Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Attacks on Peace March into Najaf; Abu Ghraib Prison Abuse Reports
Aired August 26, 2004 - 06:00 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: A deadly and possibly crucial day in Iraq. Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani is leading a convoy to Najaf. In the meantime, protesters walking to that city are targeted by snipers and dozens of worshipers in a nearby mosque are killed and wounded in mortar attacks. What a day.
CNN producer Kianne Sadeq is on the scene in Kufa and she joins us now -- Kianne, what's the situation now?
KIANNE SADEQ, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Carol, right now, as a matter of fact, we have left the area of the demonstration. The protesters continue to stay in the streets over there and saying, claiming that they will not leave until they get a word from the Grand Ayatollah al- Sistani.
They began this morning gathered in the Kufa mosque, where there was a mortar attack inside the mosque and outside the mosque. And then two mortars inside the mosque, one mortar outside the mosque. At least 25 people killed and 60 wounded.
The demonstrators continued to march as they attempted to march from Kufa to Najaf. Thousands of them were there from cities all over Iraq and they were stopped by sniper fire.
At this time, they continue to stand on the sides of the roads, saying that they will not turn back unless they are specifically told by the Grand Ayatollah.
At this time, Carol, they continue to sit around the roads waiting for word on what to do.
COSTELLO: Yes, al-Sistani is in a car somewhere. He left from Basra about six hours ago, so he won't be there for quite some time.
Do we know who was opening fire on these people?
SADEQ: No, well, Carol, I don't know who was opening fire on them. We have no confirmation of who it exactly was. The fire was coming from nearby buildings along that street, along that road that they were marching on. The people in the streets all mutually believe that it was the Iraqi National Guard. They showed me some bullets, some of the sniper bullets, claiming that those were Iraqi sniper bullets and not American ones, and those belonged to the Iraqi National Guard.
They complained this is the democracy that we have, this is what they call a democracy. And they, so they -- generally, the people over there were blaming the Iraqi forces for this. We still have no confirmation of who it was. All I know to tell us was that it was coming from the buildings along that road -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Kianne Sadeq, joining us live from Kufa.
And just so you know, Kufa is a suburb of Najaf, so it's not very far away. And literally thousands of people are coming from everywhere to march into Najaf to try to drive those holed up in the holy shrine there loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr.
Turning now to the latest on the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal -- a military report on Abu Ghraib Prison has found more than 40 incidents of abuse, some of it amounting to torture. Investigators also say military intelligence officials could be linked to the abuse.
Here's CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fifty- three people who worked at Abu Ghraib either participated in the violent sexual abuse that took place, knew about and didn't report it or failed to command their troops.
The Fay/Jones investigation of the intelligence operations at the prison emphasized that Abu Ghraib was understaffed, interrogation policies were confused and it wasn't clear who was in charge. In some cases there was torture but investigators stopped short of holding the top commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, directly accountable for the prison scandal.
GEN. PAUL KERN, U.S. ARMY: We did not find General Sanchez culpable but we found him responsible for the things that did or did not happen.
STARR: There was limited cooperation from the CIA on eight ghost detainees, Iraqis secretly held at the U.S. military prison by the agency.
MAJ. GEN. GEORGE FAY, U.S. ARMY: They made it very clear to me that they're going to conduct their own thorough, detailed investigation.
STARR: The report found the commander of the intelligence brigade at Abu Ghraib, Colonel Thomas Pappas, failed to make sure his troops were fully trained, improperly authorized the use of dogs during interrogations and failed to make sure dogs were muzzled, the use of military dogs at the prison horrific in the words of General Kern.
KERN: MP dog handlers were subjecting two adolescents to terror from the dogs for the purposes of playing a game between the two dog teams to see how poorly they could get these kids to behave and that specifically to see if they could get their bowel movements and their urination to work. STARR (on camera): It will now be up to Army criminal investigators to pursue many of these cases.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: In other news across America this morning, prosecutors in the Kobe Bryant case charge that DNA evidence has been manipulated or contaminated. The judge holds a hearing on that seven hours from now. The DNA samples were taken from the woman accusing Bryant of rape.
More audiotapes are played in the murder trial of Scott Peterson. The prosecution is claiming the police wiretaps show Peterson lied to his family and friends about the disappearance of his wife Laci.
Developments in the beach killings north of San Francisco. A drifter from Wisconsin has been questioned, cleared and released by police. And a $10,000 reward is now being offered for information on who might have shot to death two camp counselors a week ago.
A federal judge in Miami has thrown out a lawsuit involving Elian Gonzalez. You remember him. He's the Cuban boy who was at the center of a huge international custody fight four years ago. The suit charged that federal agents used excessive force when they seized the boy from the home of relatives. The judge says she could find no constitutional violations.
G.M. decides to pull what some call a controversial ad. We'll explain next what happens in the ad that had some consumer groups a wee bit upset.
And at 23 minutes after, a big spill for one of the U.S. Olympic team captains. A live report from Athens on what went wrong.
Plus, finding the perfect career -- at about 15 minutes after, some tips from an expert on where to look for the hot jobs.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Wall Street will open in positive territory this morning. A drop in oil prices fueled that rally.
The Dow up 83 points.
The Nasdaq up 24.
S&P 500 up about 8 1/2 points.
Time for a little business buzz now.
General Motors pulls a Corvette ad directed by Madonna's husband, Guy Ritchie. Why, you ask?
Well, Carrie Lee has the answer, live from the Nasdaq market site -- good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, seven auto industry groups complained about this ad, which depicts a young boy driving a Corvette wildly and recklessly through city streets, driving through a construction site, things like that. The ad features the "Rolling Stones'" song, "Jumpin' Jack Flash." It aired repeatedly during the Olympics, but these seven auto groups didn't like the idea. They sent a letter on Tuesday to G.M. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner protesting the television spot.
Now, in the ad, it does include a warning that drivers should operate the vehicle safely and must have a license. General Motors says that they never intended to depict a real life situation, but they pulled the ad anyway. I wish we had a video of it, Carol, because obviously the picture is worth a thousand words, but that is the latest from G.M.
Quickly, I want to tell you about Starbucks. Reporting same store sales for August that showed the slowest growth in 14 months. And that stock was down almost 4 percent last night, so certainly a stock to watch today.
Futures overall looking a bit weak for this Thursday session -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.
Thank you.
Here is our e-mail "Question of the Morning": What do you feel is most important in your job -- medical benefits, company perks, long-term investing, as in a 401(k)? What makes a job attractive to you? We're going to talk more about this later in the hour, but we want your opinions now. Send them to us at daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 6:12 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Snipers opened fire on Iraqis making their way from Kufa to the city of Najaf. Several of the marchers were wounded. This comes hours after a mortar attack on a mosque in Kufa left more than two dozen people dead.
Flight data recorders from two downed Russian airliners are being examined now in Moscow. Russian officials say preliminary investigations of the two nearly simultaneous crashes do not suggest a terror attack. But that hasn't been ruled out, either. In money news, oil prices down. Crude oil opens today below $44. But all that could change given reports about multiple attacks on oil pipelines in southern Iraq. That happened late yesterday. Fears over supply disruptions could drive prices higher when trading opens today.
In culture, Donald Trump's runner-up apprentice is poised to take over as a full fledged real estate mogul. Kwame Jackson is the driving force behind a $3.8 billion development deal in Maryland.
And in sports, Olympian Marion Jones qualifies for today's long jump in her second attempt. Jones also gets an unexpected shot at a second medal, after being named to the women's 400-meter relay team -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There you go.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
Are you a bit tired this morning because legal problems kept you awake last night? Oh, we hope not. But if you live near Santa Monica, California, you can get a jolt of caffeine to get you through the day while you get some legal advice. Wouldn't that be nice?
Details now from Jen Rogers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite appearances, this is not your typical coffee shop. Legal Grind is the brainchild of lawyer Jeffrey Hughes, a business that brings lattes and legal advice together, helping average people navigate the justice system.
JEFFREY HUGHES, PRESIDENT, LEGAL GRIND: Legal services are available to low income folk and wealthy people have access to their own attorneys. They have too many attorneys. So, the middle class kind of gets left behind.
ROGERS: At Legal Grind, a few bucks will get you coffee and a bagel, but $25 up front will get you 15 minutes with a lawyer who can answer questions on everything from bankruptcy matters to landlord- tenant issues to drunk driving violations.
While Attorney Mark Palmer finds less than 5 percent of his clients from these quick meetings, he believes it's time well spent.
MARK PALMER, LAWYER: A lot of them remember me down the road, either for their own sake or then they have a friend or a relative who needs an attorney, they say oh, I met this guy, he was very helpful, he was nice.
ROGERS: Building relationships not only helps Palmer's business, but Legal Grind's, as well. The coffee shop earns up to 33 percent of an attorney's billing if an initial session results in the lawyer being returned. Legal Grind also makes money off its menu of document services. Looking to change your name? The paperwork will run you $200.
Last year, revenue at this Santa Monica, California cafe totaled $135,000, with more than $50,000 coming from legal services.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was at my wit's end. I had made a lot of phone calls around, trying to find out who could help me. I'm on a budget right now. And I happened to stumble upon, you know, here, this place. And it's a god send.
ROGERS: Hughes has already opened a second cafe and is hoping to franchise the format nationwide. But different state regulations on for profit legal referrals and fee sharing may slow growth, even if demand is high for both coffee and counsel.
Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The Candidates, The Issues -- DAYBREAK'S special week long series continues. Just ahead, where President Bush and Senator Kerry stand on an issue that affects all of us -- taxes.
You'll want to stick around for that, in about 10 minutes.
And straight ahead, track star Marion Jones is back. Details on her debut in Athens, right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you live in New Jersey, we thought we'd give you fair warning. These are live pictures of Interstate 80 in Roxbury Township. Two tractor trailers crashed this morning. Only two lanes are open eastbound. Now, you can see that one of those tractor trailers is on fire off the road there. Firefighters are working on that. But as I said, no injuries reported here and that is the good news. But a traffic nightmare nonetheless.
Let's head to Athens now. Team USA is focusing on the track today. Marion Jones gets her first shot at gold, while the American team captain says all she can do now is cheer.
Larry Smith is live in Athens with the latest -- good morning.
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, good morning, Carol.
And Marion Jones someone we haven't talked about in this 28th Olympiad, but we have talked about quite a much -- quite a bit, I should say, this year, the subject of some speculation in connection with the BALCO investigation ongoing with the designer steroids that they have been in process.
But she is still a hero worldwide and what a moment for her last night, as she made her first appearance in these games, competing in the long jump and qualifying for tonight's finals. Marion Jones, she scratched on her first jump. Her second jump was good enough and she called it a night. So, she will run tonight. Also, she will run, we understand, in the 400-meter relay team. She has been added to that list, so a chance possibly for two medals after winning five medals at the Sydney games four years ago.
How about the 100-meter hurdles? Last night, watch this video, Allen Johnson of the U.S., he won gold back in 1996 and he is a world champion. Several false starts to finally get this one going. Johnson stumbling, ended up diving through his tenth hurdle. He is out. He said later, "These things happen." But he does plan to come back. He's age 31 now. He hopes to be in Beijing in 2008. What a moment there.
USA hoops, what a moment for them here in about an hour. They take on Spain in a quarter final game. The men's basketball team, ever since NBA players began taking part in 1992, they've been known as the dream team, running through everybody. But if they lose today versus Spain, for the first time ever the USA men's basketball team will fail to earn a medal in the Olympics. Spain, by the way, went unbeaten in the preliminary round. The USA went 3 and 2, playing maybe their best two games in their last two games, which they lost one and won one.
And tonight, 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, 9:00 p.m. here in Athens, it is the USA women's soccer team in the gold medal match versus Brazil. What a story with these ladies. They beat number one ranked Germany in the semifinals to avenge a loss in last year's World Cup semifinals to get to this match. They are trying to win their third medal in a row. They won gold in '96, silver in 2000 and trying for gold tonight versus Brazil. We wish them well.
That's the story for now from Athens -- Carol, let's go back to you.
COSTELLO: You know, Larry, we talk a lot about the men's basketball team, but the women's basketball team, they're cleaning up.
SMITH: Yes, they're looking really good. They've won 23 games in a row now in Olympic competition. They beat Greece by 30 yesterday. So, they will play tomorrow in the semifinals versus Russia.
No women's basketball team has ever won three golds in a row. The USA could do that if they get two more wins.
COSTELLO: Well, good for them.
Larry Smith live in Athens this morning.
Thank you.
The headlines coming your way in two minutes.
But first, this is DAYBREAK for a Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Attacks outside of a mosque this morning and on the peace convoy. Iraqi peace efforts under fire this Thursday morning, August 26.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news, Iraq's Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani on his way to Najaf by convoy from Basra. He is expected to arrive in Najaf just about five hours from now. Al-Sistani hopes to restore peace to Najaf and the provincial governor has now called for a truce to begin when the Grand Ayatollah arrives.
But it was a bloody morning in the Iraqi town of Kufa. A mortar attack on a mosque in the Najaf suburb kills 25 peace demonstrators and wounds 60. It is unclear right now who fired those mortar rounds.
Today's hearing in the Guantanamo Bay military tribunals is for a Yemeni man accused of being a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden. Yesterday, Australian David Hicks, accused of fighting for the Taliban, plead not guilty to conspiracy charges.
A typhoon has hit mainland China, where nearly a million people had been evacuated from low lying coastal areas. The typhoon leaves 34 dead in its wake, 15 of them in the landslide in Taiwan -- Chad.
MYERS: We showed you that yesterday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: At least 25 people were killed this morning in an attack on a mosque in the Iraqi town of Kufa, a suburb of Najaf. They're about six miles apart. That attack comes as Iraq's Grand Ayatollah travels to Najaf by convoy, hoping to restore peace to that embattled city.
CNN's Diana Muriel live in Baghdad.
And we understand the Iraqi prime minister just issued a cease- fire for all of Iraq to begin, what, in about a half hour from now?
DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol.
The interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, has just made a statement saying that there will be a halt to all military operations starting in just half an hour's time. This will last for 24 hours in confirmation "of our peaceful principals."
This follows an announcement by the governor of Najaf, Adnan al- Zurufi, earlier today, who said that there would be a 24 hour cease- fire or truce in the Najaf area when the Grand Ayatollah Ali al- Sistani arrives there later tonight, expected to be at 7:00 in the evening local time.
He also said that the Iraqi forces there would secure safe passage for discussions, negotiations between those loyal to al- Sistani and those loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, this junior renegade cleric whose Mehdi fighters have been holed up in the shrine of Imam Ali these past few weeks, the scene of intense fighting between U.S. forces and Iraqi forces and the Mehdi Militia.
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 26, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A deadly and possibly crucial day in Iraq. Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani is leading a convoy to Najaf. In the meantime, protesters walking to that city are targeted by snipers and dozens of worshipers in a nearby mosque are killed and wounded in mortar attacks. What a day.
CNN producer Kianne Sadeq is on the scene in Kufa and she joins us now -- Kianne, what's the situation now?
KIANNE SADEQ, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Carol, right now, as a matter of fact, we have left the area of the demonstration. The protesters continue to stay in the streets over there and saying, claiming that they will not leave until they get a word from the Grand Ayatollah al- Sistani.
They began this morning gathered in the Kufa mosque, where there was a mortar attack inside the mosque and outside the mosque. And then two mortars inside the mosque, one mortar outside the mosque. At least 25 people killed and 60 wounded.
The demonstrators continued to march as they attempted to march from Kufa to Najaf. Thousands of them were there from cities all over Iraq and they were stopped by sniper fire.
At this time, they continue to stand on the sides of the roads, saying that they will not turn back unless they are specifically told by the Grand Ayatollah.
At this time, Carol, they continue to sit around the roads waiting for word on what to do.
COSTELLO: Yes, al-Sistani is in a car somewhere. He left from Basra about six hours ago, so he won't be there for quite some time.
Do we know who was opening fire on these people?
SADEQ: No, well, Carol, I don't know who was opening fire on them. We have no confirmation of who it exactly was. The fire was coming from nearby buildings along that street, along that road that they were marching on. The people in the streets all mutually believe that it was the Iraqi National Guard. They showed me some bullets, some of the sniper bullets, claiming that those were Iraqi sniper bullets and not American ones, and those belonged to the Iraqi National Guard.
They complained this is the democracy that we have, this is what they call a democracy. And they, so they -- generally, the people over there were blaming the Iraqi forces for this. We still have no confirmation of who it was. All I know to tell us was that it was coming from the buildings along that road -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Kianne Sadeq, joining us live from Kufa.
And just so you know, Kufa is a suburb of Najaf, so it's not very far away. And literally thousands of people are coming from everywhere to march into Najaf to try to drive those holed up in the holy shrine there loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr.
Turning now to the latest on the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal -- a military report on Abu Ghraib Prison has found more than 40 incidents of abuse, some of it amounting to torture. Investigators also say military intelligence officials could be linked to the abuse.
Here's CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fifty- three people who worked at Abu Ghraib either participated in the violent sexual abuse that took place, knew about and didn't report it or failed to command their troops.
The Fay/Jones investigation of the intelligence operations at the prison emphasized that Abu Ghraib was understaffed, interrogation policies were confused and it wasn't clear who was in charge. In some cases there was torture but investigators stopped short of holding the top commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, directly accountable for the prison scandal.
GEN. PAUL KERN, U.S. ARMY: We did not find General Sanchez culpable but we found him responsible for the things that did or did not happen.
STARR: There was limited cooperation from the CIA on eight ghost detainees, Iraqis secretly held at the U.S. military prison by the agency.
MAJ. GEN. GEORGE FAY, U.S. ARMY: They made it very clear to me that they're going to conduct their own thorough, detailed investigation.
STARR: The report found the commander of the intelligence brigade at Abu Ghraib, Colonel Thomas Pappas, failed to make sure his troops were fully trained, improperly authorized the use of dogs during interrogations and failed to make sure dogs were muzzled, the use of military dogs at the prison horrific in the words of General Kern.
KERN: MP dog handlers were subjecting two adolescents to terror from the dogs for the purposes of playing a game between the two dog teams to see how poorly they could get these kids to behave and that specifically to see if they could get their bowel movements and their urination to work. STARR (on camera): It will now be up to Army criminal investigators to pursue many of these cases.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: In other news across America this morning, prosecutors in the Kobe Bryant case charge that DNA evidence has been manipulated or contaminated. The judge holds a hearing on that seven hours from now. The DNA samples were taken from the woman accusing Bryant of rape.
More audiotapes are played in the murder trial of Scott Peterson. The prosecution is claiming the police wiretaps show Peterson lied to his family and friends about the disappearance of his wife Laci.
Developments in the beach killings north of San Francisco. A drifter from Wisconsin has been questioned, cleared and released by police. And a $10,000 reward is now being offered for information on who might have shot to death two camp counselors a week ago.
A federal judge in Miami has thrown out a lawsuit involving Elian Gonzalez. You remember him. He's the Cuban boy who was at the center of a huge international custody fight four years ago. The suit charged that federal agents used excessive force when they seized the boy from the home of relatives. The judge says she could find no constitutional violations.
G.M. decides to pull what some call a controversial ad. We'll explain next what happens in the ad that had some consumer groups a wee bit upset.
And at 23 minutes after, a big spill for one of the U.S. Olympic team captains. A live report from Athens on what went wrong.
Plus, finding the perfect career -- at about 15 minutes after, some tips from an expert on where to look for the hot jobs.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Wall Street will open in positive territory this morning. A drop in oil prices fueled that rally.
The Dow up 83 points.
The Nasdaq up 24.
S&P 500 up about 8 1/2 points.
Time for a little business buzz now.
General Motors pulls a Corvette ad directed by Madonna's husband, Guy Ritchie. Why, you ask?
Well, Carrie Lee has the answer, live from the Nasdaq market site -- good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Well, seven auto industry groups complained about this ad, which depicts a young boy driving a Corvette wildly and recklessly through city streets, driving through a construction site, things like that. The ad features the "Rolling Stones'" song, "Jumpin' Jack Flash." It aired repeatedly during the Olympics, but these seven auto groups didn't like the idea. They sent a letter on Tuesday to G.M. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner protesting the television spot.
Now, in the ad, it does include a warning that drivers should operate the vehicle safely and must have a license. General Motors says that they never intended to depict a real life situation, but they pulled the ad anyway. I wish we had a video of it, Carol, because obviously the picture is worth a thousand words, but that is the latest from G.M.
Quickly, I want to tell you about Starbucks. Reporting same store sales for August that showed the slowest growth in 14 months. And that stock was down almost 4 percent last night, so certainly a stock to watch today.
Futures overall looking a bit weak for this Thursday session -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ market site.
Thank you.
Here is our e-mail "Question of the Morning": What do you feel is most important in your job -- medical benefits, company perks, long-term investing, as in a 401(k)? What makes a job attractive to you? We're going to talk more about this later in the hour, but we want your opinions now. Send them to us at daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 6:12 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Snipers opened fire on Iraqis making their way from Kufa to the city of Najaf. Several of the marchers were wounded. This comes hours after a mortar attack on a mosque in Kufa left more than two dozen people dead.
Flight data recorders from two downed Russian airliners are being examined now in Moscow. Russian officials say preliminary investigations of the two nearly simultaneous crashes do not suggest a terror attack. But that hasn't been ruled out, either. In money news, oil prices down. Crude oil opens today below $44. But all that could change given reports about multiple attacks on oil pipelines in southern Iraq. That happened late yesterday. Fears over supply disruptions could drive prices higher when trading opens today.
In culture, Donald Trump's runner-up apprentice is poised to take over as a full fledged real estate mogul. Kwame Jackson is the driving force behind a $3.8 billion development deal in Maryland.
And in sports, Olympian Marion Jones qualifies for today's long jump in her second attempt. Jones also gets an unexpected shot at a second medal, after being named to the women's 400-meter relay team -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There you go.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you.
Are you a bit tired this morning because legal problems kept you awake last night? Oh, we hope not. But if you live near Santa Monica, California, you can get a jolt of caffeine to get you through the day while you get some legal advice. Wouldn't that be nice?
Details now from Jen Rogers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite appearances, this is not your typical coffee shop. Legal Grind is the brainchild of lawyer Jeffrey Hughes, a business that brings lattes and legal advice together, helping average people navigate the justice system.
JEFFREY HUGHES, PRESIDENT, LEGAL GRIND: Legal services are available to low income folk and wealthy people have access to their own attorneys. They have too many attorneys. So, the middle class kind of gets left behind.
ROGERS: At Legal Grind, a few bucks will get you coffee and a bagel, but $25 up front will get you 15 minutes with a lawyer who can answer questions on everything from bankruptcy matters to landlord- tenant issues to drunk driving violations.
While Attorney Mark Palmer finds less than 5 percent of his clients from these quick meetings, he believes it's time well spent.
MARK PALMER, LAWYER: A lot of them remember me down the road, either for their own sake or then they have a friend or a relative who needs an attorney, they say oh, I met this guy, he was very helpful, he was nice.
ROGERS: Building relationships not only helps Palmer's business, but Legal Grind's, as well. The coffee shop earns up to 33 percent of an attorney's billing if an initial session results in the lawyer being returned. Legal Grind also makes money off its menu of document services. Looking to change your name? The paperwork will run you $200.
Last year, revenue at this Santa Monica, California cafe totaled $135,000, with more than $50,000 coming from legal services.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was at my wit's end. I had made a lot of phone calls around, trying to find out who could help me. I'm on a budget right now. And I happened to stumble upon, you know, here, this place. And it's a god send.
ROGERS: Hughes has already opened a second cafe and is hoping to franchise the format nationwide. But different state regulations on for profit legal referrals and fee sharing may slow growth, even if demand is high for both coffee and counsel.
Jen Rogers, CNN Financial News, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The Candidates, The Issues -- DAYBREAK'S special week long series continues. Just ahead, where President Bush and Senator Kerry stand on an issue that affects all of us -- taxes.
You'll want to stick around for that, in about 10 minutes.
And straight ahead, track star Marion Jones is back. Details on her debut in Athens, right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you live in New Jersey, we thought we'd give you fair warning. These are live pictures of Interstate 80 in Roxbury Township. Two tractor trailers crashed this morning. Only two lanes are open eastbound. Now, you can see that one of those tractor trailers is on fire off the road there. Firefighters are working on that. But as I said, no injuries reported here and that is the good news. But a traffic nightmare nonetheless.
Let's head to Athens now. Team USA is focusing on the track today. Marion Jones gets her first shot at gold, while the American team captain says all she can do now is cheer.
Larry Smith is live in Athens with the latest -- good morning.
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, good morning, Carol.
And Marion Jones someone we haven't talked about in this 28th Olympiad, but we have talked about quite a much -- quite a bit, I should say, this year, the subject of some speculation in connection with the BALCO investigation ongoing with the designer steroids that they have been in process.
But she is still a hero worldwide and what a moment for her last night, as she made her first appearance in these games, competing in the long jump and qualifying for tonight's finals. Marion Jones, she scratched on her first jump. Her second jump was good enough and she called it a night. So, she will run tonight. Also, she will run, we understand, in the 400-meter relay team. She has been added to that list, so a chance possibly for two medals after winning five medals at the Sydney games four years ago.
How about the 100-meter hurdles? Last night, watch this video, Allen Johnson of the U.S., he won gold back in 1996 and he is a world champion. Several false starts to finally get this one going. Johnson stumbling, ended up diving through his tenth hurdle. He is out. He said later, "These things happen." But he does plan to come back. He's age 31 now. He hopes to be in Beijing in 2008. What a moment there.
USA hoops, what a moment for them here in about an hour. They take on Spain in a quarter final game. The men's basketball team, ever since NBA players began taking part in 1992, they've been known as the dream team, running through everybody. But if they lose today versus Spain, for the first time ever the USA men's basketball team will fail to earn a medal in the Olympics. Spain, by the way, went unbeaten in the preliminary round. The USA went 3 and 2, playing maybe their best two games in their last two games, which they lost one and won one.
And tonight, 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, 9:00 p.m. here in Athens, it is the USA women's soccer team in the gold medal match versus Brazil. What a story with these ladies. They beat number one ranked Germany in the semifinals to avenge a loss in last year's World Cup semifinals to get to this match. They are trying to win their third medal in a row. They won gold in '96, silver in 2000 and trying for gold tonight versus Brazil. We wish them well.
That's the story for now from Athens -- Carol, let's go back to you.
COSTELLO: You know, Larry, we talk a lot about the men's basketball team, but the women's basketball team, they're cleaning up.
SMITH: Yes, they're looking really good. They've won 23 games in a row now in Olympic competition. They beat Greece by 30 yesterday. So, they will play tomorrow in the semifinals versus Russia.
No women's basketball team has ever won three golds in a row. The USA could do that if they get two more wins.
COSTELLO: Well, good for them.
Larry Smith live in Athens this morning.
Thank you.
The headlines coming your way in two minutes.
But first, this is DAYBREAK for a Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Attacks outside of a mosque this morning and on the peace convoy. Iraqi peace efforts under fire this Thursday morning, August 26.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news, Iraq's Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani on his way to Najaf by convoy from Basra. He is expected to arrive in Najaf just about five hours from now. Al-Sistani hopes to restore peace to Najaf and the provincial governor has now called for a truce to begin when the Grand Ayatollah arrives.
But it was a bloody morning in the Iraqi town of Kufa. A mortar attack on a mosque in the Najaf suburb kills 25 peace demonstrators and wounds 60. It is unclear right now who fired those mortar rounds.
Today's hearing in the Guantanamo Bay military tribunals is for a Yemeni man accused of being a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden. Yesterday, Australian David Hicks, accused of fighting for the Taliban, plead not guilty to conspiracy charges.
A typhoon has hit mainland China, where nearly a million people had been evacuated from low lying coastal areas. The typhoon leaves 34 dead in its wake, 15 of them in the landslide in Taiwan -- Chad.
MYERS: We showed you that yesterday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: At least 25 people were killed this morning in an attack on a mosque in the Iraqi town of Kufa, a suburb of Najaf. They're about six miles apart. That attack comes as Iraq's Grand Ayatollah travels to Najaf by convoy, hoping to restore peace to that embattled city.
CNN's Diana Muriel live in Baghdad.
And we understand the Iraqi prime minister just issued a cease- fire for all of Iraq to begin, what, in about a half hour from now?
DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol.
The interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, has just made a statement saying that there will be a halt to all military operations starting in just half an hour's time. This will last for 24 hours in confirmation "of our peaceful principals."
This follows an announcement by the governor of Najaf, Adnan al- Zurufi, earlier today, who said that there would be a 24 hour cease- fire or truce in the Najaf area when the Grand Ayatollah Ali al- Sistani arrives there later tonight, expected to be at 7:00 in the evening local time.
He also said that the Iraqi forces there would secure safe passage for discussions, negotiations between those loyal to al- Sistani and those loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, this junior renegade cleric whose Mehdi fighters have been holed up in the shrine of Imam Ali these past few weeks, the scene of intense fighting between U.S. forces and Iraqi forces and the Mehdi Militia.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
