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CNN Live At Daybreak

Baquba Bloodbath; What's in a Name?; Missing Woman Search; Jackson Trial Delayed; Stem Cell Debate

Aired July 28, 2004 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A suicide car bombing in Iraq, several Iraqis, hoping to be police officers, killed. Actually more than several, dozens are dead this morning.
It is Wednesday, July 28. This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

"Now in the News," at least 51 Iraqis are dead, 40 injured in a suicide car bombing. You are looking at pictures just in to CNN this morning from the blast site. Happened at a marketplace near a police station in the city of Baquba.

Search crews have been at it through the night looking in a Salt Lake City landfill for Lori Hacking. You see that this is happening right now. These are live pictures out of Salt Lake City from that landfill. Hacking has been missing for eight days now.

The Democrats are just a day away from nominating John Kerry as their presidential candidate. He arrives in Boston today, but he won't be speaking to the convention just yet. Tonight, his running mate, John Edwards, addresses the crowd.

Florida election's officials say touch screen voting machines wiped out electronic records of some recent elections. Election reform groups are asking a judge to strike down a state rule preventing counties that use the machines from conducting manual recounts from them -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, it is Wednesday, middle of the week, we're plugging through and we're looking at rainfall that's finally plugging through the northeast and the East Coast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Carol, back over to you.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Rob.

Another deadly explosion rocks Iraq. A suicide car bomber struck just hours ago at a marketplace in the city of Baquba. Nearly 100 people are dead and wounded this morning.

Our Michael Holmes has the latest for you from Baghdad. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In the hours since the blast, the death toll has climbed steadily. It began at 15 soon after the bomb went off. It is now in excess of 50, with 40 people wounded. There are fears that the death toll will climb even higher as time passes. This is the biggest single death toll from a single bomb since the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqi interim administration.

Now what we're told is that most of these casualties are young men lining up to join the Iraqi police force. This is in the center of Baquba, a town 55 kilometers northeast of Baghdad. Now in this immediate area there's a marketplace, there are numerous shops. This was a busy time of morning, and young men were lining up to be recruited into the Iraq police force.

This van, a Toyota minibus, drove right into the crowd and detonated. Baquba has seen a lot of violence over the last year with regular car bombings, shootings and suicide attacks, many of them targeting the Iraqi national guard and the Iraqi police whom the insurgents regard as collaborators with the United States and other foreign troops who are working with them.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Checking other news from around the world now, a hostage standoff at the Chilean Embassy in Costa Rica leaves four people dead. Police say an embassy guard killed 3 of the 10 people he was holding hostage. He then killed himself. The guard was reportedly distraught over an impending job transfer.

Wildfires in Spain have spread into neighboring Portugal. Two people have died in the raging blazes. Hot temperatures and dry brush are fueling those fires. Portugal has asked for help from the European Union to fight the more than 30 major fires burning across the country.

Flooding that's causing problems in Bangladesh. Monsoon floods have killed over 300 people and more rains are expected. Millions of people have been left homeless. It is the worst monsoon flooding there in 15 years.

As always, you can stay on top of global developments by logging on to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/world.

She walked up to the mike and told everyone at the Democratic National Convention she had something to say, and then Teresa Heinz Kerry delivered. The night was hers from the moment she walked on stage in Boston. Says her husband is a fighter who will make good on his promises.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TERESA HEINZ KERRY: He will restore our faith in ourselves and in the sense of limitless opportunity that has always been America's gift to the world. Together, we will lift everyone up. We have to. It's possible and you know what it's the American thing to do. Good night and God bless you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Kerry watched his wife from a hotel room in Philadelphia. He is set to arrive in Boston later this afternoon.

Another shining star twinkled last night. Barack Obama brought down the house with his own account of living the American dream. Obama is running for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, a feat few thought was possible with his father being from Kenya and his mother from Kansas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, KEYNOTE SPEAKER: I stand here today grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of a larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me and that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Only Senator Edward Kennedy strayed momentarily from the Democrat's positive theme to take President Bush to task. Kennedy has been serving in the U.S. Senate for five decades now and he says the November election is the most important of his long public career. And then he talked about fear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: In the depths of the Depression, Franklin Roosevelt inspired the nation when he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Today, we say: The only thing we have to fear if four more years of George Bush.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: John Edwards, by the way, gives his vice presidential acceptance speech at 10:00 p.m. Eastern tonight. We will be there for you. At 11:00 p.m. Eastern, Aaron Brown wraps up tonight's happenings, and Larry King follows at midnight with a live show from the floor of the Fleet Center.

And now to the luck of the Irish. John Kerry has got the right last name for it, but his ancestors were actually Jewish and never even lived on the Emerald Isle.

CNN's Chris Burns takes a look at what's in a name when the name just happens to be John Kerry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the place John Kerry's forefathers randomly pointed to on a map, as family legend has it. The name they adopted to shed their Jewish name Kohn amid rising anti-Semitism in Austria in the late 19th century.

(on camera): So when they let their fingers do the walking, this is what they landed on. This is the county of Kerry.

(voice-over): It's one of Ireland's most popular tourist attractions, full of mountains, lakes, castles and plenty of lore.

(on camera): Are there any leprechauns around here?

MAYOR BRIAN O'LEARY, KILLARNEY, IRELAND: Well, you've got to search hard.

BURNS (voice-over): And what about that presidential candidate, we asked the mayor.

(on camera): And that doesn't bother you that his family has never lived here and yet they took that name?

B. O'LEARY: No, that doesn't bother us. I suppose he could have been called John Cork as well if he picked the adjoining county or John Limerick. You know it's just...

BURNS: So in that sense better Kerry than Limerick?

B. O'LEARY: Absolutely.

BURNS: I can't imagine him running for president with Limerick, can you?

B. O'LEARY: Well, you might be able to sing a few tunes and tell a few extra yarns.

BURNS (voice-over): On the streets of Killarney, locals know John Kerry's family isn't the first to adopt an Irish name.

BRIDGET RIORDAN, IRELAND CITIZEN: Yes, but there are lots of people who aren't Irish that are living here.

BURNS: But is Kerry actually a name here? Places, yes. Kerry County Airport, Radio Kerry, the monument to the Irish Republican Army's former Kerry Brigade and don't forget the local Kerry soccer team.

At Laurel's Pub we investigate further.

(on camera): Do you know of anybody whose last name is Kerry? CON O'LEARY, OWNER, LAUREL'S PUB: Only the guy who is going to be president of the United States.

BURNS: Do you know of anybody here in County Kerry who thinks why did this man steal our name?

C. O'LEARY: Well, we're kind of proud of him.

BURNS (voice-over): And some locals say they hope that perhaps with the name and come the luck of the Irish.

Chris Burns, CNN, County Kerry, Ireland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: To find out where Senator John Kerry stands on the issues, click on to our Web site at www.cnn.com. You'll also find complete coverage of the Democratic National Convention on our home page.

Up next on DAYBREAK, a film creates a firestorm of negative publicity for a pop icon. The latest on the Michael Jackson case and the cloud of controversy.

This is DAYBREAK for a Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Salt Lake City police are searching a landfill for a second straight night. It's part of a search for Lori Hacking. Still no suspects in the disappearance, but police do list the woman's husband as the only person of interest in the case.

CNN's Ted Rowlands gets us up to speed from Salt Lake City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While Mark Hacking remains hospitalized in Salt Lake City, police continue investigating the disappearance of his wife. The families have closed the volunteer center, thanking the thousands that helped, while acknowledging they don't expect a happy ending.

SCOTT DUNAWAY, FAMILY SPOKESMAN: It's day eight, we understand what that means. We know that the -- what the statistics are for that.

ROWLANDS: Police say nothing was found in an overnight cadaver dog search of a landfill, but they say potential evidence has been collected from a number of locations, including the couple's apartment. They say forensic test results should tell them a lot.

DET. PHIL ESLINGER, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: That's going to be the item that is really going to lead us in the direction to be able to tell us what Lori's not here to tell us at this point in time. ROWLANDS: Co-workers of Lori Hacking had told police about a phone call that caused her to leave her bank job crying the Friday before she was reported missing. But friends who released photos taken that night say Lori and Mark seemed happy at a going away party held in their honor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: As Ted mentioned, Mark Hacking remains in a Salt Lake psychiatric hospital. Police say they stopped questioning him last week because they felt he wasn't telling them the truth.

Your news, money, weather and sports now. It is 5:44 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.

A car bomb explodes, killing at least 51 people this morning in the Iraqi city of Baquba. Witnesses and doctors say scores of others were injured, possibly as many as 40.

In money news, a national survey shows CEOs were given an average pay raise of 15 to 22 percent last year, no 3 percent raises for them. Compensation packages for top executives at Oracle, Apple Computer, Yahoo! and Colgate-Palmolive surged 1,000 percent.

In culture, Bob Newhart is back, this time in bronze. Chicago is honoring one of its own with a life-sized statue of the character Newhart played on TV in the '70s, Dr. Robert Hartley. "The Bob Newhart Show" was set in Chicago, which is Newhart's home town.

In sports, Chicago Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux sits on the threshold of 300 wins. Last night he hit number 299. A 7 to 1 win over Milwaukee. He goes for 300 against Philadelphia on Sunday -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Carol, it's just way unfair for a man to have that much talent. It's just, you know, it makes you want to scream. All right...

COSTELLO: He's special.

MARCIANO: He is special.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Carol, we'll see you in about 10, 15 minutes.

COSTELLO: We'll be here. Thank you, Rob.

Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

There has been a delay in the Michael Jackson trial. The judge in the case has granted a defense request to push back the start of the trial from September to January of next year.

CNN's Miguel Marquez has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The case against Michael Jackson begins as a Santa Barbara County assistant district attorney when the King of Pop spoke about his love for children in a British documentary that aired on ABC in February 2003.

MICHAEL JACKSON, KING OF POP: It was not sexual. We were going to sleep. I tuck them in. We put -- I put little like music on and do a little story time. I read a book. You know very sweet.

MARQUEZ: Prosecutors revealed a central theory behind their case against Jackson who stands accused of lewd and attempted lewd acts against a child under 14, giving a child alcohol to assist in those acts and conspiracy. Jackson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The prosecution argued that a documentary in which Jackson's accuser appears was an attempt by the pop star to -- quote -- "justify his interest in pre and post-pubescent boys" -- unquote. The prosecution continued that the film created a firestorm of negative publicity for Jackson and that it represented a complete and utter ruin of his image, his empire and his career. Prosecutors contend that Jackson, in an attempt to exonerate himself, hoped to get the boy and his family on tape to quell the firestorm.

Jackson says prosecutors wanted to tape the statements using his own cameraperson at a location outside of California. It was during this period that prosecutors say Jackson conspired to keep the boy away from his mother, controlled people and events and tried to pressure the family to record the statement releasing Jackson from any wrongdoing.

Defense lawyers argue that during this time Jackson's accuser and the accuser's mother were treated to extended stays at Jackson's Neverland Ranch, to a Miami vacation, a hotel room in Calabasas, California, with unlimited use of credit cards, and that the accuser and his mother left Neverland Ranch and then returned.

(on camera): Defense lawyers also contend the prosecutor's office acted outrageously before a grand jury by badgering witnesses and misleading jurors. Jackson's lawyers asked Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville to throw out all the charges against the pop star. The judge indicated he would rule on dismissing the grand jury charges in the near future.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And here are some other stories making news "Across America."

Details of the sex life of Kobe Bryant's accuser could be made public as early as today. The judge in the case may release an edited version of some transcripts that had been e-mailed accidentally to several media outlets. Just last week, the judge barred the media from printing details of the closed hearing, but media attorneys appealed his decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Steven Breyer refused to overturn the judge's order but gave him time to decide if an edited transcript can be released.

Poor training and a clogged pump are being blamed for the June deaths of four people at a Fort Worth water attraction. Results of the investigation showed that a drain problem led an employee to raise the water level in the pool well above its normal level. One child drowned after falling into the water. Three other people, including two children, drowned during a rescue attempt.

Plenty of damage after a tornado touches down in southern New Jersey. Trees, power lines and several buildings were damaged by 110 mile per hour winds. Heavy thunderstorms also raised the fear of flooding across the state.

Keep your eyes on the road. Coming up on DAYBREAK, how a dashboard DVD player turns deadly.

And stem cell reality check, how the son of a Republican president is taking his fight to the Democratic Party.

This is DAYBREAK for Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: An interesting case to tell you about out of Anchorage, Alaska this morning. Apparently a driver is charged with second-degree murder for hitting another driver head on. And there's a little caveat to this story.

MARCIANO: Watching, possibly, a movie while he was driving. They found a DVD player.

COSTELLO: Yes, the police were investigating the accident and they spotted a DVD player on the dashboard of this pickup truck. And apparently the two people in the pickup truck were watching the movie "Road Trip."

MARCIANO: Really?

COSTELLO: And their attention was diverted, and of course they hit another vehicle head on. And this is the first time ever that someone has been charged with second-degree murder for a case like this.

MARCIANO: Well you've heard of DVD players in the backseat to kind of keep the kids occupied, but I assume it wasn't implanted in the steering wheel (ph)?

COSTELLO: No, supposedly you can remove it and set it up on your dashboard, if you want, but you physically have to do it because it's not legal for the manufacturer to put it where you can see it while you are driving. But apparently you can take it out and put it on the dashboard, if you wish, but you have to bypass all kinds of systems. So the trial is under way now and we'll see what happens.

MARCIANO: You know you think of Alaska as being -- in many places being in the middle of nowhere, but that part, just south of Anchorage, I mean it's not like it's in the middle of a pretty populated town. And even in between Sewardin (ph) and Alaska, it's not like it's a road that just goes on and on and on, so.

COSTELLO: I just can't imagine that.

MARCIANO: Yes, it's kind of weird.

COSTELLO: So we'll keep you posted on that.

MARCIANO: Don't watch movies while driving, that's the moral of the story.

COSTELLO: No, never a good idea.

"Health Headlines" for you this morning.

Going to a hospital could kill you. A new report says 195,000 people die from hospital errors each year. That estimate doubles previous figures of fatal medical errors.

Those flu shots you give your kids each year apparently do not prevent asthma flare-ups. In fact, new research indicates that influenza vaccines might make asthma worse.

And, ladies, you may want to watch how often you eat eggs. Japanese researchers have found that women who ate eggs on a daily basis were more likely to die during the 14-year study than women who ate one or two eggs a week.

The debate over stem cell research is one that crosses party lines. Ron Reagan took up the issue as he addressed delegates at the Democratic Convention. It's an issue the former Republican president's son hasn't shied away from in the past.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more on the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON REAGAN, SON OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN AND NANCY REAGAN: This could be the biggest revolution in medicine, well, ever, really. I mean bigger than antibiotics, bigger than anything.

NANCY REAGAN, FORMER FIRST LADY: There are so many diseases that can be cured, or at least helped.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Republican icon sounding very Democratic on the issue of stem cell research. On the opposing side, President Bush who sharply limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

The issue, these embryos sitting unwanted by the thousands in fertility clinics across the country. Embryos are the necessary raw ingredients for embryonic stem cells. To the president and many conservatives, the embryos are babies waiting to be born and shouldn't be destroyed.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Life is a creation of God, not a commodity to be exploited by man.

COHEN: But the Reagan's see it differently.

R. REAGAN: I mean we are talking about cells, undifferentiated cells, in a petri dish here. No fingers, no toes, no brain, no spinal cord, no feelings, no pain, no nothing.

COHEN: Scientists and several celebrity advocates are pushing for more federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The hope is that the cells can be turned into human tissue to treat, for example, Christopher Reeve's spinal cord injury, Mary Tyler Moore's diabetes, Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease.

Some Republicans and many Democrats have joined the chorus.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: We also need to lift the ban on stem cell research and find cures that will help millions of Americans.

COHEN: Actually, President Bush never banned stem cell research, he just limited federal funding to a small group of stem cell lines where the embryos had already been destroyed. But most researchers say those particular cells are seriously flawed and not very useful scientifically, and that alongside like-minded politicians, they will continue to fight for more flexible rules.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And coming up in our next hour, CNN medical correspondent Holly Firfer will join us live with more on the stem cell debate and the potential benefits of research.

For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address CNN.com/health.

Violence erupts in Iraq this morning as a car bomb claims many lives in Baquba. We'll have a live report for you.

Stay tuned to CNN, your most trusted source for news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The theme of the night could have been Democrats old and new. The convention brings a variety of voices to the stage.

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 28, 2004 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A suicide car bombing in Iraq, several Iraqis, hoping to be police officers, killed. Actually more than several, dozens are dead this morning.
It is Wednesday, July 28. This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.

"Now in the News," at least 51 Iraqis are dead, 40 injured in a suicide car bombing. You are looking at pictures just in to CNN this morning from the blast site. Happened at a marketplace near a police station in the city of Baquba.

Search crews have been at it through the night looking in a Salt Lake City landfill for Lori Hacking. You see that this is happening right now. These are live pictures out of Salt Lake City from that landfill. Hacking has been missing for eight days now.

The Democrats are just a day away from nominating John Kerry as their presidential candidate. He arrives in Boston today, but he won't be speaking to the convention just yet. Tonight, his running mate, John Edwards, addresses the crowd.

Florida election's officials say touch screen voting machines wiped out electronic records of some recent elections. Election reform groups are asking a judge to strike down a state rule preventing counties that use the machines from conducting manual recounts from them -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, it is Wednesday, middle of the week, we're plugging through and we're looking at rainfall that's finally plugging through the northeast and the East Coast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Carol, back over to you.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Rob.

Another deadly explosion rocks Iraq. A suicide car bomber struck just hours ago at a marketplace in the city of Baquba. Nearly 100 people are dead and wounded this morning.

Our Michael Holmes has the latest for you from Baghdad. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In the hours since the blast, the death toll has climbed steadily. It began at 15 soon after the bomb went off. It is now in excess of 50, with 40 people wounded. There are fears that the death toll will climb even higher as time passes. This is the biggest single death toll from a single bomb since the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqi interim administration.

Now what we're told is that most of these casualties are young men lining up to join the Iraqi police force. This is in the center of Baquba, a town 55 kilometers northeast of Baghdad. Now in this immediate area there's a marketplace, there are numerous shops. This was a busy time of morning, and young men were lining up to be recruited into the Iraq police force.

This van, a Toyota minibus, drove right into the crowd and detonated. Baquba has seen a lot of violence over the last year with regular car bombings, shootings and suicide attacks, many of them targeting the Iraqi national guard and the Iraqi police whom the insurgents regard as collaborators with the United States and other foreign troops who are working with them.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Checking other news from around the world now, a hostage standoff at the Chilean Embassy in Costa Rica leaves four people dead. Police say an embassy guard killed 3 of the 10 people he was holding hostage. He then killed himself. The guard was reportedly distraught over an impending job transfer.

Wildfires in Spain have spread into neighboring Portugal. Two people have died in the raging blazes. Hot temperatures and dry brush are fueling those fires. Portugal has asked for help from the European Union to fight the more than 30 major fires burning across the country.

Flooding that's causing problems in Bangladesh. Monsoon floods have killed over 300 people and more rains are expected. Millions of people have been left homeless. It is the worst monsoon flooding there in 15 years.

As always, you can stay on top of global developments by logging on to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/world.

She walked up to the mike and told everyone at the Democratic National Convention she had something to say, and then Teresa Heinz Kerry delivered. The night was hers from the moment she walked on stage in Boston. Says her husband is a fighter who will make good on his promises.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TERESA HEINZ KERRY: He will restore our faith in ourselves and in the sense of limitless opportunity that has always been America's gift to the world. Together, we will lift everyone up. We have to. It's possible and you know what it's the American thing to do. Good night and God bless you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Kerry watched his wife from a hotel room in Philadelphia. He is set to arrive in Boston later this afternoon.

Another shining star twinkled last night. Barack Obama brought down the house with his own account of living the American dream. Obama is running for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, a feat few thought was possible with his father being from Kenya and his mother from Kansas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, KEYNOTE SPEAKER: I stand here today grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of a larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me and that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Only Senator Edward Kennedy strayed momentarily from the Democrat's positive theme to take President Bush to task. Kennedy has been serving in the U.S. Senate for five decades now and he says the November election is the most important of his long public career. And then he talked about fear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: In the depths of the Depression, Franklin Roosevelt inspired the nation when he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Today, we say: The only thing we have to fear if four more years of George Bush.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: John Edwards, by the way, gives his vice presidential acceptance speech at 10:00 p.m. Eastern tonight. We will be there for you. At 11:00 p.m. Eastern, Aaron Brown wraps up tonight's happenings, and Larry King follows at midnight with a live show from the floor of the Fleet Center.

And now to the luck of the Irish. John Kerry has got the right last name for it, but his ancestors were actually Jewish and never even lived on the Emerald Isle.

CNN's Chris Burns takes a look at what's in a name when the name just happens to be John Kerry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the place John Kerry's forefathers randomly pointed to on a map, as family legend has it. The name they adopted to shed their Jewish name Kohn amid rising anti-Semitism in Austria in the late 19th century.

(on camera): So when they let their fingers do the walking, this is what they landed on. This is the county of Kerry.

(voice-over): It's one of Ireland's most popular tourist attractions, full of mountains, lakes, castles and plenty of lore.

(on camera): Are there any leprechauns around here?

MAYOR BRIAN O'LEARY, KILLARNEY, IRELAND: Well, you've got to search hard.

BURNS (voice-over): And what about that presidential candidate, we asked the mayor.

(on camera): And that doesn't bother you that his family has never lived here and yet they took that name?

B. O'LEARY: No, that doesn't bother us. I suppose he could have been called John Cork as well if he picked the adjoining county or John Limerick. You know it's just...

BURNS: So in that sense better Kerry than Limerick?

B. O'LEARY: Absolutely.

BURNS: I can't imagine him running for president with Limerick, can you?

B. O'LEARY: Well, you might be able to sing a few tunes and tell a few extra yarns.

BURNS (voice-over): On the streets of Killarney, locals know John Kerry's family isn't the first to adopt an Irish name.

BRIDGET RIORDAN, IRELAND CITIZEN: Yes, but there are lots of people who aren't Irish that are living here.

BURNS: But is Kerry actually a name here? Places, yes. Kerry County Airport, Radio Kerry, the monument to the Irish Republican Army's former Kerry Brigade and don't forget the local Kerry soccer team.

At Laurel's Pub we investigate further.

(on camera): Do you know of anybody whose last name is Kerry? CON O'LEARY, OWNER, LAUREL'S PUB: Only the guy who is going to be president of the United States.

BURNS: Do you know of anybody here in County Kerry who thinks why did this man steal our name?

C. O'LEARY: Well, we're kind of proud of him.

BURNS (voice-over): And some locals say they hope that perhaps with the name and come the luck of the Irish.

Chris Burns, CNN, County Kerry, Ireland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: To find out where Senator John Kerry stands on the issues, click on to our Web site at www.cnn.com. You'll also find complete coverage of the Democratic National Convention on our home page.

Up next on DAYBREAK, a film creates a firestorm of negative publicity for a pop icon. The latest on the Michael Jackson case and the cloud of controversy.

This is DAYBREAK for a Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Salt Lake City police are searching a landfill for a second straight night. It's part of a search for Lori Hacking. Still no suspects in the disappearance, but police do list the woman's husband as the only person of interest in the case.

CNN's Ted Rowlands gets us up to speed from Salt Lake City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While Mark Hacking remains hospitalized in Salt Lake City, police continue investigating the disappearance of his wife. The families have closed the volunteer center, thanking the thousands that helped, while acknowledging they don't expect a happy ending.

SCOTT DUNAWAY, FAMILY SPOKESMAN: It's day eight, we understand what that means. We know that the -- what the statistics are for that.

ROWLANDS: Police say nothing was found in an overnight cadaver dog search of a landfill, but they say potential evidence has been collected from a number of locations, including the couple's apartment. They say forensic test results should tell them a lot.

DET. PHIL ESLINGER, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: That's going to be the item that is really going to lead us in the direction to be able to tell us what Lori's not here to tell us at this point in time. ROWLANDS: Co-workers of Lori Hacking had told police about a phone call that caused her to leave her bank job crying the Friday before she was reported missing. But friends who released photos taken that night say Lori and Mark seemed happy at a going away party held in their honor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: As Ted mentioned, Mark Hacking remains in a Salt Lake psychiatric hospital. Police say they stopped questioning him last week because they felt he wasn't telling them the truth.

Your news, money, weather and sports now. It is 5:44 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.

A car bomb explodes, killing at least 51 people this morning in the Iraqi city of Baquba. Witnesses and doctors say scores of others were injured, possibly as many as 40.

In money news, a national survey shows CEOs were given an average pay raise of 15 to 22 percent last year, no 3 percent raises for them. Compensation packages for top executives at Oracle, Apple Computer, Yahoo! and Colgate-Palmolive surged 1,000 percent.

In culture, Bob Newhart is back, this time in bronze. Chicago is honoring one of its own with a life-sized statue of the character Newhart played on TV in the '70s, Dr. Robert Hartley. "The Bob Newhart Show" was set in Chicago, which is Newhart's home town.

In sports, Chicago Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux sits on the threshold of 300 wins. Last night he hit number 299. A 7 to 1 win over Milwaukee. He goes for 300 against Philadelphia on Sunday -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Carol, it's just way unfair for a man to have that much talent. It's just, you know, it makes you want to scream. All right...

COSTELLO: He's special.

MARCIANO: He is special.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Carol, we'll see you in about 10, 15 minutes.

COSTELLO: We'll be here. Thank you, Rob.

Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

There has been a delay in the Michael Jackson trial. The judge in the case has granted a defense request to push back the start of the trial from September to January of next year.

CNN's Miguel Marquez has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The case against Michael Jackson begins as a Santa Barbara County assistant district attorney when the King of Pop spoke about his love for children in a British documentary that aired on ABC in February 2003.

MICHAEL JACKSON, KING OF POP: It was not sexual. We were going to sleep. I tuck them in. We put -- I put little like music on and do a little story time. I read a book. You know very sweet.

MARQUEZ: Prosecutors revealed a central theory behind their case against Jackson who stands accused of lewd and attempted lewd acts against a child under 14, giving a child alcohol to assist in those acts and conspiracy. Jackson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The prosecution argued that a documentary in which Jackson's accuser appears was an attempt by the pop star to -- quote -- "justify his interest in pre and post-pubescent boys" -- unquote. The prosecution continued that the film created a firestorm of negative publicity for Jackson and that it represented a complete and utter ruin of his image, his empire and his career. Prosecutors contend that Jackson, in an attempt to exonerate himself, hoped to get the boy and his family on tape to quell the firestorm.

Jackson says prosecutors wanted to tape the statements using his own cameraperson at a location outside of California. It was during this period that prosecutors say Jackson conspired to keep the boy away from his mother, controlled people and events and tried to pressure the family to record the statement releasing Jackson from any wrongdoing.

Defense lawyers argue that during this time Jackson's accuser and the accuser's mother were treated to extended stays at Jackson's Neverland Ranch, to a Miami vacation, a hotel room in Calabasas, California, with unlimited use of credit cards, and that the accuser and his mother left Neverland Ranch and then returned.

(on camera): Defense lawyers also contend the prosecutor's office acted outrageously before a grand jury by badgering witnesses and misleading jurors. Jackson's lawyers asked Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville to throw out all the charges against the pop star. The judge indicated he would rule on dismissing the grand jury charges in the near future.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And here are some other stories making news "Across America."

Details of the sex life of Kobe Bryant's accuser could be made public as early as today. The judge in the case may release an edited version of some transcripts that had been e-mailed accidentally to several media outlets. Just last week, the judge barred the media from printing details of the closed hearing, but media attorneys appealed his decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Steven Breyer refused to overturn the judge's order but gave him time to decide if an edited transcript can be released.

Poor training and a clogged pump are being blamed for the June deaths of four people at a Fort Worth water attraction. Results of the investigation showed that a drain problem led an employee to raise the water level in the pool well above its normal level. One child drowned after falling into the water. Three other people, including two children, drowned during a rescue attempt.

Plenty of damage after a tornado touches down in southern New Jersey. Trees, power lines and several buildings were damaged by 110 mile per hour winds. Heavy thunderstorms also raised the fear of flooding across the state.

Keep your eyes on the road. Coming up on DAYBREAK, how a dashboard DVD player turns deadly.

And stem cell reality check, how the son of a Republican president is taking his fight to the Democratic Party.

This is DAYBREAK for Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: An interesting case to tell you about out of Anchorage, Alaska this morning. Apparently a driver is charged with second-degree murder for hitting another driver head on. And there's a little caveat to this story.

MARCIANO: Watching, possibly, a movie while he was driving. They found a DVD player.

COSTELLO: Yes, the police were investigating the accident and they spotted a DVD player on the dashboard of this pickup truck. And apparently the two people in the pickup truck were watching the movie "Road Trip."

MARCIANO: Really?

COSTELLO: And their attention was diverted, and of course they hit another vehicle head on. And this is the first time ever that someone has been charged with second-degree murder for a case like this.

MARCIANO: Well you've heard of DVD players in the backseat to kind of keep the kids occupied, but I assume it wasn't implanted in the steering wheel (ph)?

COSTELLO: No, supposedly you can remove it and set it up on your dashboard, if you want, but you physically have to do it because it's not legal for the manufacturer to put it where you can see it while you are driving. But apparently you can take it out and put it on the dashboard, if you wish, but you have to bypass all kinds of systems. So the trial is under way now and we'll see what happens.

MARCIANO: You know you think of Alaska as being -- in many places being in the middle of nowhere, but that part, just south of Anchorage, I mean it's not like it's in the middle of a pretty populated town. And even in between Sewardin (ph) and Alaska, it's not like it's a road that just goes on and on and on, so.

COSTELLO: I just can't imagine that.

MARCIANO: Yes, it's kind of weird.

COSTELLO: So we'll keep you posted on that.

MARCIANO: Don't watch movies while driving, that's the moral of the story.

COSTELLO: No, never a good idea.

"Health Headlines" for you this morning.

Going to a hospital could kill you. A new report says 195,000 people die from hospital errors each year. That estimate doubles previous figures of fatal medical errors.

Those flu shots you give your kids each year apparently do not prevent asthma flare-ups. In fact, new research indicates that influenza vaccines might make asthma worse.

And, ladies, you may want to watch how often you eat eggs. Japanese researchers have found that women who ate eggs on a daily basis were more likely to die during the 14-year study than women who ate one or two eggs a week.

The debate over stem cell research is one that crosses party lines. Ron Reagan took up the issue as he addressed delegates at the Democratic Convention. It's an issue the former Republican president's son hasn't shied away from in the past.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more on the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON REAGAN, SON OF PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN AND NANCY REAGAN: This could be the biggest revolution in medicine, well, ever, really. I mean bigger than antibiotics, bigger than anything.

NANCY REAGAN, FORMER FIRST LADY: There are so many diseases that can be cured, or at least helped.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Republican icon sounding very Democratic on the issue of stem cell research. On the opposing side, President Bush who sharply limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

The issue, these embryos sitting unwanted by the thousands in fertility clinics across the country. Embryos are the necessary raw ingredients for embryonic stem cells. To the president and many conservatives, the embryos are babies waiting to be born and shouldn't be destroyed.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Life is a creation of God, not a commodity to be exploited by man.

COHEN: But the Reagan's see it differently.

R. REAGAN: I mean we are talking about cells, undifferentiated cells, in a petri dish here. No fingers, no toes, no brain, no spinal cord, no feelings, no pain, no nothing.

COHEN: Scientists and several celebrity advocates are pushing for more federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The hope is that the cells can be turned into human tissue to treat, for example, Christopher Reeve's spinal cord injury, Mary Tyler Moore's diabetes, Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease.

Some Republicans and many Democrats have joined the chorus.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: We also need to lift the ban on stem cell research and find cures that will help millions of Americans.

COHEN: Actually, President Bush never banned stem cell research, he just limited federal funding to a small group of stem cell lines where the embryos had already been destroyed. But most researchers say those particular cells are seriously flawed and not very useful scientifically, and that alongside like-minded politicians, they will continue to fight for more flexible rules.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And coming up in our next hour, CNN medical correspondent Holly Firfer will join us live with more on the stem cell debate and the potential benefits of research.

For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address CNN.com/health.

Violence erupts in Iraq this morning as a car bomb claims many lives in Baquba. We'll have a live report for you.

Stay tuned to CNN, your most trusted source for news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The theme of the night could have been Democrats old and new. The convention brings a variety of voices to the stage.

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