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CNN Live At Daybreak

Insurgents Strike Again at New Iraqi Government; In Britain, Latest Investigation into Prewar Intelligence Gathering Due Out This Morning

Aired July 14, 2004 - 05:00   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Central Baghdad rocked by a suicide car bombing. We'll take you live to the Iraqi capital in two minutes.
It's Wednesday, July 14, and this is DAYBREAK.

Good morning.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Carol Costello this morning.

Now in the news, just three and a half hours ago, a suicide bomber strikes in central Baghdad, killing 10 Iraqis. At least 40 people were wounded. Three of the deaths are Iraqi National Guard members. The blast occurred near the heavily fortified area housing Iraq's interim government.

Marine Corporal Wassef Hassoun, formerly listed as captured in Iraq, could leave Germany for the United States as early as next hour. He has been treated at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl since surfacing in Lebanon last week.

Just about two and a half hours from now, the British public gets a look at the latest investigation into the British intelligence gathering failures that led up to the Iraq war.

A proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage could die later today when a procedural vote is taken in the U.S. Senate. Most Democrats and a number of moderate Republicans oppose the amendment.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

Let's get our first look at the weather this morning -- good morning to you, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Fred.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Insurgents strike again at the new Iraqi government. The latest suicide bombing, just a few hours ago, was near the area housing Iraq's interim government.

Our Michael Holmes says he felt the windows of his Baghdad hotel room shake when the bomb went off.

He joins us live now.

Michael, what's the latest?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, yes, it was a major explosion, a very large car bomb that went off. As you say correctly, we're about one and a half kilometers away from the scene of the explosion. It rattled the windows. I could see a cloud of brown smoke initially rising from the initial explosion and then the thick black smoke of the fire that followed.

This happened at a major entrance to the green zone. There is more than one, of course. This is the entrance that is very close to the convention center; also close to the Al-Rasheed Hotel, the U.S. Embassy and, as you pointed out, the headquarters of the interim Iraqi government.

It happened at about 9:20 a.m. local time. That's a little less than four hours ago. What we know so far from the Iraqi prime minister, Iyad Allawi himself, he tells us that seven Iraqi civilians were killed, three members of the Iraqi National Guard were killed. There are 40 wounded, many of those in very serious condition.

We also heard from an American colonel from the 1st Calvary Division on the scene, telling us that one U.S. soldier had been wounded, as well, light injuries. He's going to go back to duty, apparently.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with the dead and the injured. It was a scene of carnage, as you can imagine.

The colonel, Mike Murray, tells us that an SUV drove up to the outer perimeter, the outer security cordon, got quite close to the entry, but had not reached the first level of security, where vehicles are checked for the first of several times, when it detonated. And as we said, it was a very, very large explosion.

This is a public holiday here in Baghdad, or around Iraq, indeed. It's called the July 14 Holiday, very simply. It is to mark the anniversary of the overthrow of the Iraqi monarchy, a bloody event which led to a lot of political and social turmoil here. There has been fear for some time that it would provide a symbolic opportunity to carry out an attack just such as this.

It's been fairly quiet in terms of major attacks lately in Baghdad. There is the daily, of course, attacks and killings that go on. But there hasn't been a major one like this for some time. It has, however, happened now -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Holmes from Baghdad, thanks very much.

In Britain, the latest investigation into prewar intelligence gathering is due out this morning. The big question is will the report blame an intelligence failure on Prime Minister Tony Blair? Live to London now from our European political editor, Robin Oakley, with the very latest -- Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.

Well, Tony Blair has had a good look at this report. He received it yesterday, the report by Lord Butler, the former cabinet secretary, into the quality of the intelligence on which the British case for war against Saddam Hussein was based. And it's another make or break week for Tony Blair. These seem to come around pretty regularly now. He's already been cleared, effectively, by two parliamentary probes and one other public inquiry of exaggerating the intelligence in order to make his case for war. But the key question now is whether Lord Butler will simply blame intelligence chiefs for the shortcomings in intelligence or whether he will criticize the politicians, like Tony Blair and his key staff in Downing Street for putting too much pressure on the intelligence chiefs, forcing them to remove the necessary caveats from the points that they made in the dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons.

It looks, from what we've gathered so far, as though Tony Blair is going to be singed rather than burned by this report. But anything which puts the focus back on weapons of mass destruction and the failure of those weapons of mass destruction to emerge in Iraq after the conflict is bad news for Tony Blair -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Robin, how much of a reference was made to the U.S. Senate intelligence report that really placed most of the blame on the intelligence gathering agencies?

OAKLEY: Well, indeed, there is a difference between the two reports in that the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report focused entirely on intelligence failures and didn't really go into the political case, the way in which the White House used the intelligence.

We're expecting rather more focus in Lord Butler's report on the key interface between Downing Street and the intelligence community. And the guy who's likely to finish up with the most criticism is John Scarlett, the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, which is that key interface between Tony Blair and his team and the intelligence chiefs.

And it's suggested that John Scarlett perhaps was too willing to do Downing Street's bidding in stripping out those caveats about Saddam Hussein's weapons that should have remained in the report -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Robin Oakley in London.

Thanks very much for that preview.

This report expected in a few hours.

The White House and the CIA are refusing to release a one page intelligence summary President Bush received on Iraq in October of 2002. The "New York Times" reports that Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee want to see the document. They're reportedly concerned because it leaves out dissenting information from various agencies. The briefing paper summarized a 90-page national intelligence estimate on Iraq's chemical and biological weapons. A Republican on the committee says it should stay classified because of executive privilege.

Another Iraq hostage update now.

U.S. Marine Corporal Wassef Hassoun is expected back in the United States, leaving Germany as early as today. Hassoun, listed as missing three weeks ago, turned up last week in Lebanon, where he has family. Late last week, he was taken to a U.S. hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

Our Chris Burns joins us now on the phone from Landstuhl.

Chris, what's the latest on his travel plans?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the 24-year-old Marine translator, Corporal Ali Hassoun, is going to be heading back. He's expected some time this afternoon here. He'll be flying aboard a C5A transport plane. The flight is about six or seven hours. He's headed to Dover Air Force Base and is expected to go on to Quantico, Virginia, the Marine base there.

Tight publicity here. Nobody is allowing any kind of pictures of him at this point. There will be a statement expected, but that statement is not expected to go very far. At this point, it appears that investigators want to talk to him first.

Up to now, the past five days since he arrived here from Lebanon on Friday, he's been going through debriefs, through medical examinations, psychological debriefs, intel debriefs. And according to some military sources, he had been saying -- he has been saying that he was abducted from that base in Fallujah back on June 19, when he went missing.

Since then, however, he had been listed as captured, also, after a video came out showing him with a sword over his head, by his alleged captors. As well, there was an e-mail -- a Web site that said that he was beheaded. That was later denied by another Web site that said he had agreed not to go back to base and that is why his life was spared.

So a lot of questions here about what happened between the time that he disappeared on June 19 and turned up in Lebanon with his family. That is what investigators want to find out and that is what's going to happen when he comes back to the States -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, still lots of questions.

Chris Burns on the phone with us from Landstuhl.

Thanks very much.

We'll be checking again with you.

The Philippine government early today reduced the small number of its troops in Iraq. The move is to satisfy the kidnappers of a Filipino man.

Live now is Maria Ressa on the video phone, joining us from Manila -- Maria.

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, as you know, over the last 48 hours, there's been a lot of confusion about what the Philippine government is actually going to do. Will it give in to kidnappers' demands and pull out the troops, as they say, on July 20? Or will the Philippine government continue to stick to its international agreements, its commitments, and pull them out a month later?

For most Filipinos, they say why quibble over a few days? Well, at this point, the Philippine government again made a very short statement on Wednesday. It was given by its secretary of foreign affairs, Delia Albert.

This is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELIA ALBERT, PHILIPPINE FOREIGN SECRETARY: The foreign affairs ministry is coordinating the pullout of the humanitarian contingent with the ministry of national defense. As of today, our head count is down from 51 to 43.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RESSA: That last sentence, let me repeat it for you again. It's key. "Our head count is down from 51 to 43," leading you to believe that the pullout has begun.

However, the same kind of ambiguity that has characterized the government's statements again is there today. It's unclear whether the pullout has actually happened, but certainly the statements lead you to believe that.

The Philippine government has refused to make any other statements aside from this. It's said that it continues to work for the safe release of Angelo de la Cruz -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And in exchange, then, Maria, are any reassurances being made that Angelo de la Cruz is alive and well right now?

RESSA: At this point it's unclear. We do know, over the last 24 hours, there were high hopes within the government that he would be released. That hasn't happened so far and his family, as well as the Filipinos, continue to wait for word -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Maria Ressa, thanks very much, from Manila.

Well, we're just getting started here on DAYBREAK. And here's what's ahead.

A same-sex showdown in the Senate. A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage might not pass this time, so what's next for a proposal that's dividing the nation?

Also, President Bush gets some close support for his campaign. His twin daughters take to the trail and tell their story in a high profile interview.

And a tiger tale without a happy ending. Did this big cat have to die? That's what Florida wildlife officials are still trying to find out.

This is DAYBREAK for a Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is now 15 minutes after the hour and here's what's all new this morning.

The deadline is closing in for a second Bulgarian hostage in Iraq. Militants have already killed his fellow hostage and gave Bulgaria 24 hours to withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge travels to Boston today. He'll review security plans for the Democratic convention. This comes one week after he warned of credible threats to disrupt the U.S. election process.

In money, JetBlue is becoming the latest airline to slash fares for this fall. It joins Southwest and AirTran as the latest airlines to announce specially discounted fares.

In culture, that "Jeopardy" guy finally got it done. Ken Jennings topped the $1 million mark in prize money on the game show. He has appeared on 30 straight shows, which were taped in the spring.

In sports, a rough night for the Rocket at the All Star Game. Roger Clemens gave up six runs, including two homers, in the first inning. The American League won 9-4.

Chad back with us with a little bit of weather.

And, Chad, I understand some are questioning whether his relationship with Mets catcher Mike Piazza may have had a problem.

MYERS: Really?

WHITFIELD: Yes. That maybe, maybe, maybe their ongoing feud may have disrupted his rhythm.

MYERS: Well, I don't know.

WHITFIELD: Go figure.

MYERS: Yes. It was two three run homers in the first inning. So the game was over, the game was over soon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, the world's largest computer chip maker is cutting its profit margin forecast.

Let's see if that's affecting the overseas markets.

For that, we turn to our Todd Benjamin in London -- good morning to you, Todd.

TODD BENJAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.

Not muggy here, but wet. The rain is falling. It's cool and there's a coolness in the markets because of Intel. Intel came out with its numbers after the close of Wall Street trading. And its quarterly report was mixed. Now, its profits nearly doubled. Its revenues rose sharply. But it cut its profit margin forecast and its inventories rose by 15 percent in the latest quarter. And the market sold the stock off nearly 5 percent in after hours trading. And that's really weighing on the markets here today.

You can see that the FTSE is off nearly three quarters of 1 percent here in London.

The DAX is off better than 1 percent in Frankfurt.

The CAC is off nearly 1 percent.

And Zurich's SMI is off nearly 1 percent.

Technology is down here, including Nokia and Siemens, which both trade in the U.S. And all the chip stocks are down here, as well.

In terms of the currency markets today, for those of you who might be traveling or have friends traveling, you can see the euro is at 123.70 against the greenback and the pound is just below 186.

The futures market in the U.S. is pointing to a lower open on Wall Street because of Intel -- back to you, Fredricka.

Have a great morning.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Todd.

Have a good one.

The controversial amendment banning gay marriage is in trouble in the Senate and so is a Republican attempt to embarrass John Kerry and John Edwards before the Democratic convention.

CNN congressional correspondent Ed Henry explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

07130003.v98

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, one of the Republicans who opposes the gay marriage ban is Senator John McCain of Arizona. McCain calls it unnecessary and un-Republican. He adds that it should be up to the states to decide on the legality of the same-sex unions. Any amendment passed by Congress would then have to be approved in a nationwide vote.

President Bush's twins are stumping for dad and breaking their silence. Here you see daughter Barbara making her campaign trail debut in Minnesota and Michigan. Her twin sister Jenna joined their father last week on a bus tour in Pennsylvania. Jenna tells "Vogue" magazine she thinks their decision to join the campaign probably shocked their parents and she says the "Vogue" interview is her first interview ever.

Today's a big first for John Edwards -- his first solo trip as a vice presidential candidate. Edwards begins his seven state swing in Iowa and Illinois. Then he's off to the South, with stops in Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina and President Bush's home state of Texas.

All the political news you need is just a click away on your computer. Log onto cnn.com/politics to stay informed.

And we'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Controversy this morning over the shooting death of an escaped tiger in south Florida. The tiger's owner says wildlife officials acted hastily. He calls the animal's killing a murder. But officers say it was self-defense.

CNN's John Zarrella has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over):

Florida wildlife officers say they intended to tranquilize Bobo the tiger, but instead were forced to kill him.

JORGE PINO, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION: Unfortunately, there was some kind of either a lunging toward the officer. The officer felt threatened enough where he needed to use lethal force.

STEVE SIPEK, BOBO'S OWNER: This is the blood of Bobo, my Bobo.

ZARRELLA: The big cat's owner, Steve Sipek, distraught and covered in his animal's blood, said he could have walked Bobo back into his compound had he been given the chance. SIPEK: He was still under the bushes where he slept all day. When they came, he raised his head and they shot him five times. Five times, not one, just five, five times.

ZARRELLA: The encounter with Bobo by two wildlife officers who were tracking him came more than a day after the tiger escaped Sipek's residence in rural Palm Beach County. Sipek, who played Tarzan in 1960s B versions of the movie raised Bobo from a cub. Earlier in the day, Sipek said he was concerned about his pet's fate.

SIPEK: I'm afraid they're going to kill him. I am afraid they're going to kill him.

ZARRELLA: Bobo's escape had residents on edge. Wildlife officers cordoned off the area where they thought the animal was hiding, set up a command post and warned residents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you guys have any animals or anything like that, bring them inside.

ZARRELLA: One woman offered her pig as bait. The offer promptly rejected. It's not clear how Bobo got out of Sipek's compound, where he keeps another tiger, a couple of lions and a panther. And the danger is clearly marked. Mail carrier Jan Mahoney was the first person to see Bobo on the loose.

JAN MAHONEY, MAIL CARRIER: I was close to delivering Steve's mail and when I turned the corner at the driveway that's next to Steve's house, the tiger was laying right here behind the palm fronds.

ZARRELLA: Wildlife officials say they will investigate why the officers felt it necessary to kill the animal.

(on camera): Several area residents came out to express their support for Sipek with lit candles. Wildlife officials say they are saddened, too. The last thing they wanted to do, they say, was to kill Bobo.

John Zarrella, CNN, Loxahatchee, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And here's what's ahead in the next half hour.

Several dead, dozens injured -- a live report on the latest out of Baghdad.

And more comments from the comedian, Bill Cosby, and what he had to say last night at the NAACP convention.

And later, dozing during the day -- one company's efforts to help you get more rest.

You're watching DAYBREAK for Wednesday, July 14.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired July 14, 2004 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Central Baghdad rocked by a suicide car bombing. We'll take you live to the Iraqi capital in two minutes.
It's Wednesday, July 14, and this is DAYBREAK.

Good morning.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Carol Costello this morning.

Now in the news, just three and a half hours ago, a suicide bomber strikes in central Baghdad, killing 10 Iraqis. At least 40 people were wounded. Three of the deaths are Iraqi National Guard members. The blast occurred near the heavily fortified area housing Iraq's interim government.

Marine Corporal Wassef Hassoun, formerly listed as captured in Iraq, could leave Germany for the United States as early as next hour. He has been treated at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl since surfacing in Lebanon last week.

Just about two and a half hours from now, the British public gets a look at the latest investigation into the British intelligence gathering failures that led up to the Iraq war.

A proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage could die later today when a procedural vote is taken in the U.S. Senate. Most Democrats and a number of moderate Republicans oppose the amendment.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

Let's get our first look at the weather this morning -- good morning to you, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Fred.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Insurgents strike again at the new Iraqi government. The latest suicide bombing, just a few hours ago, was near the area housing Iraq's interim government.

Our Michael Holmes says he felt the windows of his Baghdad hotel room shake when the bomb went off.

He joins us live now.

Michael, what's the latest?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, yes, it was a major explosion, a very large car bomb that went off. As you say correctly, we're about one and a half kilometers away from the scene of the explosion. It rattled the windows. I could see a cloud of brown smoke initially rising from the initial explosion and then the thick black smoke of the fire that followed.

This happened at a major entrance to the green zone. There is more than one, of course. This is the entrance that is very close to the convention center; also close to the Al-Rasheed Hotel, the U.S. Embassy and, as you pointed out, the headquarters of the interim Iraqi government.

It happened at about 9:20 a.m. local time. That's a little less than four hours ago. What we know so far from the Iraqi prime minister, Iyad Allawi himself, he tells us that seven Iraqi civilians were killed, three members of the Iraqi National Guard were killed. There are 40 wounded, many of those in very serious condition.

We also heard from an American colonel from the 1st Calvary Division on the scene, telling us that one U.S. soldier had been wounded, as well, light injuries. He's going to go back to duty, apparently.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with the dead and the injured. It was a scene of carnage, as you can imagine.

The colonel, Mike Murray, tells us that an SUV drove up to the outer perimeter, the outer security cordon, got quite close to the entry, but had not reached the first level of security, where vehicles are checked for the first of several times, when it detonated. And as we said, it was a very, very large explosion.

This is a public holiday here in Baghdad, or around Iraq, indeed. It's called the July 14 Holiday, very simply. It is to mark the anniversary of the overthrow of the Iraqi monarchy, a bloody event which led to a lot of political and social turmoil here. There has been fear for some time that it would provide a symbolic opportunity to carry out an attack just such as this.

It's been fairly quiet in terms of major attacks lately in Baghdad. There is the daily, of course, attacks and killings that go on. But there hasn't been a major one like this for some time. It has, however, happened now -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Holmes from Baghdad, thanks very much.

In Britain, the latest investigation into prewar intelligence gathering is due out this morning. The big question is will the report blame an intelligence failure on Prime Minister Tony Blair? Live to London now from our European political editor, Robin Oakley, with the very latest -- Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.

Well, Tony Blair has had a good look at this report. He received it yesterday, the report by Lord Butler, the former cabinet secretary, into the quality of the intelligence on which the British case for war against Saddam Hussein was based. And it's another make or break week for Tony Blair. These seem to come around pretty regularly now. He's already been cleared, effectively, by two parliamentary probes and one other public inquiry of exaggerating the intelligence in order to make his case for war. But the key question now is whether Lord Butler will simply blame intelligence chiefs for the shortcomings in intelligence or whether he will criticize the politicians, like Tony Blair and his key staff in Downing Street for putting too much pressure on the intelligence chiefs, forcing them to remove the necessary caveats from the points that they made in the dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons.

It looks, from what we've gathered so far, as though Tony Blair is going to be singed rather than burned by this report. But anything which puts the focus back on weapons of mass destruction and the failure of those weapons of mass destruction to emerge in Iraq after the conflict is bad news for Tony Blair -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Robin, how much of a reference was made to the U.S. Senate intelligence report that really placed most of the blame on the intelligence gathering agencies?

OAKLEY: Well, indeed, there is a difference between the two reports in that the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report focused entirely on intelligence failures and didn't really go into the political case, the way in which the White House used the intelligence.

We're expecting rather more focus in Lord Butler's report on the key interface between Downing Street and the intelligence community. And the guy who's likely to finish up with the most criticism is John Scarlett, the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, which is that key interface between Tony Blair and his team and the intelligence chiefs.

And it's suggested that John Scarlett perhaps was too willing to do Downing Street's bidding in stripping out those caveats about Saddam Hussein's weapons that should have remained in the report -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Robin Oakley in London.

Thanks very much for that preview.

This report expected in a few hours.

The White House and the CIA are refusing to release a one page intelligence summary President Bush received on Iraq in October of 2002. The "New York Times" reports that Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee want to see the document. They're reportedly concerned because it leaves out dissenting information from various agencies. The briefing paper summarized a 90-page national intelligence estimate on Iraq's chemical and biological weapons. A Republican on the committee says it should stay classified because of executive privilege.

Another Iraq hostage update now.

U.S. Marine Corporal Wassef Hassoun is expected back in the United States, leaving Germany as early as today. Hassoun, listed as missing three weeks ago, turned up last week in Lebanon, where he has family. Late last week, he was taken to a U.S. hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

Our Chris Burns joins us now on the phone from Landstuhl.

Chris, what's the latest on his travel plans?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the 24-year-old Marine translator, Corporal Ali Hassoun, is going to be heading back. He's expected some time this afternoon here. He'll be flying aboard a C5A transport plane. The flight is about six or seven hours. He's headed to Dover Air Force Base and is expected to go on to Quantico, Virginia, the Marine base there.

Tight publicity here. Nobody is allowing any kind of pictures of him at this point. There will be a statement expected, but that statement is not expected to go very far. At this point, it appears that investigators want to talk to him first.

Up to now, the past five days since he arrived here from Lebanon on Friday, he's been going through debriefs, through medical examinations, psychological debriefs, intel debriefs. And according to some military sources, he had been saying -- he has been saying that he was abducted from that base in Fallujah back on June 19, when he went missing.

Since then, however, he had been listed as captured, also, after a video came out showing him with a sword over his head, by his alleged captors. As well, there was an e-mail -- a Web site that said that he was beheaded. That was later denied by another Web site that said he had agreed not to go back to base and that is why his life was spared.

So a lot of questions here about what happened between the time that he disappeared on June 19 and turned up in Lebanon with his family. That is what investigators want to find out and that is what's going to happen when he comes back to the States -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, still lots of questions.

Chris Burns on the phone with us from Landstuhl.

Thanks very much.

We'll be checking again with you.

The Philippine government early today reduced the small number of its troops in Iraq. The move is to satisfy the kidnappers of a Filipino man.

Live now is Maria Ressa on the video phone, joining us from Manila -- Maria.

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, as you know, over the last 48 hours, there's been a lot of confusion about what the Philippine government is actually going to do. Will it give in to kidnappers' demands and pull out the troops, as they say, on July 20? Or will the Philippine government continue to stick to its international agreements, its commitments, and pull them out a month later?

For most Filipinos, they say why quibble over a few days? Well, at this point, the Philippine government again made a very short statement on Wednesday. It was given by its secretary of foreign affairs, Delia Albert.

This is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELIA ALBERT, PHILIPPINE FOREIGN SECRETARY: The foreign affairs ministry is coordinating the pullout of the humanitarian contingent with the ministry of national defense. As of today, our head count is down from 51 to 43.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RESSA: That last sentence, let me repeat it for you again. It's key. "Our head count is down from 51 to 43," leading you to believe that the pullout has begun.

However, the same kind of ambiguity that has characterized the government's statements again is there today. It's unclear whether the pullout has actually happened, but certainly the statements lead you to believe that.

The Philippine government has refused to make any other statements aside from this. It's said that it continues to work for the safe release of Angelo de la Cruz -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And in exchange, then, Maria, are any reassurances being made that Angelo de la Cruz is alive and well right now?

RESSA: At this point it's unclear. We do know, over the last 24 hours, there were high hopes within the government that he would be released. That hasn't happened so far and his family, as well as the Filipinos, continue to wait for word -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Maria Ressa, thanks very much, from Manila.

Well, we're just getting started here on DAYBREAK. And here's what's ahead.

A same-sex showdown in the Senate. A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage might not pass this time, so what's next for a proposal that's dividing the nation?

Also, President Bush gets some close support for his campaign. His twin daughters take to the trail and tell their story in a high profile interview.

And a tiger tale without a happy ending. Did this big cat have to die? That's what Florida wildlife officials are still trying to find out.

This is DAYBREAK for a Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is now 15 minutes after the hour and here's what's all new this morning.

The deadline is closing in for a second Bulgarian hostage in Iraq. Militants have already killed his fellow hostage and gave Bulgaria 24 hours to withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge travels to Boston today. He'll review security plans for the Democratic convention. This comes one week after he warned of credible threats to disrupt the U.S. election process.

In money, JetBlue is becoming the latest airline to slash fares for this fall. It joins Southwest and AirTran as the latest airlines to announce specially discounted fares.

In culture, that "Jeopardy" guy finally got it done. Ken Jennings topped the $1 million mark in prize money on the game show. He has appeared on 30 straight shows, which were taped in the spring.

In sports, a rough night for the Rocket at the All Star Game. Roger Clemens gave up six runs, including two homers, in the first inning. The American League won 9-4.

Chad back with us with a little bit of weather.

And, Chad, I understand some are questioning whether his relationship with Mets catcher Mike Piazza may have had a problem.

MYERS: Really?

WHITFIELD: Yes. That maybe, maybe, maybe their ongoing feud may have disrupted his rhythm.

MYERS: Well, I don't know.

WHITFIELD: Go figure.

MYERS: Yes. It was two three run homers in the first inning. So the game was over, the game was over soon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, the world's largest computer chip maker is cutting its profit margin forecast.

Let's see if that's affecting the overseas markets.

For that, we turn to our Todd Benjamin in London -- good morning to you, Todd.

TODD BENJAMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.

Not muggy here, but wet. The rain is falling. It's cool and there's a coolness in the markets because of Intel. Intel came out with its numbers after the close of Wall Street trading. And its quarterly report was mixed. Now, its profits nearly doubled. Its revenues rose sharply. But it cut its profit margin forecast and its inventories rose by 15 percent in the latest quarter. And the market sold the stock off nearly 5 percent in after hours trading. And that's really weighing on the markets here today.

You can see that the FTSE is off nearly three quarters of 1 percent here in London.

The DAX is off better than 1 percent in Frankfurt.

The CAC is off nearly 1 percent.

And Zurich's SMI is off nearly 1 percent.

Technology is down here, including Nokia and Siemens, which both trade in the U.S. And all the chip stocks are down here, as well.

In terms of the currency markets today, for those of you who might be traveling or have friends traveling, you can see the euro is at 123.70 against the greenback and the pound is just below 186.

The futures market in the U.S. is pointing to a lower open on Wall Street because of Intel -- back to you, Fredricka.

Have a great morning.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Todd.

Have a good one.

The controversial amendment banning gay marriage is in trouble in the Senate and so is a Republican attempt to embarrass John Kerry and John Edwards before the Democratic convention.

CNN congressional correspondent Ed Henry explains.

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WHITFIELD: Well, one of the Republicans who opposes the gay marriage ban is Senator John McCain of Arizona. McCain calls it unnecessary and un-Republican. He adds that it should be up to the states to decide on the legality of the same-sex unions. Any amendment passed by Congress would then have to be approved in a nationwide vote.

President Bush's twins are stumping for dad and breaking their silence. Here you see daughter Barbara making her campaign trail debut in Minnesota and Michigan. Her twin sister Jenna joined their father last week on a bus tour in Pennsylvania. Jenna tells "Vogue" magazine she thinks their decision to join the campaign probably shocked their parents and she says the "Vogue" interview is her first interview ever.

Today's a big first for John Edwards -- his first solo trip as a vice presidential candidate. Edwards begins his seven state swing in Iowa and Illinois. Then he's off to the South, with stops in Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina and President Bush's home state of Texas.

All the political news you need is just a click away on your computer. Log onto cnn.com/politics to stay informed.

And we'll be back.

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WHITFIELD: Controversy this morning over the shooting death of an escaped tiger in south Florida. The tiger's owner says wildlife officials acted hastily. He calls the animal's killing a murder. But officers say it was self-defense.

CNN's John Zarrella has the story.

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JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over):

Florida wildlife officers say they intended to tranquilize Bobo the tiger, but instead were forced to kill him.

JORGE PINO, FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION: Unfortunately, there was some kind of either a lunging toward the officer. The officer felt threatened enough where he needed to use lethal force.

STEVE SIPEK, BOBO'S OWNER: This is the blood of Bobo, my Bobo.

ZARRELLA: The big cat's owner, Steve Sipek, distraught and covered in his animal's blood, said he could have walked Bobo back into his compound had he been given the chance. SIPEK: He was still under the bushes where he slept all day. When they came, he raised his head and they shot him five times. Five times, not one, just five, five times.

ZARRELLA: The encounter with Bobo by two wildlife officers who were tracking him came more than a day after the tiger escaped Sipek's residence in rural Palm Beach County. Sipek, who played Tarzan in 1960s B versions of the movie raised Bobo from a cub. Earlier in the day, Sipek said he was concerned about his pet's fate.

SIPEK: I'm afraid they're going to kill him. I am afraid they're going to kill him.

ZARRELLA: Bobo's escape had residents on edge. Wildlife officers cordoned off the area where they thought the animal was hiding, set up a command post and warned residents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you guys have any animals or anything like that, bring them inside.

ZARRELLA: One woman offered her pig as bait. The offer promptly rejected. It's not clear how Bobo got out of Sipek's compound, where he keeps another tiger, a couple of lions and a panther. And the danger is clearly marked. Mail carrier Jan Mahoney was the first person to see Bobo on the loose.

JAN MAHONEY, MAIL CARRIER: I was close to delivering Steve's mail and when I turned the corner at the driveway that's next to Steve's house, the tiger was laying right here behind the palm fronds.

ZARRELLA: Wildlife officials say they will investigate why the officers felt it necessary to kill the animal.

(on camera): Several area residents came out to express their support for Sipek with lit candles. Wildlife officials say they are saddened, too. The last thing they wanted to do, they say, was to kill Bobo.

John Zarrella, CNN, Loxahatchee, Florida.

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WHITFIELD: And here's what's ahead in the next half hour.

Several dead, dozens injured -- a live report on the latest out of Baghdad.

And more comments from the comedian, Bill Cosby, and what he had to say last night at the NAACP convention.

And later, dozing during the day -- one company's efforts to help you get more rest.

You're watching DAYBREAK for Wednesday, July 14.

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