be Dylan's.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. BEN WOLFINGER, SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We're not going to get into exactly what was discovered at the scene. They're still processing that scene and we're going to let the investigators do their part of it. Once that's done, we may be able to release more details on what was exactly found at that western Montana site.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The family has released these new pictures of Shasta after she was reunited with her father. He says she's doing well. She's been watching movies. She remains in the hospital, where she was taken after her rescue on Saturday morning.

In Aruba, authorities are down to one suspect in the Natalee Holloway case. They released two brothers who had been held for nearly a month in the American teenager's disappearance. A judge says there's not enough evidence to keep them locked up.

That leaves one suspect in custody. The judge says 17-year-old Joran van der Sloot can be held for another 60 days while police continue to investigate. Still no sign of Holloway, who vanished May 30 on a high school graduation trip.

Now for a CNN "Security Watch," the emergency plan for the nation's capital is under review this morning after last night's live test. Police in D.C. used their seven evacuation routes to send people home from the massive fireworks show in the city. A helicopter hovered overhead to keep tabs on the progress. One problem that did arise was with the large amount of pedestrians who clogged some of the traffic lanes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE POURCIAU, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, D.C. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Something that we haven't done yet is to look at how people would walk out, to really plan for that. And I -- we haven't found that anyone else in the country ahs done this, because we're trying to look at other models to look at best practices.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Intelligence reports out of Canada paint a dramatic picture about terrorism there. The report says at least 50 terrorist groups are active in Canada. The U.S. State Department had estimated there were about 40 groups operating north of the border. Canada's intelligence services say terrorists are raising money, buying weapons and traveling to the United States. Among the groups represented are al Qaeda, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

President Bush is telling conservatives settle down. In a "USA Today" story, he defends Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the target of conservatives who want someone who's more of a headliner on the Supreme Court. Gonzalez has often been mentioned as a potential nominee to the court. President Bush says he'll review prospective nominees himself to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll did a poll about filling that vacancy created by O'Connor's resignation. Asked which judges are more likely to let personal views influence their legal decisions, it is evenly divided. Forty percent say liberal judges are more likely to let their views influence decisions, 39 percent say conservatives. And asked how much would a new Supreme Court Justice matter to you, 75 percent say it matters either a great deal or a moderate amount, 20 percent respond not much. The poll has a plus or minus sampling error of 3 percentage points.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, a day at the beach turned into a deadly fight with the ocean. No sharks involved, but deadly nonetheless.

In our "Business Buzz" this morning, a popular new hybrid is getting some tweaks.

And later this hour, who has the best options for healthy eating on the go? We'll look at the top recommendations.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER UPDEGRAVE, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": When it comes to bonds, the key upside is stability. You get these twice a year interest payments. Another plus for bonds is that by combining them with stocks, you can sort of reduce the overall volatility of your portfolio.

The two key downsides to bonds are, first, credit risk, and that is the chance that the issuer might default on the bond, not make the payments. And the second risk is interest rate risk, which basically means that if interest rates go up, the value of your bond will go down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Do you think your child is too fat? Don't just go by those height/weight charts at the doctor's office. A medical panel is urging doctors not to focus only on the ratio of height to weight when they conclude that certain children are obese. The panel says some of those kids might not need to lose weight to be healthy. It also says there is no evidence that weight counseling by pediatricians results in weight loss.

Some people blame fast food for making them fat, but there are healthy options, even when it comes to fast food. The health reporter joins us later this hour to tell us what's fast and healthy.

How about McTofu? That's my favorite.

Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 6:12 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

In India, there's been a fierce firefight between gunmen and police at a Hindu temple on a disputed religious site. Six gunmen were killed. One is in police custody. Three police and two civilians also wounded.

In money news, a U.S. carpet and floor covering maker is trying to get a big foothold in Europe. Georgia-based Mohawk Industries says it's buying a Belgian floor company for $2.5 billion.

In culture, music fans have already made one Live 8 tune a best- seller. U-2 and Paul McCartney's version of "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is number one on iTunes in six countries. That song opened the London concert.

In sports, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner got a thriller for a birthday present. The Yankees blew an early sun run lead to the Baltimore Orioles, but came back to win 13-8. It was the longest nine inning game so far this season, four hours, 12 minutes.

Wow!

MYERS: And I watched about three hours and 12 minutes of it. It was the most amazing game. In the eighth inning, the Yanks scored seven runs, three bloop singles, a hit bats man (ph), they walked in with bases loaded. It was just the most -- it was the wheels coming off the Os. I don't know, I haven't seen it. Good thing for Mariano Rivera, man. He just threw some -- 397 pitches they threw in that game total. Yikes!

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: That's a look at the latest headlines for you.

They're fast, they're deadly and they can catch you by surprise in the water. We want to talk more about riptides this morning. And there is good reason for you to know more about them after a tragic end to the holiday weekend off the New Hampshire coast.

A group of swimmers got caught in a riptide last night. Two men drowned. A young boy was hurt. Witnesses say it all happened really fast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were waving their hands and yelling for help. They were stuck in the -- it pulled them out. And every time I looked at them, they were farther and farther out there in the water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He grabbed onto the little boy. I'm looking, I'm saying oh, they saved him. And then they -- it got the guy's father, the little boy's father -- out and he was just -- he was whooped from exhaustion. He wasn't moving or nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Earlier, they were funneling people away from these riptides. They were like blowing the whistle and they were pushing everyone this way, and they were pushing them that way. As soon as they left, this happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And the thing to keep in mind, that these people went out beyond where they were supposed to. They waited for the lifeguard to leave.

Chad, I wanted to bring you in on this because you know some about riptides.

MYERS: Yes. Well, what happens, Carol, is when you get like a sandbar out in the ocean, the waves will go over that sandbar and almost fill up a pool close to land. Well, that pool has to go somewhere, because it just can't go up and up and up as the waves come in. It starts to erode part of the sandbar so that there's a little gap in that sandbar. And that gap is where the water, as it comes over the sandbar, it is funneled around and through that gap. It's almost like the Grand Canyon as the water is running out.

Well, it's no problem if you're swimming over here because you're in where the water is actually getting pushed into land. If you get into this gap where all the water is running out, that's when you get into trouble because that's when the water is moving very, very swiftly and moving out to sea very quickly.

Now, what you have to do, protect sandbar, sandbar. You're OK, you're OK, in the middle you're not. That's why they say if you get caught in this rip current, swim away from it or across the rip current so that you can get back onto the good side, where you'll actually get pushed back over the sandbar and back onto land.

You can never swim against that riptide, that rip current, because it's just too strong and you just can't get back.

COSTELLO: Oh, it's too strong. Too strong.

All right, thank you, Chad.

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, new and improved -- Honda unveils some upgrades for one of its more popular and efficient vehicles.

But first, we'd like to say good morning Miami.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time now for a little "Business Buzz."

Wal-Mart is moving further into the Japanese market. The retail giant will reportedly take over Japan's fourth largest retailer. A Japanese paper says Wal-Mart plans to boost its share in the company from 42 percent to more than 50 percent.

Honda announces improvements for its Civics with gas and electric engines. The improvements will boost mileage and performance on the remodeled version. They're due to go on sale later this year.

China wants the United States to butt out of the bidding war for oil company Unocal.

Kathleen Hayes joins us with more on this story -- so you knew China would put up a fight.

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is becoming a financial soap opera, just as we knew it would, Carol.

In fact, China says Congress should correct its mistaken ways and stop interfering in the potential deal. China's state owned oil giant, CNOOC, is bidding $18.5 billion for Unocal. But Congress said it would review the deal to determine whether it poses a national security risk. China says it has no problems with a security review of the deal and says CNOOC is not acting on behalf of the Chinese government.

China says the deal would benefit the U.S. by causing fewer job losses. In fact, its bid is also $7 a share higher than the offer Chevron Texaco made for Unocal recently.

COSTELLO: And, Kathleen, can you take a quick look at the futures for us before you go?

HAYS: I certainly will. We've had a three day weekend, but it looks like the futures are pointing to a slightly lower open at the start of the shortened week. Lots to digest this week, Carol. We're going to have a jobs report on Friday and the beginning of the second quarter earnings report is coming up, as well.

COSTELLO: OK. We'll keep our eye on it.

Kathleen Hayes, thank you very much.

The mother of the Olympic Park bomber, Eric Robert Rudolph, is sharing prison letters from her son. Many people, as you know, view him as a terrorist. But Pat Rudolph tells "USA Today" she did not raise the second youngest of her six children to kill people.

His letters to her reveal a person who is unapologetic in his disgust for abortion and the government. After admitting to two bomb -- after admitting to bombing two abortion clinics, a gay nightclub and the Olympic Park, he now seems to regret what he has put his family through.

Rudolph wrote in a Mother's Day letter, and I'm quoting: "Even though I cannot apologize for being who I am and expressing myself in the way that I did, it troubles me greatly that you had to experience any hardships because of my deeds." And he signs it, oddly, "Your wayward son, Eric R. Rudolph."

He'll be sentenced 13 days from now.

Turning our attention to Afghanistan now, the search for members of an elite military team enters week two today. The mission to find them in the eastern mountains has been extremely difficult.

CNN military analyst General James Marks joins us live from Oakton, Virginia -- good morning, General.

BRIG. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Carol, good morning.

COSTELLO: I wanted to talk about the insurgency there and the left over members of the Taliban and how hard of a fight American forces have.

MARKS: Carol, let me, if I might, let's just comment just for a brief second, as we move out of this 4th of July weekend and really enjoy the freedom and independence that we have, you know, that's paid at a cost of these young men and women making these incredible sacrifices in this environment that you're asking about. And I have to tell you that the Taliban clearly is making an effort to re- establish itself at some very lowest levels by making attacks on any type of multinational forces that take place in these contested areas, primarily along the border with Pakistan.

Bear in mind, you know, right after the fall -- or right after 9/11, the Taliban was gone from power and removed by the end of the fall of 2001. So literally just a couple months after 9/11, the Taliban was gone. That was a very quick and very decisive removal, yet folks still remain. Taliban forces still remain and they will protect...

COSTELLO: Well, let me interrupt you for a second, General.

The Taliban forces that do remain, were they people who escaped to the mountains or are they foreign fighters coming in?

MARKS: Carol, I would tell you that it's a combination of both. Clearly, all of the Taliban forces were not entirely eliminated. So you still have remnants that exist. A very good question.

But the recruiting that exists throughout Southwest Asia still is bringing in foreign fighters into Afghanistan.

COSTELLO: How many do you think there are? MARKS: Carol, I would only be guessing. I couldn't even give you a number.

COSTELLO: Well, let me ask you about how well armed they are. They used a rocket propelled grenade to down this military helicopter.

Do they have easy access to many weapons? Are weapons being supplied by some other country?

MARKS: They have access to what is called small arms -- rocket propelled grenades, small arms, crew served weapons. These are very, very pervasive and are in that part of the world. And Afghanistan was a nation under arms, so it's not unusual that those still exist within the country and that they have access to them.

COSTELLO: So many of these insurgents are hiding in some rugged territory within Afghanistan.

How do you fight them? What combination of forces do you use?

MARKS: Well, again, bear in mind we've been there now, the U.S. forces and with some coalition partners, they've been there now for over three years, going on four years. So the familiarity by the U.S. forces is pretty high of that terrain. But still, it is a very, very tough, what's called restricted terrain, very mountainous, very difficult to get in and out.

And so when you look at the images of the CH or the MH-47 helicopters, for example, the one that was shot down, those are flying below the mountaintops. So the fighters can get on the mountaintops and in many cases they're shooting down at these targets. So it's very difficult. You have to have actionable intelligence and very precise work on the part of these teams to go after these Taliban remnants.

COSTELLO: General Marks, thank you for joining us this morning.

We appreciate it.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, new developments in the case of a missing teenager in Aruba. We'll have the latest in a live report.

Also, you've heard from the world's musicians. Now the world leaders prepare for the big G8 summit. The latest from the White House coming up right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

Thank you for waking up with us.

Coming up this half hour, world leaders head to Scotland for the G8 summit. But thanks to demonstrators, it's not exactly going to be the warmest of welcomes.

And it's tough to eat and run, but not impossible. We'll show you all the top picks from fast food restaurants.

But first, now in the news, facing a judge. Joseph Duncan, the man accused of kidnapping 8-year-old Shasta Groene makes his first court appearance today. He's expected to be formally charged with kidnapping and being a fugitive from justice. Duncan is a registered sex offender who became a fugitive after violating terms of his bond.

U.N. Security Council members who oppose Kofi Annan's plan to turn over confidential notes on Iraq's Oil For Food Program must register their objections today. The meeting notes were requested by investigators looking into possible fraud in the $64 billion aid program.

At least 10 people were injured at a fireworks display in Flagler Beach, Florida. That's just north of -- look at that. That's just north of Daytona. Fire officials, Chad, say a firework shell shot from a pier malfunctioned, skipped across the water and exploded on the beach. Two of the injured had to be treated at a hospital.

MYERS: Yes, they have a lot of velocity if that doesn't go straight up in the air. Obviously, that velocity can go horizontally, too.

COSTELLO: Wow! How scary is that?

MYERS: Yes, home video there. Pretty amazing.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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