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CNN Live At Daybreak

Ron Reagan Jr. Brings Stem Cell Research To Forefront Of Politics

Aired July 28, 2004 - 06:30   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: And a medical issue turned political -- what exactly is stem cell research? And why are the Democrats so in favor of it?
And instant details from reporters on the scene, not CNN correspondents but Web bloggers. The fascination with this new technology coming up.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you from the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello

Now in the news -- at least 51 are dead and 68 injured in a suicide car bombing in Iraq. You're looking at pictures just in this morning from the blast site. It happened at a marketplace near a police station in the city of Baquba.

The Democrats 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, will address the crowd.

Florida elections 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 Florida counties that use the machines from conducting manual recounts from them.

Doctors Without Borders is pulling out of Afghanistan. The Nobel prize winning relief agency says security concerns and frustration with the U.S. military are prompting the move. Five staffers were killed in an attack in Afghanistan last month -- Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, it was a stormy and wet night for a lot of folks across the Eastern seaboard.

(WEATHER BREAK)

MARCIANO: Back to you.

COSTELLO: We see that stall front. Thank you, Rob.

It is the biggest day of John Edwards political life. Six short years ago he came out of nowhere and successfully ran for the U.S. Senate. Tonight he accepts his party's nomination for vice president.

To Boston now to talk with CNN's Kareen Wynter. Good morning, Kareen.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, talk about speakers last night. Teresa Heinz Kerry was definitely one of the night's most highly anticipated speakers, people looking forward to what she had to say about herself, about her husband's vision for the future.

Now Teresa Heinz Kerry is certainly no stranger to controversy. Just this week she sparred with a Pittsburgh editorial writer on a statement she made. But last night she stuck to the script, even joking at times with the audience as she rallied behind her husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SENATOR JOHN KERRY: And John is a fighter. He earned his metals the old-fashioned way.

(CHEERING)

HEINZ KERRY: By putting his life on the line for his country. And no one will defend this nation more vigorously than he will. And he will always, always be first in the line of fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: Now Teresa, the focus was on her husband, but she talked a lot about herself, bringing up her background, Carol, perhaps trying to make a connection for those voters out there.

COSTELLO: But the speaker of the night had to be Barack Obama. A star is born.

WYNTER: It was quite magical. He is seen as the rising star in the Democratic Party with his energy, his connection also with voters.

Now he is currently running for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, who stands unopposed. And people were quite surprised that he was even named a speaker, even before Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was added to the lineup really just shows the power that he carries.

Here's a little bit on what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: The pundits like to slice and dice our country in to red states and blue states, red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats.

But I've got news for them too, we worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the red states. (APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: We coach little league in the blue states. And yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: Now Carol, we are already looking forward to what night three will bring now. Senator John Edwards, who is in town, he actually took a tour of the FleetCenter here last night, is expected to take the stage.

COSTELLO: Yes, he is, Kareen.

I was just waiting for the pictures because we do have some pictures of John Edwards checking out the FleetCenter last night. He came in, what, at midnight? He started looking around at the podium, and he's got his speech all written, right?

WYNTER: He sure it does. And many people were surprised that he actually came after nursing a cold. He was in North Carolina the day before. He took some time off of the campaign trail. So he was here last night checking out the stage, the lay of the land in preparation for his speech tonight.

COSTELLO: All right. Kareen Wynter reporting live from Boston, thank you.

Well his speech may not have been political, but his appearance certainly was. Ron Reagan, the son of former President Ronald Reagan, took his battle for stem cell research to the Democratic national convention and vowed to prevail.

The Democrats favor loosening federal funding restrictions President Bush put into place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON REAGAN, SON OF FORMER PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: Now, there are those who would stand in the way of this remarkable future, who would deny the federal funding so crucial to basic research.

They argue that interfering with the development of even the earliest stage embryo, even one that will never be implanted in a womb and will never develop into an actual fetus is tantamount to murder.

A few of these folks, needless to say, are just grinding up political acts, and they should be ashamed of themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well there are two distinct views on this. And CNN medical correspondent Holly Firfer joins us this morning to lay out all of the facts, which is a typical thing to do.

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a confusing topic, and the problem with stem cell research, say a lot of doctors, is that it's not great for everything.

Ron Reagan Jr. was there and he was mostly talking about Alzheimer's, in a lot of ways, because his father just died from Alzheimer's. But some doctors that we talked to said Alzheimer's may not exactly be the best disease to look at stem cell research for because, for instance, some cells are created to specifically target something, for instance Parkinson's.

Parkinson's there's a problem with an enzyme that makes dopamine in the brain. They could target that with stem cells. The body can then go ahead and start making the dopamine again, and they hope that, that would cure the Parkinson's.

Alzheimer's happens all over the brain, so it's a little more difficult for these researchers to pinpoint. They don't want to put holes all over your brain. So Alzheimer's may not be the best solution for stem cell research.

COSTELLO: But other diseases certainly are, like diabetes and Parkinson's, as you said. But the real controversy here has to do with the cells themselves and if they are embryos and if life begins or not.

FIRFER: Absolutely, it depends on what your definition is. Many people say because embryos are in a petri dish they cannot survive on their own. They're not implanted into a womb, they're not a human being.

Others say as soon as that egg is fertilized, that is a human being. It becomes a very religious and political issue for many. And that is part of it. And then, of course, the controversy over human cloning.

COSTELLO: Human cloning. But some of these embryos -- I don't know if I'm saying the terminology right...

FIRFER: It's OK. It's very confusing.

COSTELLO: It is confusing. But they're not necessarily fertilized. They will never become human beings, right?

FIRFER: They'll never be implanted and they'll never become fetuses. And that's the difference. You have an embryo and a fetus.

Basically, the stem cell is in a cell stage. The cells have divided. And what they do is they take the cell, they take what's out in the middle of it, the DNA, and they go ahead and inject a different DNA.

Perhaps, say you've had a heart attack and part of your heart muscle dies, they want to create more heart tissue, healthy heart tissue, to re-implant, to put in your heart and have a healthy heart.

So they may take this cell -- and it's just an empty shell -- they put in what they need to the DNA that would make that certain type of tissue. They feed it in a culture, in a petri dish, and then they go ahead and hope that it will make the tissue that is needed.

But that also is, you know, down the road. This is not going to happen tomorrow. This is not going to happen next week.

COSTELLO: No, it will take many years.

FIRFER: Yes.

COSTELLO: Holly Firfer, many thanks to you.

FIRFER: Sure.

COSTELLO: Here are some other stories making news across America this Wednesday.

Search dogs uncover a shallow grave, and police believe they found the body of a missing New Jersey teenager. Sixteen-year-old Brittany Gregory was last seen on July 11.

An autopsy is expected to offer positive identification and answers as to how the girl died. A friend's father is charged in Gregory's disappearance. He is being held this morning on $1 million bail.

Police in Utah just finished an overnight search of a landfill in Salt Lake City. It's their second night using cadaver dogs in the search for this missing woman. Lori Hacking's family decided to close down a volunteer center, but specialized teams may resume searches.

Jurors in the Scott Peterson case get two days off now following a trip to see Peterson's boat. Prosecutors contend the boat was used to carry Laci Peterson's body into San Francisco Bay. Tomorrow the judge will hear a defense motion to throw out the case.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, a new wave of journalists on the convention floor. It's all about the blog. We'll see how the technical revolution has changed political news coverage.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports -- its 6:45 Eastern. Here's 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 68 people.

John Edwards had his vice president acceptance speech in his coat pocket, and he is ready to go. Edward's showed up late last night at the FleetCenter, showed up after midnight to check out the podium. His speech is tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern.

In money news, a national survey shows CEOs were given an average pay raise of 15 to 22 percent last year. How does that compare to your 3 percent raise?

Compensation packages for top executives at Oracle, Apple Computer, Yahoo and Colgate Palmolive surged 1000 percent.

In culture, Bob Newhart's back, this time in bronze. Chicago is honoring one of its own with a life-size statue of the character Newhart played on TV in the '70s. Remember, his name was 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 7-1 win over Milwaukee. He goes for 300 against Philadelphia on Sunday -- Rob?

MARCIANO: Three hundred, that's a milestone. He is talented.

(WEATHER BREAK)

MARCIANO: Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you. It's OK, it's early.

Those are the latest headlines for you.

Well here's a good story for you this morning.

Outdoor fun for everyone, Christopher Reeve's wife was among those on hand to open a special tree house in Greenfield, New Hampshire. The 20-foot high tree house was built so disabled kids and older people could spend some time in the treetops. A 150-foot wheelchair ramp leads the way up into the branches.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, the world of blog. Daniel Sieberg is our guide as we follow the convention season online.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ILANA WEKLER, KIDS FOR KERRY: When our vice president had a disagreement with the Democratic Senator, he used a really bad word. If I said that...

(APPLAUSE)

WEKLER: If I said that word, I would be put in a timeout. I think he should be put in a timeout.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ilana Wekler at the Democratic national convention. She wowed the crowd.

She's actually a part of the "Kids for Kerry" campaign. And they want a national no name-calling day. And you can find that on the Web, like you can find everything else these days, because there is no shortage of media coverage from the Democratic national convention. And you can bet it will be the same at the GOP's gathering.

But there is a unique voice to be found on Internet besides Ilana's. Web blogs are getting so popular bloggers are even getting press credentials.

Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg joins us now with more on blogging.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this may be new to a lot of people, the idea of blogging. It's almost become a part of the vernacular to blog. A combination of the words Web and log.

But, you know, what's a blog, you say? Well, these independent media observers are offering an unconventional way of looking at the conventions.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SIEBERG (voice-over): For decades, reporters have both praised and skewered candidates during political conventions. Their tools have evolved from newspapers, to radio, to television, then the Internet.

By 1996 most candidates had their own Web sites.

In 2000, John McCain inaugurated online fund-raising.

And 2004 seems to be the year of the blog.

HOWARD FINBERG, POYNTER INSTITUTE: They're igniting a great deal of enthusiasm and energy among partisans, at least among some of the very political blogs out there.

Sieberg: Web blogs for techies, for the media or just for fun now number in the millions. The technology needed to set up a blog is as easy as one, two, three. And political blogs often have links galore, ads galore and hey, you can even get the T-shirt.

MARKOS MOULITSAS, "DAILYKOS.COM": The blog is a 24/7 endeavor. I actually dream of what I want to blog the next day.

Sieberg: Marcos Moulitsas' site, daily.KOS.com works closely with the Democratic Party.

MOULITSAS: The whole point of blogging is this notion of participatory democracy. And I think people really appreciate this notion that they're partners in the endeavor. That it's not just them taking marching orders, but it's actually them being asked for their opinions, and their thoughts and their suggestions on how to proceed.

Sieberg: Glenn Reynolds, another superstar among political bloggers, has no official party ties. The usually described as conservative law professor and author of instapundit.com says blogs get people thinking and doing.

GLENN REYNOLDS, "INSTAPUNTIT.COM": You can sit in your living room and shout at your television, which makes you feel helpless. You can turn off the television, which is no great solution, or you can try to do better yourself. And I think that's a very constructive response.

Sieberg: This blogosphere is helping reshape campaigns and campaign coverage.

FINBERG: So I think the RNC and that the DNC should embrace this form of media and in the same way they have embraced other forms of media. Find a place for it. Invite the ones in that have an impact with their audience, and let her go.

Sieberg: So what's it like being among the top dogs of the political blogs?

REYNOLDS: Being a rock star in the blogging world is kind of like being a champion bowler. You're a star over a very small segment of people. Sadly, it doesn't come with limos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Sieberg: OK. No limos, but look at the hats.

Now these are given out to the bloggers at the convention. There are about a few dozen of them attending. There are thousands online and they come in all shapes and sizes.

If you want to look them up online, Carol, there are a number of places you can go. There are even convention bloggers at the conventionbloggers.com site. You can read all about them and link to all their sites, so endless information.

Even some buttons, check those out.

COSTELLO: Kind of the disturbing part, they don't have to be entirely accurate on those blogs.

Sieberg: Well, that is the debate -- about whether they are true journalists or whether they are just sort of opining about things. And you do have to be careful if you're looking for information that is accurate.

These are their observations, their personal observations. So, you take it with a grain of salt. Read a few, compare, and see what you think.

COSTELLO: Decide for yourself.

Sieberg: Decide for yourself, that's right.

COSTELLO: Daniel Sieberg.

Sieberg: Absolutely. COSTELLO: Thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

Let's head up to the weather center to check in with Rob Marciano because you have got the winner of our DAYBREAK coffee quiz.

MARCIANO: I do. And I'm honored to give it to you, Carol. It's time to reveal that now.

COSTELLO: We're ready.

MARCIANO: Here we go. The questions yesterday were:

In a recent Gallup poll of crucial states, in which state did President Bush and Senator Kerry tie as the voters' most likely choice for president? And the answer is Missouri.

And the second question is, what vehicle performed best in front of -- front and side air bag impacts? The answer to that is a Toyota RAV-4.

And the winner this morning is Mark Brennaman from Oklahoma City.

Congratulations, Mark. You are the winner of the coveted CNN DAYBREAK coffee mug.

Carol, we're giving another one away today.

COSTELLO: OK. We're ready for the new question.

MARCIANO: What television network is reporting live from the DNC for the first time ever?

And we told you about a tree house custom-built for people with wheelchairs. Where is that playground located?

And we'll have the name and winner of that tomorrow.

COSTELLO: That is a tough one.

MARCIANO: Look at that.

COSTELLO: It's in the mail, Mark.

MARCIANO: Everyone is running for their computers right now.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

You'll join me for the lightning round. That's coming up next.

MARCIANO: We'll fire up the graphic.

COSTELLO: First the latest headlines for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Look at that. COSTELLO: I have missed that cheesy effect. You have made my morning.

MARCIANO: This is the capital, the center, of cheesy effects.

COSTELLO: Exactly. It is time for our lightning round, so let's get to it.

Zookeepers say they have never seen anything like it. Look at that, Rob.

MARCIANO: He's walking like a man or a child.

COSTELLO: It's Natasha. It's a woman monkey. And she has been walking exclusively on her hind feet since recovering from a stomach illness a few weeks ago. It looks so strange to me.

MARCIANO: Evolution in its process right there.

COSTELLO: Exactly. She's going to turn into a real woman soon.

Let's go to monkey diving. Apparently it's too hot for monkey business at the zoo in China, so the monkeys took a flying leap.

Isn't that cute? They were diving.

MARCIANO: Get them a rope swing.

COSTELLO: It's time to pony up now. The wild ponies make their annual swim across the channel to Chincoteague, Virginia today. After they're done, some of the ponies will be auctioned off to raise money for the islands volunteer fire department. It's an annual thing.

MARCIANO: I wonder if that makes them fast runners, if they are good swimmers.

You probably had a pony, didn't you?

COSTELLO: Hey, we've got to go.

AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

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 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And a medical issue turned political -- what exactly is stem cell research? And why are the Democrats so in favor of it?
And instant details from reporters on the scene, not CNN correspondents but Web bloggers. The fascination with this new technology coming up.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you from the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello

Now in the news -- at least 51 are dead and 68 injured in a suicide car bombing in Iraq. You're looking at pictures just in this morning from the blast site. It happened at a marketplace near a police station in the city of Baquba.

The Democrats 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, will address the crowd.

Florida elections 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 Florida counties that use the machines from conducting manual recounts from them.

Doctors Without Borders is pulling out of Afghanistan. The Nobel prize winning relief agency says security concerns and frustration with the U.S. military are prompting the move. Five staffers were killed in an attack in Afghanistan last month -- Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, it was a stormy and wet night for a lot of folks across the Eastern seaboard.

(WEATHER BREAK)

MARCIANO: Back to you.

COSTELLO: We see that stall front. Thank you, Rob.

It is the biggest day of John Edwards political life. Six short years ago he came out of nowhere and successfully ran for the U.S. Senate. Tonight he accepts his party's nomination for vice president.

To Boston now to talk with CNN's Kareen Wynter. Good morning, Kareen.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, talk about speakers last night. Teresa Heinz Kerry was definitely one of the night's most highly anticipated speakers, people looking forward to what she had to say about herself, about her husband's vision for the future.

Now Teresa Heinz Kerry is certainly no stranger to controversy. Just this week she sparred with a Pittsburgh editorial writer on a statement she made. But last night she stuck to the script, even joking at times with the audience as she rallied behind her husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SENATOR JOHN KERRY: And John is a fighter. He earned his metals the old-fashioned way.

(CHEERING)

HEINZ KERRY: By putting his life on the line for his country. And no one will defend this nation more vigorously than he will. And he will always, always be first in the line of fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: Now Teresa, the focus was on her husband, but she talked a lot about herself, bringing up her background, Carol, perhaps trying to make a connection for those voters out there.

COSTELLO: But the speaker of the night had to be Barack Obama. A star is born.

WYNTER: It was quite magical. He is seen as the rising star in the Democratic Party with his energy, his connection also with voters.

Now he is currently running for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, who stands unopposed. And people were quite surprised that he was even named a speaker, even before Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was added to the lineup really just shows the power that he carries.

Here's a little bit on what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS SENATE CANDIDATE: The pundits like to slice and dice our country in to red states and blue states, red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats.

But I've got news for them too, we worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the red states. (APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: We coach little league in the blue states. And yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: Now Carol, we are already looking forward to what night three will bring now. Senator John Edwards, who is in town, he actually took a tour of the FleetCenter here last night, is expected to take the stage.

COSTELLO: Yes, he is, Kareen.

I was just waiting for the pictures because we do have some pictures of John Edwards checking out the FleetCenter last night. He came in, what, at midnight? He started looking around at the podium, and he's got his speech all written, right?

WYNTER: He sure it does. And many people were surprised that he actually came after nursing a cold. He was in North Carolina the day before. He took some time off of the campaign trail. So he was here last night checking out the stage, the lay of the land in preparation for his speech tonight.

COSTELLO: All right. Kareen Wynter reporting live from Boston, thank you.

Well his speech may not have been political, but his appearance certainly was. Ron Reagan, the son of former President Ronald Reagan, took his battle for stem cell research to the Democratic national convention and vowed to prevail.

The Democrats favor loosening federal funding restrictions President Bush put into place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON REAGAN, SON OF FORMER PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN: Now, there are those who would stand in the way of this remarkable future, who would deny the federal funding so crucial to basic research.

They argue that interfering with the development of even the earliest stage embryo, even one that will never be implanted in a womb and will never develop into an actual fetus is tantamount to murder.

A few of these folks, needless to say, are just grinding up political acts, and they should be ashamed of themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Well there are two distinct views on this. And CNN medical correspondent Holly Firfer joins us this morning to lay out all of the facts, which is a typical thing to do.

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a confusing topic, and the problem with stem cell research, say a lot of doctors, is that it's not great for everything.

Ron Reagan Jr. was there and he was mostly talking about Alzheimer's, in a lot of ways, because his father just died from Alzheimer's. But some doctors that we talked to said Alzheimer's may not exactly be the best disease to look at stem cell research for because, for instance, some cells are created to specifically target something, for instance Parkinson's.

Parkinson's there's a problem with an enzyme that makes dopamine in the brain. They could target that with stem cells. The body can then go ahead and start making the dopamine again, and they hope that, that would cure the Parkinson's.

Alzheimer's happens all over the brain, so it's a little more difficult for these researchers to pinpoint. They don't want to put holes all over your brain. So Alzheimer's may not be the best solution for stem cell research.

COSTELLO: But other diseases certainly are, like diabetes and Parkinson's, as you said. But the real controversy here has to do with the cells themselves and if they are embryos and if life begins or not.

FIRFER: Absolutely, it depends on what your definition is. Many people say because embryos are in a petri dish they cannot survive on their own. They're not implanted into a womb, they're not a human being.

Others say as soon as that egg is fertilized, that is a human being. It becomes a very religious and political issue for many. And that is part of it. And then, of course, the controversy over human cloning.

COSTELLO: Human cloning. But some of these embryos -- I don't know if I'm saying the terminology right...

FIRFER: It's OK. It's very confusing.

COSTELLO: It is confusing. But they're not necessarily fertilized. They will never become human beings, right?

FIRFER: They'll never be implanted and they'll never become fetuses. And that's the difference. You have an embryo and a fetus.

Basically, the stem cell is in a cell stage. The cells have divided. And what they do is they take the cell, they take what's out in the middle of it, the DNA, and they go ahead and inject a different DNA.

Perhaps, say you've had a heart attack and part of your heart muscle dies, they want to create more heart tissue, healthy heart tissue, to re-implant, to put in your heart and have a healthy heart.

So they may take this cell -- and it's just an empty shell -- they put in what they need to the DNA that would make that certain type of tissue. They feed it in a culture, in a petri dish, and then they go ahead and hope that it will make the tissue that is needed.

But that also is, you know, down the road. This is not going to happen tomorrow. This is not going to happen next week.

COSTELLO: No, it will take many years.

FIRFER: Yes.

COSTELLO: Holly Firfer, many thanks to you.

FIRFER: Sure.

COSTELLO: Here are some other stories making news across America this Wednesday.

Search dogs uncover a shallow grave, and police believe they found the body of a missing New Jersey teenager. Sixteen-year-old Brittany Gregory was last seen on July 11.

An autopsy is expected to offer positive identification and answers as to how the girl died. A friend's father is charged in Gregory's disappearance. He is being held this morning on $1 million bail.

Police in Utah just finished an overnight search of a landfill in Salt Lake City. It's their second night using cadaver dogs in the search for this missing woman. Lori Hacking's family decided to close down a volunteer center, but specialized teams may resume searches.

Jurors in the Scott Peterson case get two days off now following a trip to see Peterson's boat. Prosecutors contend the boat was used to carry Laci Peterson's body into San Francisco Bay. Tomorrow the judge will hear a defense motion to throw out the case.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, a new wave of journalists on the convention floor. It's all about the blog. We'll see how the technical revolution has changed political news coverage.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports -- its 6:45 Eastern. Here's 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 68 people.

John Edwards had his vice president acceptance speech in his coat pocket, and he is ready to go. Edward's showed up late last night at the FleetCenter, showed up after midnight to check out the podium. His speech is tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern.

In money news, a national survey shows CEOs were given an average pay raise of 15 to 22 percent last year. How does that compare to your 3 percent raise?

Compensation packages for top executives at Oracle, Apple Computer, Yahoo and Colgate Palmolive surged 1000 percent.

In culture, Bob Newhart's back, this time in bronze. Chicago is honoring one of its own with a life-size statue of the character Newhart played on TV in the '70s. Remember, his name was 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 7-1 win over Milwaukee. He goes for 300 against Philadelphia on Sunday -- Rob?

MARCIANO: Three hundred, that's a milestone. He is talented.

(WEATHER BREAK)

MARCIANO: Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you. It's OK, it's early.

Those are the latest headlines for you.

Well here's a good story for you this morning.

Outdoor fun for everyone, Christopher Reeve's wife was among those on hand to open a special tree house in Greenfield, New Hampshire. The 20-foot high tree house was built so disabled kids and older people could spend some time in the treetops. A 150-foot wheelchair ramp leads the way up into the branches.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, the world of blog. Daniel Sieberg is our guide as we follow the convention season online.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ILANA WEKLER, KIDS FOR KERRY: When our vice president had a disagreement with the Democratic Senator, he used a really bad word. If I said that...

(APPLAUSE)

WEKLER: If I said that word, I would be put in a timeout. I think he should be put in a timeout.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ilana Wekler at the Democratic national convention. She wowed the crowd.

She's actually a part of the "Kids for Kerry" campaign. And they want a national no name-calling day. And you can find that on the Web, like you can find everything else these days, because there is no shortage of media coverage from the Democratic national convention. And you can bet it will be the same at the GOP's gathering.

But there is a unique voice to be found on Internet besides Ilana's. Web blogs are getting so popular bloggers are even getting press credentials.

Our technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg joins us now with more on blogging.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this may be new to a lot of people, the idea of blogging. It's almost become a part of the vernacular to blog. A combination of the words Web and log.

But, you know, what's a blog, you say? Well, these independent media observers are offering an unconventional way of looking at the conventions.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SIEBERG (voice-over): For decades, reporters have both praised and skewered candidates during political conventions. Their tools have evolved from newspapers, to radio, to television, then the Internet.

By 1996 most candidates had their own Web sites.

In 2000, John McCain inaugurated online fund-raising.

And 2004 seems to be the year of the blog.

HOWARD FINBERG, POYNTER INSTITUTE: They're igniting a great deal of enthusiasm and energy among partisans, at least among some of the very political blogs out there.

Sieberg: Web blogs for techies, for the media or just for fun now number in the millions. The technology needed to set up a blog is as easy as one, two, three. And political blogs often have links galore, ads galore and hey, you can even get the T-shirt.

MARKOS MOULITSAS, "DAILYKOS.COM": The blog is a 24/7 endeavor. I actually dream of what I want to blog the next day.

Sieberg: Marcos Moulitsas' site, daily.KOS.com works closely with the Democratic Party.

MOULITSAS: The whole point of blogging is this notion of participatory democracy. And I think people really appreciate this notion that they're partners in the endeavor. That it's not just them taking marching orders, but it's actually them being asked for their opinions, and their thoughts and their suggestions on how to proceed.

Sieberg: Glenn Reynolds, another superstar among political bloggers, has no official party ties. The usually described as conservative law professor and author of instapundit.com says blogs get people thinking and doing.

GLENN REYNOLDS, "INSTAPUNTIT.COM": You can sit in your living room and shout at your television, which makes you feel helpless. You can turn off the television, which is no great solution, or you can try to do better yourself. And I think that's a very constructive response.

Sieberg: This blogosphere is helping reshape campaigns and campaign coverage.

FINBERG: So I think the RNC and that the DNC should embrace this form of media and in the same way they have embraced other forms of media. Find a place for it. Invite the ones in that have an impact with their audience, and let her go.

Sieberg: So what's it like being among the top dogs of the political blogs?

REYNOLDS: Being a rock star in the blogging world is kind of like being a champion bowler. You're a star over a very small segment of people. Sadly, it doesn't come with limos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Sieberg: OK. No limos, but look at the hats.

Now these are given out to the bloggers at the convention. There are about a few dozen of them attending. There are thousands online and they come in all shapes and sizes.

If you want to look them up online, Carol, there are a number of places you can go. There are even convention bloggers at the conventionbloggers.com site. You can read all about them and link to all their sites, so endless information.

Even some buttons, check those out.

COSTELLO: Kind of the disturbing part, they don't have to be entirely accurate on those blogs.

Sieberg: Well, that is the debate -- about whether they are true journalists or whether they are just sort of opining about things. And you do have to be careful if you're looking for information that is accurate.

These are their observations, their personal observations. So, you take it with a grain of salt. Read a few, compare, and see what you think.

COSTELLO: Decide for yourself.

Sieberg: Decide for yourself, that's right.

COSTELLO: Daniel Sieberg.

Sieberg: Absolutely. COSTELLO: Thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

Let's head up to the weather center to check in with Rob Marciano because you have got the winner of our DAYBREAK coffee quiz.

MARCIANO: I do. And I'm honored to give it to you, Carol. It's time to reveal that now.

COSTELLO: We're ready.

MARCIANO: Here we go. The questions yesterday were:

In a recent Gallup poll of crucial states, in which state did President Bush and Senator Kerry tie as the voters' most likely choice for president? And the answer is Missouri.

And the second question is, what vehicle performed best in front of -- front and side air bag impacts? The answer to that is a Toyota RAV-4.

And the winner this morning is Mark Brennaman from Oklahoma City.

Congratulations, Mark. You are the winner of the coveted CNN DAYBREAK coffee mug.

Carol, we're giving another one away today.

COSTELLO: OK. We're ready for the new question.

MARCIANO: What television network is reporting live from the DNC for the first time ever?

And we told you about a tree house custom-built for people with wheelchairs. Where is that playground located?

And we'll have the name and winner of that tomorrow.

COSTELLO: That is a tough one.

MARCIANO: Look at that.

COSTELLO: It's in the mail, Mark.

MARCIANO: Everyone is running for their computers right now.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

You'll join me for the lightning round. That's coming up next.

MARCIANO: We'll fire up the graphic.

COSTELLO: First the latest headlines for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Look at that. COSTELLO: I have missed that cheesy effect. You have made my morning.

MARCIANO: This is the capital, the center, of cheesy effects.

COSTELLO: Exactly. It is time for our lightning round, so let's get to it.

Zookeepers say they have never seen anything like it. Look at that, Rob.

MARCIANO: He's walking like a man or a child.

COSTELLO: It's Natasha. It's a woman monkey. And she has been walking exclusively on her hind feet since recovering from a stomach illness a few weeks ago. It looks so strange to me.

MARCIANO: Evolution in its process right there.

COSTELLO: Exactly. She's going to turn into a real woman soon.

Let's go to monkey diving. Apparently it's too hot for monkey business at the zoo in China, so the monkeys took a flying leap.

Isn't that cute? They were diving.

MARCIANO: Get them a rope swing.

COSTELLO: It's time to pony up now. The wild ponies make their annual swim across the channel to Chincoteague, Virginia today. After they're done, some of the ponies will be auctioned off to raise money for the islands volunteer fire department. It's an annual thing.

MARCIANO: I wonder if that makes them fast runners, if they are good swimmers.

You probably had a pony, didn't you?

COSTELLO: Hey, we've got to go.

AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

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