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CNN Live At Daybreak
Iraq: Al-Sadr Has Hours To Lay Down Weapons; Felines May Find Manhattan Cafe the Cat's Meow
Aired August 19, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Gunfire streaks across the dark and dangerous night in Najaf; Iraq's government issues another ultimatum.
It is Thursday, August 19. This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you. Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN global headquarters, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news:
A warning to Muqtada al-Sadr: the Iraqi government has told the renegade cleric his militiamen must lay down their arms immediately and leave the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf. The government wants al-Sadr to hold a news conference today to announce he is disbanding his militia.
Homeland security and FBI officials will be among the witnesses when the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the 9/11 commission's recommendations. The hearing gets under way four and a half hours from now.
Google finally goes public today. Stock in the Internet search engine begins trading at 85 bucks a share. Google cut the price yesterday by at least $23.
A Moroccan weightlifter who failed a drug test was sent home from the Olympics today, and the Associated Press reports five more weightlifters in Athens have tested positive for drugs.
To the forecast center and Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: We have a lot to tell you about this morning in our Iraq "Situation Report." Fighting in Najaf goes on despite an agreement by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disarm his militia and leave a holy mosque. Iraqi officials say al-Sadr must publicly announce within hours that he will comply with the deal, or he will face a military strike.
There is also fresh fighting this morning in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City. U.S. forces are making a major push against al-Sadr's militia forces in the area and meeting some sporadic resistance.
And a U.S. Marine was killed in the Al-Akhbar (ph) province after a vehicle accident. Three other U.S. troops died on Wednesday, including a Marine killed in the fighting in Najaf.
And militants are threatening to kill a journalist being held hostage unless U.S. troops withdraw from Najaf. Micah Green (ph) - Micah Garen, rather, is a French-American journalist kidnapped last week while working on a documentary film.
Want to bring in our senior international editor, David Clinch, now. We're getting new pictures in this morning from Sadr City near Baghdad.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: That's right.
Obviously, we're watching closely in Najaf, and I'll get back to that in a second. But Sadr City was the scene of really quite dramatic fighting during the day yesterday between U.S. forces and the Mehdi militia there in this Baghdad neighborhood.
We got some video which is described by the agency that feted it as amateur video from the - obviously, from the militia side of them firing towards the American tanks. And at one point we were getting video of an American tank on fire in the streets of Sadr City yesterday. And this is something we need to pay attention to. You'll see there the American vehicle on fire appears to be a U.S. tank. We know at least one American died in Sadr City. In fact - sorry, we just confirmed at least two Americans died in Sadr - Sadr City.
Five Americans died yesterday throughout Iraq in Al-Anbar province, in Najaf, in Sadr City. This death toll just keeps going up for the Americans.
As we're watching this pictures of a tank on fire in Sadr City, we're also, of course, now hearing Iraqi ministers down in Najaf today saying, Yes, Muqtada al-Sadr said what he said yesterday, which was apparently that he'd agreed to disband and leave the mosque, but only if there was a cease-fire form the Americans, which of course he's been demanding for weeks now. The Iraqis saying, Not enough. You need to come out, you need to hold a press conference today, within hours, or we will launch a military operation. That is, the Iraqis will launch a military operation to go into the mosque.
COSTELLO: And John Vause mentioned something really interesting earlier this hour. He said that there will be a trial of some sort for Muqtada al-Sadr now.
CLINCH: Well that, of course, goes back to the issue. The - the - the offer that had been on the table for Muqtada al-Sadr - not just recently, but for quite some time now, was that if he agreed to all of these things and left and disbanded, that he would not be charged on this murder charge that exists for the killing of another imam, another mullah in Najaf.
Now, I don't know whether they're referring to that specific charge today, but certainly the Iraqi government is no longer in any mood to play it easy with Muqtada al-Sadr.
COSTELLO: And John Vause also reported that the Iraqi army has a plan.
CLINCH: They do have a plan. We reported last night - Matthew Chance, who's imbedded with the U.S. forces, also had access to this Special Forces group of the Iraqi army, which is training for this specific type of task, going into the mosque and getting al-Sadr.
But I should point out - sort of bring these two issues together, the death toll for Americans and this issue for the Iraqis - Matthew Chance and others who are with the U.S. forces expressing, saying that those American troops are expressing real frustration. They're right there at the mosque. They know they could end this immediately from a military standpoint.
But of course they can't do it because of all the sensitivities. And meanwhile, Americans are dying, getting closer everyday to that a thousand Americans dead, expected within a few weeks.
COSTELLO: David Clinch, many thanks to you.
If Iraqi troops are sent against Muqtada Mehdi Army, a special strike force could be the vanguard. We're talking a little bit about that.
CNN's Matthew Chance sat in on a training session, and he talked with some of those trainees.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): These are the shock troops of the new Iraq. We gained exclusive access to their desert training grounds to see them prepare for battle.
Here, their targets are pictures of Osama bin Laden. Soon, fighters of the Mehdi Army, holed up in shrines of Najaf, could be in their sights.
This Iraqi force is ethnically mixed -- mostly Kurds, but with Sunnis and Shiites as well, fighting together. Few would be identified on camera, too frightened, they said, their families would be attacked.
Fehemi (ph) said he'd speak only if we hid his face.
"I joined up because I believe it's right that we fight terrorists," he said.
I asked him what he felt about fighting other Iraqis. If he were ordered to do that, he said, he'd leave.
The battle for Najaf, it seems, even with these troops, could be tough.
(on camera): We're told there's no plan to attack just yet. But when there is, these men will have to be ready. Iraqi government says stakes a great deal of its credibility on ending the Najaf standoff either with Iraqi diplomacy or Iraqi troops. And these are the best they've got.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They'll only move with a adviser behind them.
CHANCE (voice-over): U.S. military advisers are training the Iraqis. We couldn't show their faces either, but they told us they're confident this is a reliable force. Its Iraqi commander insists ordinary Iraqis have confidence in them, too.
LT. COL. YARAB AL-HISHAMI, IRAQI SECURITY FORCE: See, we see Iraqis dealing with us totally in a different way, sometimes they even cooperate in very friendly ways when they see Iraqis operating on the street. And they supply with information and help and directions in a way. Because they see that, it gives them their independence.
CHANCE: But with so much at stake in Najaf: holy shrines, civilians, even the course of this war, much depends on how well this Iraqi force, however independent, will perform.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Najaf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: A potential development in the Scott Peterson trial. Could the postponement favor the defense or the prosecution? In the next hour of DAYBREAK, our legal eagle Kendall Coffey will join us for some "Coffey Talk."
And in about a five minutes: a cat cafe with a gourmet cuisine fit for a feline.
And our e-mail "Question of the Day" is about the lack of interest in Little League baseball. Not many kids are choosing to play anymore. So, "Is baseball still America's favorite past-time?" E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Owners of the NBA's Orlando Magic are donating $1 million for disaster relief for hurricane-damaged central Florida. And they're also shipping ice from Michigan - 80,000 pounds of it. The ice trucks are heading for places in Florida where Charley's victims still have no refrigeration and no relief from the heat. Many of those victims are elderly, and many absolutely refuse to leave the wreckage of their homes.
CNN's John Zarrella has more for you from Punta Gorda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Gary Paro spent the day struggling to sift through the sun-scorched remains of his mobile home. Paro has been living in his car since the storm passed. (on camera): It's got to be awful hard on you in (ph) this heat.
GARY PARO, PUNTA GORDA RESIDENT: It's not easy. Life's not easy.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): His daughter, Terry (ph), came to help him sort through what little is left. She's tried to get him to leave. He won't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's guarding his rubble.
ZARRELLA: For the elderly here in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, life after Charley has been particularly difficult. A third of Charlotte County residents are over 65. The Red Cross and other relief agencies are desperately trying to get those left homeless by the storm into shelters.
CHERIE DIEFENBACK, VOLUNTEER NURSE: If they can at least come in at night, get some sleep in an air-conditioned space, get hydrated, get some food, let us assist you. We have a lot of able-bodied young people that are just waiting to help them that will go to their homes with them.
ZARRELLA: Sonny and Stella Luninfeld (ph) did come in. They are among about 200 elderly people here at this Red Cross shelter. Stella was suffering from heat exhaustion when they got here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They told me we were going to die and, of course, that's going to build up your blood pressure and staying out in that heat until we finally came here.
ZARRELLA: Health care professionals worry that elderly people refusing to leave their homes and suffering through the heat will add to Charley's death toll. Many are running short of medications.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two hundred and seventy-five scarves, one set of dentures.
ZARRELLA: Bobbi Houseman (ph) is 72. Her husband died six years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm tired. I don't know what to do. I don't have no idea what to do next.
ZARRELLA: Houseman is like many of the elderly. Memories lay in that rubble. Bobbi's engagement ring is in there somewhere. She managed to find a box of valuables.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is what I've got. It's all I've got. I'm going to go to the clubhouse that's down here this way.
ZARRELLA: John Zarrella, CNN, Punta Gorda, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports; it is 5:47 Eastern. Here's what's all-new this morning: Senator John Corzine says he won't push to run for New Jersey governor in a special election. Some Democrats hoped that Corzine's agreeing to run would help pressure Governor James McGreevey to resign earlier than planned. But McGreevey is not budging.
In Arkansas, the search for 7-year-old Patricia Miles resumes for a fifth day this morning. In the meantime, the family friend arrested on kidnapping charges in the case will be in court today.
In money news, Google goes public today. Stock in the Internet search engine will sell for 85 bucks a share. Look for trading under the ticker symbol GOOG on the Nasdaq.
In culture, Paris Hilton's dog Tinkerbell has been found after being missing for a week. The chihuahua, decked out in puppy-sized sneakers, has made regular appearances on Hilton's (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Oh my goodness.
In sports, the incoming coach of the L.A. Lakers say he believes Karl Malone will stay in L.A. The coach met recently with the 40- year-old Malone. The mailman injured his knee in December - Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
There is a new eatery in New York where etiquette does not involve elbows on the table, but rather paws.
And as CNN's Jeanne Moos reports, you and your favorite feline can order from the very same menu.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oh waiter? There's a cat on my table.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, Calvin (ph). This is - what's the catch?
MOOS: The catch is that you open a cat cafe, but you can't force them to eat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mommy brought you all the way here and you don't want to eat?
MOOS: You'd be annoyed too if you couldn't read the menu, which featured items like fillet meow for cats, and it's counterpart, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) baguette for humans.
There were cats on the red carpet, cats in chi chi (ph) bags, and cat paraphernalia for sale all over the place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's 83 million cats in America and they have nowhere to go.
MOOS (on camera): Cats don't want to go out of the house!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, I disagree with that.
MOOS (voice-over): So the CEO of Meow Mix set up a temporary cat cafe on New York's Fifth Avenue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's the dumbest thing I've ever seen. I really do.
MOOS: Meow Mix calls it experimental. The company hopes to franchise the cafes in cities around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A nice big smile.
MOOS: Forget the smile. We want to hear Eartha Kitt growl.
EARTHA KITT, ENTERTAINER: (GROWLING)
MOOS (on camera): You never get sick of making the cat noise?
KITT: No. Everybody knows it's Eartha Kitt when they hear a (GROWLING).
MOOS: Give me a good one.
KITT: (GROWLING). It's what keeps me alive.
MOOS (voice-over): The cats all survived the cafe experience, though one kitty was injured when he poked his eye on a menu. Humans passed the time playing hairball toss.
(on camera): You know, there already is a Meow Mix.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, but that's the wrong Meow Mix. And they are in violation of my trademark. But we love those people too.
(voice-over): Those people at Meow Mix, one of New York's best- known lesbian bars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go down there and I go to the bar from time to time. I have a few drinks.
MOOS (on camera): You are a cool cat.
(voice-over): But recently the lesbian Meow Mix closed down. A bad omen perhaps for the feline Meow Mix?
KITT: (GROWLING) See. It was...
MOOS (on camera): Maybe you're too realistic.
(voice-over): From the looks of it, you might need a doggie bag at the cat cafe.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Big shame at the Olympics: Five weightlifters have failed drug tests. We just got word about this about - oh, two hours ago.
Larry Smith joins us live from Athens with more details on the dopings plus the happier highlights.
Good morning.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning, Carol. Good afternoon from Athens.
You know, yesterday we breathed a collective sigh of relief that the scandal involving those two Greek sprinters was finally over. Today, yet another drug-related scandal. As you mentioned, five weightlifters have been suspended from competition after they failed a drug test that was administered prior to the games. And none of the offenders, by the way, were from the U.S.
An Olympic first last night in gymnastics. The men's all-around competition: Paul Hamm fell into a judge's table coming off the end of his vault, but recovered to be near-perfect on the high bar and became the first American ever to win gold in the event - in the men's event that is. Hamm's winning margin of .012 points the closest in men's Olympic history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL HAMM, GYMNASTICS GOLD WINNER: I think I probably daydreamed about winning the Olympics, you know, thousands of times. And I did not ever picture myself having a mistake and then winning.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Now, the oldest world record in women's swimming -- in swimming overall, that is, fell last night exactly 17 years to the day it was set. The U.S. women's 800 freestyle relay shattered the mark by two seconds to win gold for the third time in a row.
In about 90 minutes, the U.S. men's basketball team will tip off versus Australia. Now, the Americans are 1-1 in competition. We're not going to call them the Dream Team right now. Got to win gold to get that label. They need to win at least two of the next three games to assure themselves a spot in the quarterfinals.
Later tonight, back in the pool, Michael Phelps goes for gold in the 200-meter individual medley that could be his fourth gold and sixth medal in six events in these games.
Carol, let's go back to you.
COSTELLO: Larry Smith live in Athens this morning, thanks very much.
Want to get to our e-mail "Question of the Day": "Do you think baseball is America's favorite past-time?" And we ask you about this because the Little League World Series is this weekend, and there are disturbing new numbers about the number of children joining Little League teams across the country.
In fact - let's see-within the United States, nearly 300 leagues out of more than 6,400 have folded in the past seven years. Participation has dropped about 40,000, nearly 2 percent - nearly 2 percent every year for six years.
So we were wondering if baseball is still America's past-time.
"Where have you guys been? Soccer surpassed baseball over six years ago. Have you ever heard of a baseball mom? I don't think so." That's from Jonathan (ph).
This from Shary (ph) from Pittsburgh: "My boys played baseball through college. One trend I noticed when they were growing up was not the lack of interest with the kids, but the lack of interest with the fathers. You can shoot a basketball by yourself or kick a soccer ball into a net, but you need someone to throw a baseball to."
This is from Bobby (ph) from Florida: "It's hard to say what America's favorite past-time is anymore. It's sad that Little League sports have gone the way of high-school sports. If a parent can't afford to have their child go to one of the many sports clinics given by professional sportsmen, the child stands little chance of playing at the Little League level. I feel this has gotten to be all about money."
We're going to have much on Little League baseball a little later on DAYBREAK.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 19, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Gunfire streaks across the dark and dangerous night in Najaf; Iraq's government issues another ultimatum.
It is Thursday, August 19. This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you. Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN global headquarters, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news:
A warning to Muqtada al-Sadr: the Iraqi government has told the renegade cleric his militiamen must lay down their arms immediately and leave the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf. The government wants al-Sadr to hold a news conference today to announce he is disbanding his militia.
Homeland security and FBI officials will be among the witnesses when the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on the 9/11 commission's recommendations. The hearing gets under way four and a half hours from now.
Google finally goes public today. Stock in the Internet search engine begins trading at 85 bucks a share. Google cut the price yesterday by at least $23.
A Moroccan weightlifter who failed a drug test was sent home from the Olympics today, and the Associated Press reports five more weightlifters in Athens have tested positive for drugs.
To the forecast center and Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: We have a lot to tell you about this morning in our Iraq "Situation Report." Fighting in Najaf goes on despite an agreement by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disarm his militia and leave a holy mosque. Iraqi officials say al-Sadr must publicly announce within hours that he will comply with the deal, or he will face a military strike.
There is also fresh fighting this morning in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City. U.S. forces are making a major push against al-Sadr's militia forces in the area and meeting some sporadic resistance.
And a U.S. Marine was killed in the Al-Akhbar (ph) province after a vehicle accident. Three other U.S. troops died on Wednesday, including a Marine killed in the fighting in Najaf.
And militants are threatening to kill a journalist being held hostage unless U.S. troops withdraw from Najaf. Micah Green (ph) - Micah Garen, rather, is a French-American journalist kidnapped last week while working on a documentary film.
Want to bring in our senior international editor, David Clinch, now. We're getting new pictures in this morning from Sadr City near Baghdad.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: That's right.
Obviously, we're watching closely in Najaf, and I'll get back to that in a second. But Sadr City was the scene of really quite dramatic fighting during the day yesterday between U.S. forces and the Mehdi militia there in this Baghdad neighborhood.
We got some video which is described by the agency that feted it as amateur video from the - obviously, from the militia side of them firing towards the American tanks. And at one point we were getting video of an American tank on fire in the streets of Sadr City yesterday. And this is something we need to pay attention to. You'll see there the American vehicle on fire appears to be a U.S. tank. We know at least one American died in Sadr City. In fact - sorry, we just confirmed at least two Americans died in Sadr - Sadr City.
Five Americans died yesterday throughout Iraq in Al-Anbar province, in Najaf, in Sadr City. This death toll just keeps going up for the Americans.
As we're watching this pictures of a tank on fire in Sadr City, we're also, of course, now hearing Iraqi ministers down in Najaf today saying, Yes, Muqtada al-Sadr said what he said yesterday, which was apparently that he'd agreed to disband and leave the mosque, but only if there was a cease-fire form the Americans, which of course he's been demanding for weeks now. The Iraqis saying, Not enough. You need to come out, you need to hold a press conference today, within hours, or we will launch a military operation. That is, the Iraqis will launch a military operation to go into the mosque.
COSTELLO: And John Vause mentioned something really interesting earlier this hour. He said that there will be a trial of some sort for Muqtada al-Sadr now.
CLINCH: Well that, of course, goes back to the issue. The - the - the offer that had been on the table for Muqtada al-Sadr - not just recently, but for quite some time now, was that if he agreed to all of these things and left and disbanded, that he would not be charged on this murder charge that exists for the killing of another imam, another mullah in Najaf.
Now, I don't know whether they're referring to that specific charge today, but certainly the Iraqi government is no longer in any mood to play it easy with Muqtada al-Sadr.
COSTELLO: And John Vause also reported that the Iraqi army has a plan.
CLINCH: They do have a plan. We reported last night - Matthew Chance, who's imbedded with the U.S. forces, also had access to this Special Forces group of the Iraqi army, which is training for this specific type of task, going into the mosque and getting al-Sadr.
But I should point out - sort of bring these two issues together, the death toll for Americans and this issue for the Iraqis - Matthew Chance and others who are with the U.S. forces expressing, saying that those American troops are expressing real frustration. They're right there at the mosque. They know they could end this immediately from a military standpoint.
But of course they can't do it because of all the sensitivities. And meanwhile, Americans are dying, getting closer everyday to that a thousand Americans dead, expected within a few weeks.
COSTELLO: David Clinch, many thanks to you.
If Iraqi troops are sent against Muqtada Mehdi Army, a special strike force could be the vanguard. We're talking a little bit about that.
CNN's Matthew Chance sat in on a training session, and he talked with some of those trainees.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): These are the shock troops of the new Iraq. We gained exclusive access to their desert training grounds to see them prepare for battle.
Here, their targets are pictures of Osama bin Laden. Soon, fighters of the Mehdi Army, holed up in shrines of Najaf, could be in their sights.
This Iraqi force is ethnically mixed -- mostly Kurds, but with Sunnis and Shiites as well, fighting together. Few would be identified on camera, too frightened, they said, their families would be attacked.
Fehemi (ph) said he'd speak only if we hid his face.
"I joined up because I believe it's right that we fight terrorists," he said.
I asked him what he felt about fighting other Iraqis. If he were ordered to do that, he said, he'd leave.
The battle for Najaf, it seems, even with these troops, could be tough.
(on camera): We're told there's no plan to attack just yet. But when there is, these men will have to be ready. Iraqi government says stakes a great deal of its credibility on ending the Najaf standoff either with Iraqi diplomacy or Iraqi troops. And these are the best they've got.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They'll only move with a adviser behind them.
CHANCE (voice-over): U.S. military advisers are training the Iraqis. We couldn't show their faces either, but they told us they're confident this is a reliable force. Its Iraqi commander insists ordinary Iraqis have confidence in them, too.
LT. COL. YARAB AL-HISHAMI, IRAQI SECURITY FORCE: See, we see Iraqis dealing with us totally in a different way, sometimes they even cooperate in very friendly ways when they see Iraqis operating on the street. And they supply with information and help and directions in a way. Because they see that, it gives them their independence.
CHANCE: But with so much at stake in Najaf: holy shrines, civilians, even the course of this war, much depends on how well this Iraqi force, however independent, will perform.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Najaf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: A potential development in the Scott Peterson trial. Could the postponement favor the defense or the prosecution? In the next hour of DAYBREAK, our legal eagle Kendall Coffey will join us for some "Coffey Talk."
And in about a five minutes: a cat cafe with a gourmet cuisine fit for a feline.
And our e-mail "Question of the Day" is about the lack of interest in Little League baseball. Not many kids are choosing to play anymore. So, "Is baseball still America's favorite past-time?" E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Owners of the NBA's Orlando Magic are donating $1 million for disaster relief for hurricane-damaged central Florida. And they're also shipping ice from Michigan - 80,000 pounds of it. The ice trucks are heading for places in Florida where Charley's victims still have no refrigeration and no relief from the heat. Many of those victims are elderly, and many absolutely refuse to leave the wreckage of their homes.
CNN's John Zarrella has more for you from Punta Gorda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Gary Paro spent the day struggling to sift through the sun-scorched remains of his mobile home. Paro has been living in his car since the storm passed. (on camera): It's got to be awful hard on you in (ph) this heat.
GARY PARO, PUNTA GORDA RESIDENT: It's not easy. Life's not easy.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): His daughter, Terry (ph), came to help him sort through what little is left. She's tried to get him to leave. He won't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's guarding his rubble.
ZARRELLA: For the elderly here in Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, life after Charley has been particularly difficult. A third of Charlotte County residents are over 65. The Red Cross and other relief agencies are desperately trying to get those left homeless by the storm into shelters.
CHERIE DIEFENBACK, VOLUNTEER NURSE: If they can at least come in at night, get some sleep in an air-conditioned space, get hydrated, get some food, let us assist you. We have a lot of able-bodied young people that are just waiting to help them that will go to their homes with them.
ZARRELLA: Sonny and Stella Luninfeld (ph) did come in. They are among about 200 elderly people here at this Red Cross shelter. Stella was suffering from heat exhaustion when they got here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They told me we were going to die and, of course, that's going to build up your blood pressure and staying out in that heat until we finally came here.
ZARRELLA: Health care professionals worry that elderly people refusing to leave their homes and suffering through the heat will add to Charley's death toll. Many are running short of medications.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two hundred and seventy-five scarves, one set of dentures.
ZARRELLA: Bobbi Houseman (ph) is 72. Her husband died six years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm tired. I don't know what to do. I don't have no idea what to do next.
ZARRELLA: Houseman is like many of the elderly. Memories lay in that rubble. Bobbi's engagement ring is in there somewhere. She managed to find a box of valuables.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is what I've got. It's all I've got. I'm going to go to the clubhouse that's down here this way.
ZARRELLA: John Zarrella, CNN, Punta Gorda, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports; it is 5:47 Eastern. Here's what's all-new this morning: Senator John Corzine says he won't push to run for New Jersey governor in a special election. Some Democrats hoped that Corzine's agreeing to run would help pressure Governor James McGreevey to resign earlier than planned. But McGreevey is not budging.
In Arkansas, the search for 7-year-old Patricia Miles resumes for a fifth day this morning. In the meantime, the family friend arrested on kidnapping charges in the case will be in court today.
In money news, Google goes public today. Stock in the Internet search engine will sell for 85 bucks a share. Look for trading under the ticker symbol GOOG on the Nasdaq.
In culture, Paris Hilton's dog Tinkerbell has been found after being missing for a week. The chihuahua, decked out in puppy-sized sneakers, has made regular appearances on Hilton's (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Oh my goodness.
In sports, the incoming coach of the L.A. Lakers say he believes Karl Malone will stay in L.A. The coach met recently with the 40- year-old Malone. The mailman injured his knee in December - Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
There is a new eatery in New York where etiquette does not involve elbows on the table, but rather paws.
And as CNN's Jeanne Moos reports, you and your favorite feline can order from the very same menu.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oh waiter? There's a cat on my table.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, Calvin (ph). This is - what's the catch?
MOOS: The catch is that you open a cat cafe, but you can't force them to eat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mommy brought you all the way here and you don't want to eat?
MOOS: You'd be annoyed too if you couldn't read the menu, which featured items like fillet meow for cats, and it's counterpart, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) baguette for humans.
There were cats on the red carpet, cats in chi chi (ph) bags, and cat paraphernalia for sale all over the place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's 83 million cats in America and they have nowhere to go.
MOOS (on camera): Cats don't want to go out of the house!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, I disagree with that.
MOOS (voice-over): So the CEO of Meow Mix set up a temporary cat cafe on New York's Fifth Avenue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's the dumbest thing I've ever seen. I really do.
MOOS: Meow Mix calls it experimental. The company hopes to franchise the cafes in cities around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A nice big smile.
MOOS: Forget the smile. We want to hear Eartha Kitt growl.
EARTHA KITT, ENTERTAINER: (GROWLING)
MOOS (on camera): You never get sick of making the cat noise?
KITT: No. Everybody knows it's Eartha Kitt when they hear a (GROWLING).
MOOS: Give me a good one.
KITT: (GROWLING). It's what keeps me alive.
MOOS (voice-over): The cats all survived the cafe experience, though one kitty was injured when he poked his eye on a menu. Humans passed the time playing hairball toss.
(on camera): You know, there already is a Meow Mix.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, but that's the wrong Meow Mix. And they are in violation of my trademark. But we love those people too.
(voice-over): Those people at Meow Mix, one of New York's best- known lesbian bars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go down there and I go to the bar from time to time. I have a few drinks.
MOOS (on camera): You are a cool cat.
(voice-over): But recently the lesbian Meow Mix closed down. A bad omen perhaps for the feline Meow Mix?
KITT: (GROWLING) See. It was...
MOOS (on camera): Maybe you're too realistic.
(voice-over): From the looks of it, you might need a doggie bag at the cat cafe.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Big shame at the Olympics: Five weightlifters have failed drug tests. We just got word about this about - oh, two hours ago.
Larry Smith joins us live from Athens with more details on the dopings plus the happier highlights.
Good morning.
LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning, Carol. Good afternoon from Athens.
You know, yesterday we breathed a collective sigh of relief that the scandal involving those two Greek sprinters was finally over. Today, yet another drug-related scandal. As you mentioned, five weightlifters have been suspended from competition after they failed a drug test that was administered prior to the games. And none of the offenders, by the way, were from the U.S.
An Olympic first last night in gymnastics. The men's all-around competition: Paul Hamm fell into a judge's table coming off the end of his vault, but recovered to be near-perfect on the high bar and became the first American ever to win gold in the event - in the men's event that is. Hamm's winning margin of .012 points the closest in men's Olympic history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL HAMM, GYMNASTICS GOLD WINNER: I think I probably daydreamed about winning the Olympics, you know, thousands of times. And I did not ever picture myself having a mistake and then winning.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Now, the oldest world record in women's swimming -- in swimming overall, that is, fell last night exactly 17 years to the day it was set. The U.S. women's 800 freestyle relay shattered the mark by two seconds to win gold for the third time in a row.
In about 90 minutes, the U.S. men's basketball team will tip off versus Australia. Now, the Americans are 1-1 in competition. We're not going to call them the Dream Team right now. Got to win gold to get that label. They need to win at least two of the next three games to assure themselves a spot in the quarterfinals.
Later tonight, back in the pool, Michael Phelps goes for gold in the 200-meter individual medley that could be his fourth gold and sixth medal in six events in these games.
Carol, let's go back to you.
COSTELLO: Larry Smith live in Athens this morning, thanks very much.
Want to get to our e-mail "Question of the Day": "Do you think baseball is America's favorite past-time?" And we ask you about this because the Little League World Series is this weekend, and there are disturbing new numbers about the number of children joining Little League teams across the country.
In fact - let's see-within the United States, nearly 300 leagues out of more than 6,400 have folded in the past seven years. Participation has dropped about 40,000, nearly 2 percent - nearly 2 percent every year for six years.
So we were wondering if baseball is still America's past-time.
"Where have you guys been? Soccer surpassed baseball over six years ago. Have you ever heard of a baseball mom? I don't think so." That's from Jonathan (ph).
This from Shary (ph) from Pittsburgh: "My boys played baseball through college. One trend I noticed when they were growing up was not the lack of interest with the kids, but the lack of interest with the fathers. You can shoot a basketball by yourself or kick a soccer ball into a net, but you need someone to throw a baseball to."
This is from Bobby (ph) from Florida: "It's hard to say what America's favorite past-time is anymore. It's sad that Little League sports have gone the way of high-school sports. If a parent can't afford to have their child go to one of the many sports clinics given by professional sportsmen, the child stands little chance of playing at the Little League level. I feel this has gotten to be all about money."
We're going to have much on Little League baseball a little later on DAYBREAK.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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