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CNN Live At Daybreak
X-Box Murders; Tapes Show Methods Al Qaeda Uses to Surveil Potential Targets
Aired August 09, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Fighting this morning in Iraq as a radical Shiite cleric vows not to give in.
It is Monday, August 9.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news, more violence in the tense region west of Baghdad this morning. The U.S. military says a Marine was killed in Anbar Province. The area has been a hotbed for insurgents.
And there's been a deadly accident this morning at a nuclear plant in Japan. Japanese news reports say at least four workers have been killed and several others severely burned. Officials say a steam leak is to blame, not radiation.
Terry Nichols is already serving life in federal prison and today the Oklahoma City bombing conspirator is set to be sentenced to life in state prison. His lawyer says he may use the court appearance to make a statement.
To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That was fast.
COSTELLO: It was, wasn't it?
MYERS: Yes, it was.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: In Florida, a bail hearing is set this afternoon for four men who police say are involved in the so-called X-Box murders. Family and friends gathered at a memorial service to mourn the six sons and daughters brutally beaten to death with baseball bats as they slept.
Equally shocking is the apparent motive behind the crime.
Here's CNN's Sara Dorsey. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cameras catch a brief glimpse of the men the Volusia County Sheriff's Department says are responsible for beating six people and a dog to death with aluminum baseball bats last Thursday.
SHERIFF BEN JOHNSON, VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: There was forced entry to the front door. They were overtaken while they were all apparently, you know, laid down, I believe. And they were overpowered because all these individuals were carrying baseball bats.
DORSEY: Police say three of the men have confessed. They are being identified as 18-year-old Robert Cannon, Jerone Hunter and Michael Salas. The sheriff calls 27-year-old Troy Victorino, the ringleader and they believe he went to the home seeking revenge over some missing clothes and a video game system.
JOHNSON: This is a mean individual that believed that somebody had done him wrong, which they hadn't. No, nothing justifies this and I don't call it a mistake. I call this a criminal acting out on violence that he has shown in the past that he is capable of.
DORSEY: The sheriff described the crime scene as the worst he has seen in his career. One victim was so badly beaten, authorities still have not positively identified her.
JOHNSON: All four of these people deserve the death penalty, in my opinion. They're a danger to society. They've proven that. They've proven they aren't fit to be in society.
DORSEY: All four men are charged with first degree murder and armed burglary. The sheriff's office says it is confident that everyone involved in the murders is now in custody.
Sara Dorsey, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: Other stories making news across America this Monday.
Just what made a group of high schoolers sick during a visit to the University of Maryland? Health officials are trying to pinpoint the source of what's believed to be food poisoning. About 90 high school students attending a leadership conference at the university became ill. Some are being kept overnight for observation.
A potential disaster avoided in Texas. Police stopped a tractor- trailer carrying at least 60 illegal immigrants. They'd been in the unventilated trailer for more than 12 hours with very little water. Just over a year ago, 19 immigrants died after being trapped in a truck on a Texas highway. The driver of this truck is expected in court today to face charges of human smuggling.
Ohio police are wondering if foul play is behind the disappearance of a teenaged Ethiopian girl. The 15-year-old was in Cleveland to take part in the International Children's Games. Her sponsor family believes she may have decided to defect. The rest of her team is scheduled to fly home this afternoon.
Al Qaeda is going high tech in its quest to recruit would be terrorists. The terror network is using videotapes and the Internet to find potential targets and bring more agents on board.
CNN's Brian Todd has more for you from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surveillance, an al Qaeda staple. This tape showing what's believed to be the al Muhaia (ph) civilian housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is that same neighborhood, and the product of that reconnaissance.
November of last year: Suicide car bombs setting off three explosions kill at least 17 people at al Muhaia (ph) and wound more than 100. This type of surveillance, now very much in the American public consciousness, as officials ratchet up the terrorism alert based partly on information about the casing of financial buildings in the U.S. at least three years ago.
RICE: Al Qaeda does meticulous planning over many years.
TODD: On this tape we learned how the November attack in Riyadh was planned, from the group believed to have carried it out, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
BEN VENZKE, INTELCENTER: And it's the expertise that is frequent -- frequently used and trained on by al Qaeda cells around the world.
TODD: CNN obtained this tape from a group called IntelCenter, a consulting firm that works with U.S. government agencies. Experts who we consulted confirmed the authenticity of the tape.
We see al Qaeda members displaying rocket-propelled grenades and surface-to-air missiles, but the operational part of the tape is perhaps the most chilling. A diagram is shown of what IntelCenter says is the al Muhaia (ph) complex, and a technique which later proved very effective. A vehicle is painted with the markings and insignia of the Saudi Security Forces. Those vehicles were used to breach the al Muhaia (ph) compound.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: In this instance, they learned that there was some security which they wanted to get around, and the way to do that was to pretend that they were themselves police officers, and that worked. And they got in the compound and they killed a lot of people.
TODD: We also see a man next to one of the vehicles, later identified as Nasser Al-Sayari (ph), an al Qaeda operative killed in that suicide attack.
This tape, produced some months ago, was originally posted on a Web site. We asked IntelCenter why al Qaeda would tip off people on their operational techniques.
VENZKE: It is used for instructional material for future recruits. It's released after attacks to drive fund-raising, and as a morale boost for the group.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: We're getting insights into how al Qaeda recruits its members. But a leading Democratic senator says more has to be done to deny the terror group its weapons. Senator Charles Schumer says al Qaeda has a weapon of choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: What we've learned over the last year that became even more apparent in the last week is that truck bombs using ammonium nitrate are the weapon of choice of al Qaeda. And the amazing thing is that given that we know that truck bombs, ammonium nitrate truck bombs are the weapon of choice of al Qaeda, we're doing virtually nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Schumer says he wants background checks for anyone who buys a lot of ammonium nitrate.
White House officials are defending the administration's decision to issue the recent terror warnings and they say the arrests of terror suspects around the world have undermined plans to attack the United States. But some presidential advisers still worry terrorists will try to strike the country believe the November election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: These casings were done in 2000 and 2001, maybe at other times. Some of them perhaps have been updated. But the information that there were plots under way that might relate to the pre-election period came from multiple sources and active multiple sources. And so you took the fact that they had these casing files on important financial institutions in Washington, New Jersey and New York City, and you took the fact that you were capturing people in places like Pakistan who related to both the files and to pre-election plots and you had to go out and warn. You had a duty to warn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Our e-mail Question of the Day is would you go to the polls if you knew a terror threat would happen -- if there was a terror threat on election day? Would you go to the polls if you knew of a terror threat on election day? E-mail us at daybreak@cnn.com.
And, of course, we'll read your responses throughout the morning.
Ahmad Chalabi, a former member of Iraq's Governing Council once closely aligned with the United States, faces criminal charges now in Iraq. So does his nephew. He heads a tribunal that will try Saddam Hussein.
CNN's John Vause joins us live from Baghdad with more on this and other developments out of Iraq this morning -- good morning, John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
The chief judge with Iraq's criminal central court issued the warrants for Ahmad Chalabi and also for his cousin Salem Chalabi.
Now, the charges relating to Ahmad Chalabi apparently involve counterfeiting. Now, it stems from a complaint, according to the judge, from Iraq's central bank. There's an allegation that Ahmad Chalabi was mixing counterfeit money with old Iraqi dinars and then exchanging them for new Iraqi dinars. Police allegedly found the counterfeit money when they raided his house here in Baghdad back in May.
Now, a statement put out by Chalabi does admit to having counterfeit money in his house, but he says that they were, in fact, samples, and that only to do with his work as -- on the finance committee for the old Iraqi Governing Council.
Now, the charges against his nephew, Salem Chalabi, are much more serious. He's wanted in connection with murder. It's not clear what those charges, the effect it will have on Salem Chalabi, who is the man overseeing the tribunal which is trying Saddam Hussein.
Now, both men are out of the country. Ahmad Chalabi is in Tehran. Salem Chalabi is in London. But both men have described the charges as ridiculous, as politically motivated. They protest their innocence and they say they will return to Iraq to clear their names -- Carol.
COSTELLO: What is Ahmad Chalabi doing in Iran?
VAUSE: We don't know what he's actually doing there at this point in time. But he has been accused of being too close to Iran. We heard back in May from the United States, for instance, that Ahmad Chalabi was, in fact, giving secret information to the Iranians. So there's a great deal of questions to be answered by Mr. Chalabi on what he's doing on this latest trip to Tehran.
COSTELLO: I wanted to ask you, too, about the fighting in Najaf. It's been fierce over the weekend.
Muqtada al-Sadr -- there used to be an arrest warrant out for him. Now there isn't. Bring us up to date.
VAUSE: There's still an arrest warrant out for al-Sadr, but both sides, the United States and the Iraqi sides, have agreed not to act on that arrest warrant.
What was interesting is a news conference just a short time ago from the firebrand cleric in Najaf ordering his militia to fight to end the occupation in Najaf. This is significant because what we heard here in Baghdad over the weekend was very conciliatory moves by the interim Iraqi prime minister, Allawi, putting out an olive branch, a political olive branch to al-Sadr, inviting him into the political process, trying to distance al-Sadr from the current uprising in Najaf, now into its fifth day.
But at that press conference, we've seen al-Sadr throw down the gauntlet to Allawi, challenge his authority, saying that he is behind the uprising in Najaf, he is the one that is ordering the militia to fight U.S. and Iraqi forces.
So a very interesting position now for the interim Iraqi prime minister. His step is coming up next -- Carol.
COSTELLO: John Vause reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Thank you.
For more on the latest developments in Iraq, including Ahmad Chalabi's fight to defend himself against criminal charges, you can log onto our Web site at cnn.com.
If you've got the time, we've got these stories for you.
The diving duo called Dumeh (ph) -- you might call their competition blood sports. Their story in six minutes.
Plus, the president makes a weekend side trip to Bush friendly country. Find out what he brought with him this time that made New Hampshire come to a virtual standstill. A live report comes your way in about a half hour.
Also, we are bombarded with drug ads from everything from weight loss to depression to, well, you know. But do we really need them? That story in 37 minutes.
And it was 30 years ago that Richard Nixon did what no president had done before or since.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: U.S. stocks will open down today. That's because of the disappointingly anemic figures on job growth. The Dow closed just over 9815 on Friday. That is down nearly 148 points. Sorry I had to remind you about that. The Nasdaq ended at about 1777. That's down almost 45 points. And the S&P 500 closed at 1064, down almost 17 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports now.
It is 5:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
A fifth day of fighting in Najaf. Iraqi security forces backed by American troops once again clashed with militia members loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr vows that his forces will not give up their weapons or the city.
The world's most famous firefighter has died of natural causes at his home in Houston. "Red" Adair fought oil well fires for a living and was also the real life inspiration of the John Wayne movie, "The Hellfighters." "Red" Adair was 89.
In money news, oil prices are coming back down, but it may be a while before we see any savings. Crude oil figures fell $0.28 a barrel for the next month. It is the second straight drop since prices reached record levels last week.
In culture, the show about nothing now comes with something. The first three years of "Seinfeld" are coming out on DVD in November. Included in the release are new scenes, commentary from the cast and memorabilia from the show itself.
In sports, Jeff Gordon is king of the Brickyard again. Gordon won his fourth career NASCAR Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 27th, while points leader Jimmy Johnson finished 36th -- Chad.
MYERS: Yes, Jimmy did not have a good race yesterday. A lot of people did, though. A lot of not so well known drivers moving up into the top 10 this week in driving, just because it's such a random track to drive, unlike their ovals, typically.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
A heightened terror alert is in effect for the United States. Oh, you know that by now. But is it cause for concern for most of us?
In the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll see what's tops with terror on the home front and overseas.
Which brings us to our e-mail Question of the Day. Would you go to the polls if you knew of a terror threat on election day? E-mail us at daybreak@cnn.com.
And you're watching DAYBREAK for Monday, August 9.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is Web click time, the time we check out cnn.com to see what stories you're really interested in.
MYERS: The ones that you're clicking on on the Web site, not the ones we're telling you about.
COSTELLO: Exactly. So the top three stories on our Web site this morning -- oh, this is a terrible story out of Florida. Did you hear about this, Chad?
MYERS: Yes, all about like a video game and a couple of clothes.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. They were -- apparently these -- this guy was upset at these people stealing his Xbox system and some clothing. So he allegedly hires these two teenagers in Florida to go and kill these people in their homes, which they did as they slept in bed. Apparently they used baseball bats. But they have made some arrests. In fact, four people have now been charged.
The second most popular story on our Web site, separated twins' mom gets a chance to choose. And, of course, these are the Filipino boys who were joined at the head, now separated, and they're doing great.
MYERS: Right. Not choose which one lives and which one dies.
COSTELLO: No.
MYERS: Chooses which one she's going to stay with at each time, because they're in separate beds.
COSTELLO: Yes. She, you know, they were always together before.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: So she has a big choice on her hands.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Apparently they're so rambunctious they have to keep them a little sedated. But they think that they're going to like decrease their medication and the boys are...
MYERS: The kids are doing great.
COSTELLO: I know.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: That's good news.
The third most popular story, you remember Koko, you know, the gorilla in California who understands sign language?
MYERS: Oh, yes, yes, like 300 words or something like that, right?
COSTELLO: A thousand word vocabulary.
MYERS: Oh, a thousand words. OK.
COSTELLO: Yes. Evidently he signed to his trainers that he was in pain so they sedated him and voila -- he had an infected tooth.
MYERS: Wow!
COSTELLO: Isn't that something? MYERS: Oh, that's heavy.
COSTELLO: They pulled the tooth out and Koko is doing fine this morning.
MYERS: Well, maybe because he was sitting on that chair.
COSTELLO: That's cute.
MYERS: That is good.
COSTELLO: All right, so those are our three most popular Web stories this morning.
MYERS: And he can drive. I didn't realize he could drive.
COSTELLO: Koko -- really?
MYERS: Well, he was in the front of that car.
COSTELLO: I didn't know that either.
Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye-Openers." Or maybe this is a stomach turner. Dutch law makers want to make unsolicited toe licking illegal. Oddly enough, they actually have a need for such a law. A man was detained for licking the toes of unsuspecting women at an Amsterdam beach. But he was let go since there's no law against toe licking. With or without a law, he needs to be locked up.
Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK, though.
That was the only "Eye Opener" that we needed this morning.
MYERS: I'm letting it go.
COSTELLO: Do you recall what happened 30 years ago today in Washington? It had never happened before or since. You'll find out in 30 minutes.
A pill for this, a drug for that, but are we better off? A report for you in 22 minutes. And former Iraqi exile leader Ahmad Chalabi not only falls out of favor but also falls into trouble with Iraq's interim government. That story in seven minutes.
We'll be back.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SARA BLAKELY, FOUNDER, SPANX: I made my slogan "Don't worry, we've got your butt covered," which was a little bit risky, but I knew it would be memorable and make people laugh. I absolutely trusted my gut.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sara Blakely's instinct paid off. Her 4- year-old company, Spanx, features signature footless pantyhose, body shapers and a Slim-X clothing line. Last year, retail sales pulled in $31 million.
BLAKELY: I tell entrepreneurs if they have an idea -- and they say but I'm not sure if anyone else is going to like it -- I say do you like it? Does it work for you better than what you're buying in the marketplace? And if it does, you have to trust that. But I kept my idea to myself, meaning I did not tell my friends and family until I had already invested so much of my personal energy that I wouldn't have turned back.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Another round of deadly fighting erupts in Najaf.
It is Monday, August 9.
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, sporadic clashes this morning in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, scene of fierce fighting last week. And just during the past hour, dissident cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rejected demands that his militia leave Najaf and he is urging his Mahdi Army to fight on.
Following an emergency meeting in Cairo, the Arab League says the government of Sudan needs more time to end the crisis in Darfur. Arab militias there have killed thousands of villagers and have driven a million from their homes.
A California family is described as devastated. After nine days, the search for 9-year-old David Gonzalez has been called off. He hasn't been seen since July 31, when he was sent on an errand to buy cookies.
A hearing is scheduled eight hours from now for four men charged in a grizzly multiple killing in Deltona, Florida. Six people were beaten to death with baseball bats in a dispute over some clothing and a video game.
To the forecast center and Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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Aired August 9, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Fighting this morning in Iraq as a radical Shiite cleric vows not to give in.
It is Monday, August 9.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news, more violence in the tense region west of Baghdad this morning. The U.S. military says a Marine was killed in Anbar Province. The area has been a hotbed for insurgents.
And there's been a deadly accident this morning at a nuclear plant in Japan. Japanese news reports say at least four workers have been killed and several others severely burned. Officials say a steam leak is to blame, not radiation.
Terry Nichols is already serving life in federal prison and today the Oklahoma City bombing conspirator is set to be sentenced to life in state prison. His lawyer says he may use the court appearance to make a statement.
To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That was fast.
COSTELLO: It was, wasn't it?
MYERS: Yes, it was.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: In Florida, a bail hearing is set this afternoon for four men who police say are involved in the so-called X-Box murders. Family and friends gathered at a memorial service to mourn the six sons and daughters brutally beaten to death with baseball bats as they slept.
Equally shocking is the apparent motive behind the crime.
Here's CNN's Sara Dorsey. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cameras catch a brief glimpse of the men the Volusia County Sheriff's Department says are responsible for beating six people and a dog to death with aluminum baseball bats last Thursday.
SHERIFF BEN JOHNSON, VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: There was forced entry to the front door. They were overtaken while they were all apparently, you know, laid down, I believe. And they were overpowered because all these individuals were carrying baseball bats.
DORSEY: Police say three of the men have confessed. They are being identified as 18-year-old Robert Cannon, Jerone Hunter and Michael Salas. The sheriff calls 27-year-old Troy Victorino, the ringleader and they believe he went to the home seeking revenge over some missing clothes and a video game system.
JOHNSON: This is a mean individual that believed that somebody had done him wrong, which they hadn't. No, nothing justifies this and I don't call it a mistake. I call this a criminal acting out on violence that he has shown in the past that he is capable of.
DORSEY: The sheriff described the crime scene as the worst he has seen in his career. One victim was so badly beaten, authorities still have not positively identified her.
JOHNSON: All four of these people deserve the death penalty, in my opinion. They're a danger to society. They've proven that. They've proven they aren't fit to be in society.
DORSEY: All four men are charged with first degree murder and armed burglary. The sheriff's office says it is confident that everyone involved in the murders is now in custody.
Sara Dorsey, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: Other stories making news across America this Monday.
Just what made a group of high schoolers sick during a visit to the University of Maryland? Health officials are trying to pinpoint the source of what's believed to be food poisoning. About 90 high school students attending a leadership conference at the university became ill. Some are being kept overnight for observation.
A potential disaster avoided in Texas. Police stopped a tractor- trailer carrying at least 60 illegal immigrants. They'd been in the unventilated trailer for more than 12 hours with very little water. Just over a year ago, 19 immigrants died after being trapped in a truck on a Texas highway. The driver of this truck is expected in court today to face charges of human smuggling.
Ohio police are wondering if foul play is behind the disappearance of a teenaged Ethiopian girl. The 15-year-old was in Cleveland to take part in the International Children's Games. Her sponsor family believes she may have decided to defect. The rest of her team is scheduled to fly home this afternoon.
Al Qaeda is going high tech in its quest to recruit would be terrorists. The terror network is using videotapes and the Internet to find potential targets and bring more agents on board.
CNN's Brian Todd has more for you from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surveillance, an al Qaeda staple. This tape showing what's believed to be the al Muhaia (ph) civilian housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is that same neighborhood, and the product of that reconnaissance.
November of last year: Suicide car bombs setting off three explosions kill at least 17 people at al Muhaia (ph) and wound more than 100. This type of surveillance, now very much in the American public consciousness, as officials ratchet up the terrorism alert based partly on information about the casing of financial buildings in the U.S. at least three years ago.
RICE: Al Qaeda does meticulous planning over many years.
TODD: On this tape we learned how the November attack in Riyadh was planned, from the group believed to have carried it out, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
BEN VENZKE, INTELCENTER: And it's the expertise that is frequent -- frequently used and trained on by al Qaeda cells around the world.
TODD: CNN obtained this tape from a group called IntelCenter, a consulting firm that works with U.S. government agencies. Experts who we consulted confirmed the authenticity of the tape.
We see al Qaeda members displaying rocket-propelled grenades and surface-to-air missiles, but the operational part of the tape is perhaps the most chilling. A diagram is shown of what IntelCenter says is the al Muhaia (ph) complex, and a technique which later proved very effective. A vehicle is painted with the markings and insignia of the Saudi Security Forces. Those vehicles were used to breach the al Muhaia (ph) compound.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: In this instance, they learned that there was some security which they wanted to get around, and the way to do that was to pretend that they were themselves police officers, and that worked. And they got in the compound and they killed a lot of people.
TODD: We also see a man next to one of the vehicles, later identified as Nasser Al-Sayari (ph), an al Qaeda operative killed in that suicide attack.
This tape, produced some months ago, was originally posted on a Web site. We asked IntelCenter why al Qaeda would tip off people on their operational techniques.
VENZKE: It is used for instructional material for future recruits. It's released after attacks to drive fund-raising, and as a morale boost for the group.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COSTELLO: We're getting insights into how al Qaeda recruits its members. But a leading Democratic senator says more has to be done to deny the terror group its weapons. Senator Charles Schumer says al Qaeda has a weapon of choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: What we've learned over the last year that became even more apparent in the last week is that truck bombs using ammonium nitrate are the weapon of choice of al Qaeda. And the amazing thing is that given that we know that truck bombs, ammonium nitrate truck bombs are the weapon of choice of al Qaeda, we're doing virtually nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Schumer says he wants background checks for anyone who buys a lot of ammonium nitrate.
White House officials are defending the administration's decision to issue the recent terror warnings and they say the arrests of terror suspects around the world have undermined plans to attack the United States. But some presidential advisers still worry terrorists will try to strike the country believe the November election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: These casings were done in 2000 and 2001, maybe at other times. Some of them perhaps have been updated. But the information that there were plots under way that might relate to the pre-election period came from multiple sources and active multiple sources. And so you took the fact that they had these casing files on important financial institutions in Washington, New Jersey and New York City, and you took the fact that you were capturing people in places like Pakistan who related to both the files and to pre-election plots and you had to go out and warn. You had a duty to warn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Our e-mail Question of the Day is would you go to the polls if you knew a terror threat would happen -- if there was a terror threat on election day? Would you go to the polls if you knew of a terror threat on election day? E-mail us at daybreak@cnn.com.
And, of course, we'll read your responses throughout the morning.
Ahmad Chalabi, a former member of Iraq's Governing Council once closely aligned with the United States, faces criminal charges now in Iraq. So does his nephew. He heads a tribunal that will try Saddam Hussein.
CNN's John Vause joins us live from Baghdad with more on this and other developments out of Iraq this morning -- good morning, John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
The chief judge with Iraq's criminal central court issued the warrants for Ahmad Chalabi and also for his cousin Salem Chalabi.
Now, the charges relating to Ahmad Chalabi apparently involve counterfeiting. Now, it stems from a complaint, according to the judge, from Iraq's central bank. There's an allegation that Ahmad Chalabi was mixing counterfeit money with old Iraqi dinars and then exchanging them for new Iraqi dinars. Police allegedly found the counterfeit money when they raided his house here in Baghdad back in May.
Now, a statement put out by Chalabi does admit to having counterfeit money in his house, but he says that they were, in fact, samples, and that only to do with his work as -- on the finance committee for the old Iraqi Governing Council.
Now, the charges against his nephew, Salem Chalabi, are much more serious. He's wanted in connection with murder. It's not clear what those charges, the effect it will have on Salem Chalabi, who is the man overseeing the tribunal which is trying Saddam Hussein.
Now, both men are out of the country. Ahmad Chalabi is in Tehran. Salem Chalabi is in London. But both men have described the charges as ridiculous, as politically motivated. They protest their innocence and they say they will return to Iraq to clear their names -- Carol.
COSTELLO: What is Ahmad Chalabi doing in Iran?
VAUSE: We don't know what he's actually doing there at this point in time. But he has been accused of being too close to Iran. We heard back in May from the United States, for instance, that Ahmad Chalabi was, in fact, giving secret information to the Iranians. So there's a great deal of questions to be answered by Mr. Chalabi on what he's doing on this latest trip to Tehran.
COSTELLO: I wanted to ask you, too, about the fighting in Najaf. It's been fierce over the weekend.
Muqtada al-Sadr -- there used to be an arrest warrant out for him. Now there isn't. Bring us up to date.
VAUSE: There's still an arrest warrant out for al-Sadr, but both sides, the United States and the Iraqi sides, have agreed not to act on that arrest warrant.
What was interesting is a news conference just a short time ago from the firebrand cleric in Najaf ordering his militia to fight to end the occupation in Najaf. This is significant because what we heard here in Baghdad over the weekend was very conciliatory moves by the interim Iraqi prime minister, Allawi, putting out an olive branch, a political olive branch to al-Sadr, inviting him into the political process, trying to distance al-Sadr from the current uprising in Najaf, now into its fifth day.
But at that press conference, we've seen al-Sadr throw down the gauntlet to Allawi, challenge his authority, saying that he is behind the uprising in Najaf, he is the one that is ordering the militia to fight U.S. and Iraqi forces.
So a very interesting position now for the interim Iraqi prime minister. His step is coming up next -- Carol.
COSTELLO: John Vause reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Thank you.
For more on the latest developments in Iraq, including Ahmad Chalabi's fight to defend himself against criminal charges, you can log onto our Web site at cnn.com.
If you've got the time, we've got these stories for you.
The diving duo called Dumeh (ph) -- you might call their competition blood sports. Their story in six minutes.
Plus, the president makes a weekend side trip to Bush friendly country. Find out what he brought with him this time that made New Hampshire come to a virtual standstill. A live report comes your way in about a half hour.
Also, we are bombarded with drug ads from everything from weight loss to depression to, well, you know. But do we really need them? That story in 37 minutes.
And it was 30 years ago that Richard Nixon did what no president had done before or since.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: U.S. stocks will open down today. That's because of the disappointingly anemic figures on job growth. The Dow closed just over 9815 on Friday. That is down nearly 148 points. Sorry I had to remind you about that. The Nasdaq ended at about 1777. That's down almost 45 points. And the S&P 500 closed at 1064, down almost 17 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports now.
It is 5:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
A fifth day of fighting in Najaf. Iraqi security forces backed by American troops once again clashed with militia members loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr vows that his forces will not give up their weapons or the city.
The world's most famous firefighter has died of natural causes at his home in Houston. "Red" Adair fought oil well fires for a living and was also the real life inspiration of the John Wayne movie, "The Hellfighters." "Red" Adair was 89.
In money news, oil prices are coming back down, but it may be a while before we see any savings. Crude oil figures fell $0.28 a barrel for the next month. It is the second straight drop since prices reached record levels last week.
In culture, the show about nothing now comes with something. The first three years of "Seinfeld" are coming out on DVD in November. Included in the release are new scenes, commentary from the cast and memorabilia from the show itself.
In sports, Jeff Gordon is king of the Brickyard again. Gordon won his fourth career NASCAR Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 27th, while points leader Jimmy Johnson finished 36th -- Chad.
MYERS: Yes, Jimmy did not have a good race yesterday. A lot of people did, though. A lot of not so well known drivers moving up into the top 10 this week in driving, just because it's such a random track to drive, unlike their ovals, typically.
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COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
A heightened terror alert is in effect for the United States. Oh, you know that by now. But is it cause for concern for most of us?
In the next hour of DAYBREAK, we'll see what's tops with terror on the home front and overseas.
Which brings us to our e-mail Question of the Day. Would you go to the polls if you knew of a terror threat on election day? E-mail us at daybreak@cnn.com.
And you're watching DAYBREAK for Monday, August 9.
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COSTELLO: It is Web click time, the time we check out cnn.com to see what stories you're really interested in.
MYERS: The ones that you're clicking on on the Web site, not the ones we're telling you about.
COSTELLO: Exactly. So the top three stories on our Web site this morning -- oh, this is a terrible story out of Florida. Did you hear about this, Chad?
MYERS: Yes, all about like a video game and a couple of clothes.
COSTELLO: Oh, yes. They were -- apparently these -- this guy was upset at these people stealing his Xbox system and some clothing. So he allegedly hires these two teenagers in Florida to go and kill these people in their homes, which they did as they slept in bed. Apparently they used baseball bats. But they have made some arrests. In fact, four people have now been charged.
The second most popular story on our Web site, separated twins' mom gets a chance to choose. And, of course, these are the Filipino boys who were joined at the head, now separated, and they're doing great.
MYERS: Right. Not choose which one lives and which one dies.
COSTELLO: No.
MYERS: Chooses which one she's going to stay with at each time, because they're in separate beds.
COSTELLO: Yes. She, you know, they were always together before.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: So she has a big choice on her hands.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Apparently they're so rambunctious they have to keep them a little sedated. But they think that they're going to like decrease their medication and the boys are...
MYERS: The kids are doing great.
COSTELLO: I know.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: That's good news.
The third most popular story, you remember Koko, you know, the gorilla in California who understands sign language?
MYERS: Oh, yes, yes, like 300 words or something like that, right?
COSTELLO: A thousand word vocabulary.
MYERS: Oh, a thousand words. OK.
COSTELLO: Yes. Evidently he signed to his trainers that he was in pain so they sedated him and voila -- he had an infected tooth.
MYERS: Wow!
COSTELLO: Isn't that something? MYERS: Oh, that's heavy.
COSTELLO: They pulled the tooth out and Koko is doing fine this morning.
MYERS: Well, maybe because he was sitting on that chair.
COSTELLO: That's cute.
MYERS: That is good.
COSTELLO: All right, so those are our three most popular Web stories this morning.
MYERS: And he can drive. I didn't realize he could drive.
COSTELLO: Koko -- really?
MYERS: Well, he was in the front of that car.
COSTELLO: I didn't know that either.
Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye-Openers." Or maybe this is a stomach turner. Dutch law makers want to make unsolicited toe licking illegal. Oddly enough, they actually have a need for such a law. A man was detained for licking the toes of unsuspecting women at an Amsterdam beach. But he was let go since there's no law against toe licking. With or without a law, he needs to be locked up.
Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK, though.
That was the only "Eye Opener" that we needed this morning.
MYERS: I'm letting it go.
COSTELLO: Do you recall what happened 30 years ago today in Washington? It had never happened before or since. You'll find out in 30 minutes.
A pill for this, a drug for that, but are we better off? A report for you in 22 minutes. And former Iraqi exile leader Ahmad Chalabi not only falls out of favor but also falls into trouble with Iraq's interim government. That story in seven minutes.
We'll be back.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SARA BLAKELY, FOUNDER, SPANX: I made my slogan "Don't worry, we've got your butt covered," which was a little bit risky, but I knew it would be memorable and make people laugh. I absolutely trusted my gut.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sara Blakely's instinct paid off. Her 4- year-old company, Spanx, features signature footless pantyhose, body shapers and a Slim-X clothing line. Last year, retail sales pulled in $31 million.
BLAKELY: I tell entrepreneurs if they have an idea -- and they say but I'm not sure if anyone else is going to like it -- I say do you like it? Does it work for you better than what you're buying in the marketplace? And if it does, you have to trust that. But I kept my idea to myself, meaning I did not tell my friends and family until I had already invested so much of my personal energy that I wouldn't have turned back.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Another round of deadly fighting erupts in Najaf.
It is Monday, August 9.
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, sporadic clashes this morning in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, scene of fierce fighting last week. And just during the past hour, dissident cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rejected demands that his militia leave Najaf and he is urging his Mahdi Army to fight on.
Following an emergency meeting in Cairo, the Arab League says the government of Sudan needs more time to end the crisis in Darfur. Arab militias there have killed thousands of villagers and have driven a million from their homes.
A California family is described as devastated. After nine days, the search for 9-year-old David Gonzalez has been called off. He hasn't been seen since July 31, when he was sent on an errand to buy cookies.
A hearing is scheduled eight hours from now for four men charged in a grizzly multiple killing in Deltona, Florida. Six people were beaten to death with baseball bats in a dispute over some clothing and a video game.
To the forecast center and Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
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