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CNN Live At Daybreak
U.S. Chopper Down; Following Terror; Catching a Dictator; 5- Star Hospitals; Olympic-Sized Dreams
Aired August 05, 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.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Carol, back to you.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's been nasty hot in many places here -- Chad.
MYERS: It has. Yes, it has.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: We are just learning of a downed U.S. helicopter in Iraq. It was shot down over Najaf. U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces are engaging militants loyal to terror mastermind Muqtada al- Sadr.
CNN's John Vause live on the phone from Baghdad. He has more for us. What can you tell -- actually, we have him live.
Good morning -- John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, good morning, Carol.
Well that heavy fighting in Najaf began about 12 hours ago. It's been sporadic all through the early hours of this morning. But the U.S. military says in the last hour and a half or two hours, it has seriously escalated.
Now it began when Iraqi forces clashed with the Medhi Army loyal to the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Now we're told that U.S. troops joined this fight at the request of the governor of Najaf. And in the course of this fighting, a U.S. helicopter was shot down by small arms fire. It was flying a wounded U.S. soldier away from the area when it was brought down. Two more soldiers were wounded during that crash landing. So we now have a total of three U.S. soldiers who have been wounded. No fatalities to report on the U.S. side.
During the course of this fighting, also, the United States ordered in, the U.S. troops, rather, ordered in a close air support. There was an airstrike. They dropped a 500-pound bomb on an Iraqi insurgent mortar position. Now the fighting is throughout Najaf, but it appears to be concentrated in and around the old city of Najaf, close to the Imam Ali Mosque, and an ominous sign that fighting there could worsen in the coming hours. The shrine, the loud speakers from the mosque are now broadcasting that the shrine, the holy shrine, has in fact been damaged. They are blaming U.S. troops for that. And part of this announcement, they are calling on the people of Najaf to rise up and fight the U.S. troops. Now the Imam Ali Mosque is the most holiest place for Shi'a Muslims and one of the holiest places for all of Islam.
Now so far local officials say that one Iraqi policeman has been killed, two wounded. And hospital officials say two Iraqi civilians have been killed, eight wounded. There has also been a mortar attack on the hospital in Najaf, killing one worker and wounded four others. It is unknown where that mortar came from, whether it was from the Iraqi insurgents or whether it was from the Iraqi national guard or possibly even U.S. forces as well.
Now a spokesperson for al-Sadr says that six insurgent members of the Mehdi Army have been killed in this clash. Also in Najaf today, five Iraqi policemen, who were kidnapped, have now been released. But a disturbing sign, Carol, they were released and they were branded, literally branded, with an X burned into their back. A sign, presumably, that they were collaborators with U.S. forces -- Carol.
COSTELLO: John, I'm going to ask you a couple of questions. We have new pictures of the fighting there in Najaf of the insurgents firing upon, I think that's what this is, the insurgents firing upon the U.S. forces and Iraqi security forces. And I wanted to ask you specifically about that. Iraqi security forces fighting alongside U.S. forces, how is that working?
VAUSE: Well in this case, obviously they are working together, they have no other choice. What has been usually the case in these situations is that the U.S. has been stepping back, allowing the Iraqis to take the lead, see if they could handle this, see if they can control the situation. We saw it the other day in Mosul when there were a number of fatalities on the side of the Iraqi forces, the national guard and the police, as well as the insurgents. U.S. forces were not involved in that because the Iraqi national guardsmen and the police managed to control the situation.
Now, obviously, the situation in Najaf, the stronghold of Muqtada al-Sadr, that radical Shiite cleric, is obviously different. He's a lot stronger there. He has a very strong militia. And when it became obvious that the Iraqi national guardsmen and the Iraqi police could not control the situation, the call for help went out from the governor of Najaf the U.S. Marines to come and help. That's what they did.
The U.S. forces are now sitting back waiting to see how the Iraqis handle these situations. And if they get a call for help, that appears to be when they move in -- Carol.
COSTELLO: John Vause reporting live for us from Baghdad this morning. Thank you.
We want to examine now what exactly is the link between intelligence from Pakistan and a string of arrests in Britain and an increased terror threat in parts of the United States.
To sort that all out for us, our senior international editor David Clinch.
And there are conflicting reports this morning. There were these 13 arrests in Britain.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Right.
COSTELLO: One of them supposedly a senior al Qaeda member.
CLINCH: Right.
COSTELLO: But we don't exactly know whether that's connected to these computer files taken from Muhammad Khan.
CLINCH: Well, we are being told by Pakistani intelligence officials that the information found on the computers belonging to Khan, or that they found with him, was the cause for the arrest of this individual in the U.K., who is the leader who they say Khan was in touch with. And the name, or at least a pseudonym for that leader in Britain, is now emerging in British papers and in the U.S. papers today Abu Moussa or Abu Asa Al-Hindi is the name that he is using.
Well what does that tell us? It doesn't tell us very much, really, because that's not his real name. But what we're being told, very interestingly, is that U.S. officials are very interested in this individual. Again, we are not quite sure who he is yet.
COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you why?
CLINCH: It's one of those situations where a lot of these terrorists use pseudonyms, not only to hide their identities, but as sort of non-degers (ph). These names are relevant to some incident or to some other individual that they esteem. And so you never really know who they are until the intelligent people tell you who they are. But they...
COSTELLO: But do we know why the United States is so interested in him?
CLINCH: No, we don't. But when you follow the trail, we're being told that there was evidence, old evidence of course, of casing of buildings here in the United States. But clearly what they like to call actionable evidence in regard to this individual in Britain, the British acted on that, although of course they are being very tight lipped about it.
But we are being told they acted on that evidence, they picked up this individual. And the U.S. is very interested in finding out more about exactly who he is and what he was doing, not only in the U.S., but how he may, or this group in Britain, may have figured in this entire dynamic, the group in Pakistan speaking to people in Britain. And of course we are also being told, and this is the most interesting part, this group in Pakistan communicating with individuals inside the United States right now.
COSTELLO: Yes.
CLINCH: So all very interesting, watching it very closely.
COSTELLO: We're going to talk to Nic Robertson more about this topic a little later on DAYBREAK.
CLINCH: All right.
COSTELLO: Thank you, David Clinch.
Firsthand account now of the capture of Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi dictator was pulled from a dirty spider hole last December on a farm near Tikrit. And one of those who fished him out was Samir, a translator for U.S. Special Forces, an American who wants only his first name used for security reasons.
Samir talked with CNN special contributor Ron Young.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMIR, TRANSLATOR WITH SPECIAL FORCES: I want to show the world, I want to show all the people I know that's the hole we dragged Saddam of from, that little bitty dirty hole.
RON YOUNG, CNN SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): For Samir, capturing Saddam was personal. Forced to flee Iraq to the U.S., his heart hurt for his family still suffering back home. When the U.S. went back to remove Saddam Hussein, he wanted to help. He was sent back to Tikrit as a translator with the U.S. Special forces.
SAMIR: They don't want to see you in their uniform. They don't care if you're American or you are Iraqi, don't care. They look at you like you are a traitor or a spy or something.
YOUNG: Samir was assigned to the tedious and frustrating search for Saddam. Sparks of hope were quickly fade, then the break they were looking for.
Now for the first time, someone on the mission tells what happened the night Special Forces caught Saddam Hussein.
SAMIR: On December 15, we knew we had (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Saddam is there on that farm, hidden somewhere in that farm. But we had his bodyguard. He is the one we were looking for because we knew he'll lead you to Saddam. I was the translator for this guy. And he started crying. He said don't kill me, I'll show you where Saddam is. And we got on that farm about 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night and the forces went inside and they searched the whole farm and there was no sign of Saddam. The guy show us exactly where the bunker is.
YOUNG (on camera): The bodyguard showed you where the bunker was?
SAMIR: Yes. He said, point with his finger, he said dig in here. It's really hard to see. There was the bunker, it was like it's covered with dirt. And what they do, when Saddam go in, they take leaves from the trees and they throw it on top of that. They make it look like it's been there for a long time. We dig near and we found that hole, little bitty hole. It can't be, especially when you think about looking for Saddam Hussein, the dictator, the one who had the power over his people, it just it doesn't cross your mind. But he was there. He was there.
He heard a shot and he started yelling inside. And they said Samir come talk to him, tell him to come out. And he starts in don't shoot, don't kill me, don't shoot. They asked me to tell him to ask him put your hands up, we want to see your hand. I tell him put your hand up. And it was like one hand. I said let me see your other hand. And he did this. I said no, both hands up.
YOUNG: And you're looking down the hole at this point?
SAMIR: Yes, I was like, this guy is like pulling me back, because they don't know what's in there, if a bomb is going to go off or something. Tried to talk to him, but these guys, Samir, they pulled me back. I'm like we had helicopters, about eight of them.
Anyway, he stick both hand out, and I reached him and I grabbed him. I grabbed him. I was like I'm not letting him go. Everyone got a piece of Saddam. We pulled him out. And I look at him, I knew that's Saddam from his face. And I told them this is Saddam. They didn't believe me first. They said ask his name. And I said this is Saddam. They said no, ask him. And I asked him what's your name? He said first he said ah. What's your name? And he said I'm Saddam. And then Saddam what? I had to really like yell at him and stuff. He said I'm Saddam Hussein.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And Samir said his confrontation with Saddam Hussein got rough at one point. The former Iraqi president called Samir a traitor and a spy and then Samir punched him in the face. That was contributor Ron Young reporting.
In the next hour of DAYBREAK, the latest bombshell in the Kobe Bryant case, major new worries are plaguing the prosecution.
Luxury accommodations and the price tag to match from gourmet food to rooms with a view. How high end hospitals are competing for your business.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK. Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:45 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning. The nation's nuclear officials are going to keep quiet about security issues. The government says gaps discovered at the nation's nuclear plants will no longer be made public. The move is an effort to keep information from terrorists.
Microsoft Corporation is close to releasing a major update for its Windows Operating System. The move is aimed at plugging holes that have led to massive security problems for computer users.
In money news, oil prices could see 50 bucks a barrel soon. Analysts predict ongoing demand and a cold winter could send crude to new highs. A supply disruption, like a terrorist attack, could further tax already thin world supplies.
In culture, for the first time, the Dalai Lama has collaborated with the Chinese author Victor Chan. The two are releasing "The Wisdom of Forgiveness." The book records conversations between the men as they traveled together.
In sports, a stunning move, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter is out, cut. Replaced by 40-year-old Vinny Testaverde. No word on the reason behind the move, but (UNINTELLIGIBLE) happily doubt (ph).
MYERS: That just means there is still hope for us bald guys yet, huh?
COSTELLO: Vinny Testaverde.
MYERS: Wow, good for him.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
Those are the latest headlines for you.
Five-star hospitals that resemble expensive spas or hotels, "The Harvard Business Review" and "Money" magazine are reporting on a trend toward luxury medical centers. No word yet on how much of this luxury your HMO would be willing to pay for you. Yes, right!
CNN's medical correspondent Christy Feig visited one such hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTY FEIG, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The rooms are spacious, there are chandeliers in the hall, sofa beds for family members and gourmet chefs at your beck and call. But it's not a fine hotel, it's the newest trend in hospital care.
Leeann Hamilton Jacobs (ph) stayed in one when her doctor felt it was important she have peace and quiet.
LEANN HAMILTON JACOBS, PATIENT: It was like night and day. I mean it was probably one-on-one care that I had here with the nurses. The other thing that I remember the most is just how quiet it was.
FEIG (on camera): This 5-star service comes with a price tag. Here at the Pavilion at Washington Hospital Center, for example, this extra attention will cost you $450 a day, in addition to what insurance pays.
(voice-over): Deluxe hospital rooms across the country range from $300 to $1,200 a day. One of the perks, gourmet meals anytime of the day or night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything they want off of our menu, which consists of anything from Maryland-style crab cakes, to grilled salmon, to grilled tuna, chicken breast, tenderloin.
FEIG: But beneath the veneer of elegance and comfort, it's still a hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pictures aren't always just pictures. Actually behind this picture are our gases, our oxygen and our suction. So when you no longer need these things, we just pull it down, because most of our patients do not want to be reminded that they are in the hospital.
FEIG: At times, you might even forget you're in a hospital as you gaze out from your room with a view.
In Washington, I'm Christy Feig.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: More "Health Headlines" for you this morning.
A new anti-depressant for adults should be on the pharmacy shelves this month. The FDA has approved the sale of Cymbalta. Eli Lilly is hoping it will be a successor to Prozac. Cymbalta is the first anti-depressant to hit the market since the government started looking into whether such drugs boost the risk of suicide.
A different government agency says it won't take part in a dispute over the rising cost of a key AIDS drug. The National Institutes of Health says the law won't allow it to force Abbott Labs to cut the cost of the drug Norvir. Abbott Labs dramatically boosted the drug's price last year.
It's one of the most toxic substances known and there has been progress in fighting it. U.S. military researchers have made a vaccine that protects mice from the deadly effects of inhaled ricin. They are now planning to test the vaccine on other animals.
Viagra, it's not just for older men. A study says more men under the age of 55 have been using the impotence pill in recent years. And many of those men are using Viagra for enhancement, not because they actually need it.
For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health. From the street fighting to Olympic boxing, a young athlete gets his shot at Olympic gold. His heartfelt story for you ahead.
Also, keep those e-mails coming. The question of the day: are you at all excited about the 2000 Summer Games in Athens? Do you even know when the Olympics begin?
MYERS: 2004.
COSTELLO: Yes, what did I say? See how excited I am. DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MYERS: How can Loni Anderson be 60?
COSTELLO: Isn't it crazy? That makes me feel really old.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: You ever wonder what happened to the newsmakers and celebrities we used to know?
MYERS: Yes. We're going to do a new segment here, "Where Are They Now?"
COSTELLO: "Where Are They Now." This is your chance to catch up with old friends in our "Where Are They Now" segment, as you just said.
On this day two years ago, REM guitarist Peter Buck was cleared in his air rage case. Remember that? He had been accused of attacking a member of the British Airways flight crew and attacking two people with...
MYERS: Yogurt.
COSTELLO: ... yogurt.
Fast forward to today, Buck and his REM cohorts are back on the attack, this time with a new album and a tour called "Vote For Change." They are planning to take their political message to some key swing states in the upcoming election. Wonder which candidate they are for?
MYERS: I can imagine.
COSTELLO: Remember Richard Jewel?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Who doesn't? Absolutely. Eight years ago, he was an Olympic security guard in Atlanta when the Centennial Olympic Park bomb exploded. Well Jewel was initially identified as a suspect in that bombing. He was cleared and is still involved with law enforcement today. Today he is 41. He's a police officer in Pendergrass, Georgia, about an hour outside of Atlanta. Jewel still has libel lawsuits pending from 1996, although he won many of them already.
MYERS: Right. He filed the lawsuits, not against him.
COSTELLO: Yes. No, he filed them, and he's won some.
MYERS: Of course, sure.
COSTELLO: And he's got more pending.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Everybody knows how Rocky pulled himself out of dire, dangerous and even potentially deadly circumstances. That of course was fiction. The story of Ron Siler, Jr. is fact.
And CNN's Jason Bellini has his story.
080401CN.V98
COSTELLO: Nice story.
MYERS: Yes, a good story.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about the Olympics, the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: There doesn't seem to be that much excitement about them. That's our e-mail question of the day. Do you even know when The Games start?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: In Athens, do you know where they are?
MYERS: So many bad stories about The Olympics have gone on, you know. The Salt Lake City thing, that they buy their way in, and the doping. It's just it's lost its edge, I guess, for some folks.
COSTELLO: It's lost its romantic edge.
MYERS: Maybe.
COSTELLO: Because all anybody ever talks about with Athens is the security measures being taken there.
MYERS: Well of course.
COSTELLO: But you have some e-mail from the viewers.
MYERS: I have a couple of good ones, a couple of good ones. From Melvin (ph) in Michigan, it's all Greek to me. And the answer you today, could be summed up in the old question what's the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know, I don't care. That was from Toronto.
And the Salt Lake City bribery scandal, ongoing track and field, doping scandals, lousy TV coverage have all killed my interest in this.
Although you know what, a lot of this is going to be on HDTV. So I know that only 2 or 3 percent of the people have an HDTV, but maybe that could help out a little bit. Have a good picture or something.
COSTELLO: Yes, sure, right.
MYERS: Go ahead.
COSTELLO: E-mail question of the day: do you care about the Summer Games in Athens? Are you excited about the 2004 Summer Games? DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired August 5, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Carol, back to you.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's been nasty hot in many places here -- Chad.
MYERS: It has. Yes, it has.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: We are just learning of a downed U.S. helicopter in Iraq. It was shot down over Najaf. U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces are engaging militants loyal to terror mastermind Muqtada al- Sadr.
CNN's John Vause live on the phone from Baghdad. He has more for us. What can you tell -- actually, we have him live.
Good morning -- John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, good morning, Carol.
Well that heavy fighting in Najaf began about 12 hours ago. It's been sporadic all through the early hours of this morning. But the U.S. military says in the last hour and a half or two hours, it has seriously escalated.
Now it began when Iraqi forces clashed with the Medhi Army loyal to the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Now we're told that U.S. troops joined this fight at the request of the governor of Najaf. And in the course of this fighting, a U.S. helicopter was shot down by small arms fire. It was flying a wounded U.S. soldier away from the area when it was brought down. Two more soldiers were wounded during that crash landing. So we now have a total of three U.S. soldiers who have been wounded. No fatalities to report on the U.S. side.
During the course of this fighting, also, the United States ordered in, the U.S. troops, rather, ordered in a close air support. There was an airstrike. They dropped a 500-pound bomb on an Iraqi insurgent mortar position. Now the fighting is throughout Najaf, but it appears to be concentrated in and around the old city of Najaf, close to the Imam Ali Mosque, and an ominous sign that fighting there could worsen in the coming hours. The shrine, the loud speakers from the mosque are now broadcasting that the shrine, the holy shrine, has in fact been damaged. They are blaming U.S. troops for that. And part of this announcement, they are calling on the people of Najaf to rise up and fight the U.S. troops. Now the Imam Ali Mosque is the most holiest place for Shi'a Muslims and one of the holiest places for all of Islam.
Now so far local officials say that one Iraqi policeman has been killed, two wounded. And hospital officials say two Iraqi civilians have been killed, eight wounded. There has also been a mortar attack on the hospital in Najaf, killing one worker and wounded four others. It is unknown where that mortar came from, whether it was from the Iraqi insurgents or whether it was from the Iraqi national guard or possibly even U.S. forces as well.
Now a spokesperson for al-Sadr says that six insurgent members of the Mehdi Army have been killed in this clash. Also in Najaf today, five Iraqi policemen, who were kidnapped, have now been released. But a disturbing sign, Carol, they were released and they were branded, literally branded, with an X burned into their back. A sign, presumably, that they were collaborators with U.S. forces -- Carol.
COSTELLO: John, I'm going to ask you a couple of questions. We have new pictures of the fighting there in Najaf of the insurgents firing upon, I think that's what this is, the insurgents firing upon the U.S. forces and Iraqi security forces. And I wanted to ask you specifically about that. Iraqi security forces fighting alongside U.S. forces, how is that working?
VAUSE: Well in this case, obviously they are working together, they have no other choice. What has been usually the case in these situations is that the U.S. has been stepping back, allowing the Iraqis to take the lead, see if they could handle this, see if they can control the situation. We saw it the other day in Mosul when there were a number of fatalities on the side of the Iraqi forces, the national guard and the police, as well as the insurgents. U.S. forces were not involved in that because the Iraqi national guardsmen and the police managed to control the situation.
Now, obviously, the situation in Najaf, the stronghold of Muqtada al-Sadr, that radical Shiite cleric, is obviously different. He's a lot stronger there. He has a very strong militia. And when it became obvious that the Iraqi national guardsmen and the Iraqi police could not control the situation, the call for help went out from the governor of Najaf the U.S. Marines to come and help. That's what they did.
The U.S. forces are now sitting back waiting to see how the Iraqis handle these situations. And if they get a call for help, that appears to be when they move in -- Carol.
COSTELLO: John Vause reporting live for us from Baghdad this morning. Thank you.
We want to examine now what exactly is the link between intelligence from Pakistan and a string of arrests in Britain and an increased terror threat in parts of the United States.
To sort that all out for us, our senior international editor David Clinch.
And there are conflicting reports this morning. There were these 13 arrests in Britain.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Right.
COSTELLO: One of them supposedly a senior al Qaeda member.
CLINCH: Right.
COSTELLO: But we don't exactly know whether that's connected to these computer files taken from Muhammad Khan.
CLINCH: Well, we are being told by Pakistani intelligence officials that the information found on the computers belonging to Khan, or that they found with him, was the cause for the arrest of this individual in the U.K., who is the leader who they say Khan was in touch with. And the name, or at least a pseudonym for that leader in Britain, is now emerging in British papers and in the U.S. papers today Abu Moussa or Abu Asa Al-Hindi is the name that he is using.
Well what does that tell us? It doesn't tell us very much, really, because that's not his real name. But what we're being told, very interestingly, is that U.S. officials are very interested in this individual. Again, we are not quite sure who he is yet.
COSTELLO: I was just going to ask you why?
CLINCH: It's one of those situations where a lot of these terrorists use pseudonyms, not only to hide their identities, but as sort of non-degers (ph). These names are relevant to some incident or to some other individual that they esteem. And so you never really know who they are until the intelligent people tell you who they are. But they...
COSTELLO: But do we know why the United States is so interested in him?
CLINCH: No, we don't. But when you follow the trail, we're being told that there was evidence, old evidence of course, of casing of buildings here in the United States. But clearly what they like to call actionable evidence in regard to this individual in Britain, the British acted on that, although of course they are being very tight lipped about it.
But we are being told they acted on that evidence, they picked up this individual. And the U.S. is very interested in finding out more about exactly who he is and what he was doing, not only in the U.S., but how he may, or this group in Britain, may have figured in this entire dynamic, the group in Pakistan speaking to people in Britain. And of course we are also being told, and this is the most interesting part, this group in Pakistan communicating with individuals inside the United States right now.
COSTELLO: Yes.
CLINCH: So all very interesting, watching it very closely.
COSTELLO: We're going to talk to Nic Robertson more about this topic a little later on DAYBREAK.
CLINCH: All right.
COSTELLO: Thank you, David Clinch.
Firsthand account now of the capture of Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi dictator was pulled from a dirty spider hole last December on a farm near Tikrit. And one of those who fished him out was Samir, a translator for U.S. Special Forces, an American who wants only his first name used for security reasons.
Samir talked with CNN special contributor Ron Young.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAMIR, TRANSLATOR WITH SPECIAL FORCES: I want to show the world, I want to show all the people I know that's the hole we dragged Saddam of from, that little bitty dirty hole.
RON YOUNG, CNN SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): For Samir, capturing Saddam was personal. Forced to flee Iraq to the U.S., his heart hurt for his family still suffering back home. When the U.S. went back to remove Saddam Hussein, he wanted to help. He was sent back to Tikrit as a translator with the U.S. Special forces.
SAMIR: They don't want to see you in their uniform. They don't care if you're American or you are Iraqi, don't care. They look at you like you are a traitor or a spy or something.
YOUNG: Samir was assigned to the tedious and frustrating search for Saddam. Sparks of hope were quickly fade, then the break they were looking for.
Now for the first time, someone on the mission tells what happened the night Special Forces caught Saddam Hussein.
SAMIR: On December 15, we knew we had (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Saddam is there on that farm, hidden somewhere in that farm. But we had his bodyguard. He is the one we were looking for because we knew he'll lead you to Saddam. I was the translator for this guy. And he started crying. He said don't kill me, I'll show you where Saddam is. And we got on that farm about 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night and the forces went inside and they searched the whole farm and there was no sign of Saddam. The guy show us exactly where the bunker is.
YOUNG (on camera): The bodyguard showed you where the bunker was?
SAMIR: Yes. He said, point with his finger, he said dig in here. It's really hard to see. There was the bunker, it was like it's covered with dirt. And what they do, when Saddam go in, they take leaves from the trees and they throw it on top of that. They make it look like it's been there for a long time. We dig near and we found that hole, little bitty hole. It can't be, especially when you think about looking for Saddam Hussein, the dictator, the one who had the power over his people, it just it doesn't cross your mind. But he was there. He was there.
He heard a shot and he started yelling inside. And they said Samir come talk to him, tell him to come out. And he starts in don't shoot, don't kill me, don't shoot. They asked me to tell him to ask him put your hands up, we want to see your hand. I tell him put your hand up. And it was like one hand. I said let me see your other hand. And he did this. I said no, both hands up.
YOUNG: And you're looking down the hole at this point?
SAMIR: Yes, I was like, this guy is like pulling me back, because they don't know what's in there, if a bomb is going to go off or something. Tried to talk to him, but these guys, Samir, they pulled me back. I'm like we had helicopters, about eight of them.
Anyway, he stick both hand out, and I reached him and I grabbed him. I grabbed him. I was like I'm not letting him go. Everyone got a piece of Saddam. We pulled him out. And I look at him, I knew that's Saddam from his face. And I told them this is Saddam. They didn't believe me first. They said ask his name. And I said this is Saddam. They said no, ask him. And I asked him what's your name? He said first he said ah. What's your name? And he said I'm Saddam. And then Saddam what? I had to really like yell at him and stuff. He said I'm Saddam Hussein.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And Samir said his confrontation with Saddam Hussein got rough at one point. The former Iraqi president called Samir a traitor and a spy and then Samir punched him in the face. That was contributor Ron Young reporting.
In the next hour of DAYBREAK, the latest bombshell in the Kobe Bryant case, major new worries are plaguing the prosecution.
Luxury accommodations and the price tag to match from gourmet food to rooms with a view. How high end hospitals are competing for your business.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
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COSTELLO: Welcome back to DAYBREAK. Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:45 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning. The nation's nuclear officials are going to keep quiet about security issues. The government says gaps discovered at the nation's nuclear plants will no longer be made public. The move is an effort to keep information from terrorists.
Microsoft Corporation is close to releasing a major update for its Windows Operating System. The move is aimed at plugging holes that have led to massive security problems for computer users.
In money news, oil prices could see 50 bucks a barrel soon. Analysts predict ongoing demand and a cold winter could send crude to new highs. A supply disruption, like a terrorist attack, could further tax already thin world supplies.
In culture, for the first time, the Dalai Lama has collaborated with the Chinese author Victor Chan. The two are releasing "The Wisdom of Forgiveness." The book records conversations between the men as they traveled together.
In sports, a stunning move, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter is out, cut. Replaced by 40-year-old Vinny Testaverde. No word on the reason behind the move, but (UNINTELLIGIBLE) happily doubt (ph).
MYERS: That just means there is still hope for us bald guys yet, huh?
COSTELLO: Vinny Testaverde.
MYERS: Wow, good for him.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
Those are the latest headlines for you.
Five-star hospitals that resemble expensive spas or hotels, "The Harvard Business Review" and "Money" magazine are reporting on a trend toward luxury medical centers. No word yet on how much of this luxury your HMO would be willing to pay for you. Yes, right!
CNN's medical correspondent Christy Feig visited one such hospital.
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CHRISTY FEIG, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The rooms are spacious, there are chandeliers in the hall, sofa beds for family members and gourmet chefs at your beck and call. But it's not a fine hotel, it's the newest trend in hospital care.
Leeann Hamilton Jacobs (ph) stayed in one when her doctor felt it was important she have peace and quiet.
LEANN HAMILTON JACOBS, PATIENT: It was like night and day. I mean it was probably one-on-one care that I had here with the nurses. The other thing that I remember the most is just how quiet it was.
FEIG (on camera): This 5-star service comes with a price tag. Here at the Pavilion at Washington Hospital Center, for example, this extra attention will cost you $450 a day, in addition to what insurance pays.
(voice-over): Deluxe hospital rooms across the country range from $300 to $1,200 a day. One of the perks, gourmet meals anytime of the day or night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything they want off of our menu, which consists of anything from Maryland-style crab cakes, to grilled salmon, to grilled tuna, chicken breast, tenderloin.
FEIG: But beneath the veneer of elegance and comfort, it's still a hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pictures aren't always just pictures. Actually behind this picture are our gases, our oxygen and our suction. So when you no longer need these things, we just pull it down, because most of our patients do not want to be reminded that they are in the hospital.
FEIG: At times, you might even forget you're in a hospital as you gaze out from your room with a view.
In Washington, I'm Christy Feig.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: More "Health Headlines" for you this morning.
A new anti-depressant for adults should be on the pharmacy shelves this month. The FDA has approved the sale of Cymbalta. Eli Lilly is hoping it will be a successor to Prozac. Cymbalta is the first anti-depressant to hit the market since the government started looking into whether such drugs boost the risk of suicide.
A different government agency says it won't take part in a dispute over the rising cost of a key AIDS drug. The National Institutes of Health says the law won't allow it to force Abbott Labs to cut the cost of the drug Norvir. Abbott Labs dramatically boosted the drug's price last year.
It's one of the most toxic substances known and there has been progress in fighting it. U.S. military researchers have made a vaccine that protects mice from the deadly effects of inhaled ricin. They are now planning to test the vaccine on other animals.
Viagra, it's not just for older men. A study says more men under the age of 55 have been using the impotence pill in recent years. And many of those men are using Viagra for enhancement, not because they actually need it.
For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health. From the street fighting to Olympic boxing, a young athlete gets his shot at Olympic gold. His heartfelt story for you ahead.
Also, keep those e-mails coming. The question of the day: are you at all excited about the 2000 Summer Games in Athens? Do you even know when the Olympics begin?
MYERS: 2004.
COSTELLO: Yes, what did I say? See how excited I am. DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MYERS: How can Loni Anderson be 60?
COSTELLO: Isn't it crazy? That makes me feel really old.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: You ever wonder what happened to the newsmakers and celebrities we used to know?
MYERS: Yes. We're going to do a new segment here, "Where Are They Now?"
COSTELLO: "Where Are They Now." This is your chance to catch up with old friends in our "Where Are They Now" segment, as you just said.
On this day two years ago, REM guitarist Peter Buck was cleared in his air rage case. Remember that? He had been accused of attacking a member of the British Airways flight crew and attacking two people with...
MYERS: Yogurt.
COSTELLO: ... yogurt.
Fast forward to today, Buck and his REM cohorts are back on the attack, this time with a new album and a tour called "Vote For Change." They are planning to take their political message to some key swing states in the upcoming election. Wonder which candidate they are for?
MYERS: I can imagine.
COSTELLO: Remember Richard Jewel?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Who doesn't? Absolutely. Eight years ago, he was an Olympic security guard in Atlanta when the Centennial Olympic Park bomb exploded. Well Jewel was initially identified as a suspect in that bombing. He was cleared and is still involved with law enforcement today. Today he is 41. He's a police officer in Pendergrass, Georgia, about an hour outside of Atlanta. Jewel still has libel lawsuits pending from 1996, although he won many of them already.
MYERS: Right. He filed the lawsuits, not against him.
COSTELLO: Yes. No, he filed them, and he's won some.
MYERS: Of course, sure.
COSTELLO: And he's got more pending.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: Everybody knows how Rocky pulled himself out of dire, dangerous and even potentially deadly circumstances. That of course was fiction. The story of Ron Siler, Jr. is fact.
And CNN's Jason Bellini has his story.
080401CN.V98
COSTELLO: Nice story.
MYERS: Yes, a good story.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about the Olympics, the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: There doesn't seem to be that much excitement about them. That's our e-mail question of the day. Do you even know when The Games start?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: In Athens, do you know where they are?
MYERS: So many bad stories about The Olympics have gone on, you know. The Salt Lake City thing, that they buy their way in, and the doping. It's just it's lost its edge, I guess, for some folks.
COSTELLO: It's lost its romantic edge.
MYERS: Maybe.
COSTELLO: Because all anybody ever talks about with Athens is the security measures being taken there.
MYERS: Well of course.
COSTELLO: But you have some e-mail from the viewers.
MYERS: I have a couple of good ones, a couple of good ones. From Melvin (ph) in Michigan, it's all Greek to me. And the answer you today, could be summed up in the old question what's the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know, I don't care. That was from Toronto.
And the Salt Lake City bribery scandal, ongoing track and field, doping scandals, lousy TV coverage have all killed my interest in this.
Although you know what, a lot of this is going to be on HDTV. So I know that only 2 or 3 percent of the people have an HDTV, but maybe that could help out a little bit. Have a good picture or something.
COSTELLO: Yes, sure, right.
MYERS: Go ahead.
COSTELLO: E-mail question of the day: do you care about the Summer Games in Athens? Are you excited about the 2004 Summer Games? DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
We'll be right back.
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