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CNN Live At Daybreak

Iraq Hostage Crisis; Afghanistan Now; Weekend Movies

Aired September 24, 2004 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news.

In just a couple of hours, Yusuf Islam, the singer once known as Cat Stevens, will hold a news conference in London. He's expected to discuss his experience on that United Airlines flight that was diverted to Maine. Authorities matched Islam's name to a terror watch list.

Palestinians attack a Jewish settlement in Gaza with mortars today, and Israelis say one woman was killed. Earlier, three Israeli soldiers died in a raid by Palestinian gunmen on another Jewish settlement. Security is tight ahead of the Yom Kippur holiday.

The first beans, rice and other supplies are being handed out to thousands of survivors of the flooding in Haiti. And donor nations have now pledged $84 million to help Haiti recover from Tropical Storm Jeanne. And she's still out there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Add two more people to the list of hostages in Iraq. The latest victims are Egyptian engineers, snatched overnight from their office in Western Baghdad. Gunmen tied up the guards outside of the office, and then they sped away with their victims in a BMW. The men worked for an Iraqi subsidiary of an Egyptian-owned mobile phone company.

In the meantime in Liverpool, England, the family of British hostage, Kenneth Bigley, waits for word on his fate. Bigley's 83- year-old mother is now in stable condition at the hospital -- actually, I think she was taken home from the hospital now. But she was taken to the hospital shortly after making a tearful appeal for her son's life.

CNN's Robyn Curnow is at the Bigley family home in Liverpool, and she brings us up-to-date this morning.

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Carol.

Indeed, the Bigley family home is just a few meters down the road behind me. Mrs. Bigley is at home. The curtains are drawn, and there is a bouquet of flowers on the front steps, a commemoration, a tribute, a sign from the community that they are thinking about this family during this agonizing time. Nine days Kenneth Bigley has been taken hostage.

And as you said, Mrs. Bigley made a very emotional plea just last night to the hostage-takers. This is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIL BIGLEY, HOSTAGE'S MOTHER: Would you please help my son?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go on. Take a breath. Come on, take a breath.

BIGLEY: He is only a working man who wants to support his family. Please show mercy to Ken and send him home to me. His family needs him, and I need him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: The common thread throughout her plea to the hostage- takers: please be merciful, show mercy.

It's the same thing her other sons have said. Kenneth Bigley's wife has said the same thing; so too his son. And they say, please be merciful, as they wait nine days for some news from Iraq -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Robyn Curnow live from Liverpool, England, thank you.

Here in this country, memorial services have begun for Jack Hensley. He's one of the Americans kidnapped and killed in Iraq. About 250 people gathered in Hensley's hometown of Marietta, Georgia, for a candlelight vigil. Another service is planned at the Hensley family church on Saturday. His family does plan to attend, but so far no word on funeral arrangements.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, Afghanistan reality check. What is that country like these days? And how far has the nation come since the U.S. invaded more than two years ago?

And then, history revs up at the movies this weekend. At 50 past the hour, we'll take a look at the new film, "Motorcycle Diaries," a road trip in the life of Che Guevara.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking the overseas markets for you now. Japan's Nikkei ended in negative territory for a sixth straight day, closing down 124 points, Britain's FTSE trading down nearly 2, and France's CAD up nearly 8 points.

We wanted to talk about the other war this morning. Iraq is overshadowing what's happening in Afghanistan. Terror analyst Peter Bergen has written a fascinating op-ed in "The New York Times" this morning, and he joins us live now, as well as our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Welcome to you both.

PETER BERGEN, TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Peter, I want to first talk about your op-ed piece. You went to Kabul. You were there physically. You saw the capital. What did you see?

BERGEN: Well, you know, there are three million refugees who have come back to Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban. You see a lot of construction. You see a lot of traffic jams in Kabul. And that story is also repeated in other cities I traveled to. Jalalabad, Kandahar are also seeing, you know, a lot of people coming back and a lot of construction.

Obviously there are many problems in Afghanistan, the drug culture. There is a, you know, booming drug trade. There's still the slow pace of disarming the warlords. The situation is not perfect, but I think it's better than OK.

COSTELLO: Well, you were surprised by that, too, weren't you?

BERGEN: Yes, I was kind of, I mean, you know, sort of surprised. I have been visiting there since '93, so I've seen a lot of different things. I was there during the civil war. I was there under the Taliban on two occasions.

And, you know, life is very much better. Now that's a very low bar, obviously. You know, the civil war was very brutal. It killed a lot of people. The Taliban brought some security at the cost of an authoritarian theocracy that I don't think most people would want to live under.

So, these were not great, and obviously things have gotten better. There is still much to be done.

COSTELLO: Well, I want to read a quote from your op-ed piece. Actually, I'm going to paraphrase it. You say, 10 million Afghans have registered to vote, half are women. With these kinds of numbers registering, it seems possible that turnout will be higher than those who have participated in American presidential elections. Really?

BERGEN: Well, I mean, it's possible. I mean, you've got, you know, the rates of registration in Kandahar, which, after all, was at the heart of the Taliban, is 60 percent. And, you know, in most American presidential elections we've had some pretty low turnouts in recent years.

So, Afghans has very enthusiastically registered. Hamid Karzai, who is the president, is drawing substantial support in every part of the country. I think he's going to win in a landslide. And I think that's going to send a very important signal to other countries in the region, which, after all, are not representative democracies, places like Pakistan which has a military dictatorship right now, or Iran which has elections but it not really exactly representative, or Uzbekistan, Tajikistan -- all of these countries. I think that if they see really even a partially successful election in Afghanistan that sends a powerful signal.

COSTELLO: I want to go to our Pentagon correspondent now, Barbara Starr.

Barbara -- tell us about things from a U.S. military perspective.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. military, I would think, agrees with Peter. And I have to say, I was in Afghanistan last month with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. I had the same observations. We got stuck in a traffic jam in Kabul. That's not something that would have happened just several months ago. There is a real pace of activity on the street.

But, indeed there are still a lot of military challenges ahead. There is concern that the Taliban is regrouping, continues to regroup along the border with Pakistan. There is the certainty the al Qaeda elements still remain in the country, infiltrating back and forth across the border.

A lot of security concerns about that upcoming election in early October that there will be more attacks by insurgents, maybe even the same types of attacks that you have seen in Iraq, though perhaps not on that scale -- roadside attacks, bomb attacks, that sort of thing. There has been some of that.

So, a lot of challenges, but they really do think they're making significant progress in Afghanistan. Of course, one of the key differences is the Afghan people genuinely appear to be happy to be liberated from the Taliban and to have the Americans in their country.

COSTELLO: You know, you talk about things getting better, both of you. Then, why can't the U.S. military find Osama bin Laden?

BERGEN: Well...

STARR: I'll let Peter start on that one.

BERGEN: You know, I was just over there. That was the reason I was over there was to answer that question.

I think part of it is Osama bin Laden isn't in Afghanistan. He's in Pakistan. I mean, we don't know where he is, but the general wisdom in talking to U.S. officials, Afghan officials, Pakistani officials, he's in Pakistan. Most of the al Qaeda are long gone. They left, you know, in December of 2001 after the battle of Tora Bora. So, he's just not there.

COSTELLO: Barbara, do you want to weigh in, too?

STARR: Well, that is the general assessment by the U.S. intelligence community that bin Laden is across the border in Pakistan. So, one of the key questions is -- we see almost every day the Pakistani military conducting operations along that border region with Afghanistan -- why can't they find him and get him? The question is, of course: Who is sheltering Osama bin Laden? He still apparently has a lot of supporters along that remote border region, people who are willing to give him and his organization shelter, keep them out of the hands of the Pakistani military.

So, a key question would be: When will that sheltering end, and will it ever end?

COSTELLO: Peter Bergen, Barbara Starr, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

No word yet on the fate of Kenneth Bigley. He's the British engineer kidnapped in Iraq with two Americans, who have been beheaded. Bigley's 86-year-old mother was briefly hospitalized due to stress.

In the pipeline, possibly more aid for refugees in the troubled Darfur region of Sudan. The U.S. Senate has approved up to $680 million for refugees. The House has already come up with $311 million.

In money news, even compared to other billionaires, Bill Gates is one rich guy with $48 billion. Gates tops the list of -- get this -- 313 billionaires in the United States.

In culture, creditors are said to be lining up for a piece of the $21 million estate left behind by actor Marlon Brando. An attorney for the estate says he believes the claims will not exceed $1 million.

In sports, U.S. Olympic cyclist Tyler Hamilton will get to keep his gold medal, thanks to a screw-up at the testing lab. After initial positive doping tests, the back-up sample came back inconclusive, because it had been mistakenly frozen.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Let's head to New York now and check in with Bill and Heidi to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Carol.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, we've almost made it, right?

COSTELLO: Almost.

HEMMER: Almost. We're going to look at Jeanne today. We're going to look at Ivan again today coming back as that tropical storm that Chad was talking about. Jeanne is looming again, so we'll get to the National Hurricane Center and find out what you need to know about this storm.

COLLINS: Yes, when we give them names, it seems like we should know them a little bit better.

HEMMER: Yes.

COLLINS: But then they are so unpredictable.

HEMMER: But Jeanne and Karl, they seem so kind compared to Ivan.

COLLINS: Yes. Hopefully they stay that way.

HEMMER: Yes.

COLLINS: Also, Carol, a new segment that we have today called "State of the Union." What we're going to do is look at the latest Electoral College map and show where the race stands right now. Of course, some states are red, some are blue, more red than blue right now. So, we're going to talk to Carlos Watson about that and get his take on what it all could mean.

HEMMER: Also, the significance of Iyad Allawi and his speech yesterday not only on Congress but also that press conference we watched in the Rose Garden. He is now firmly entrenched in this election cycle. And John Kerry was quick to respond to his words yesterday. We'll talk to Dan Senor today and find out what the Bush administration's perspective is on this and how Allawi fights for credibility yet again after his visit here to the U.S.

COLLINS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to see him in Congress yesterday.

HEMMER: Oh, yes, that's exactly right. So, we'll have it, too, top of the hour. Jack is here, too, online. He's got a little something working about -- oh, I won't tell you.

COSTELLO: Oh, come on!

COLLINS: It's not a surprise. You've got to watch.

COSTELLO: All right.

HEMMER: It's got something to do with Teresa Heinz Kerry.

COSTELLO: I wanted to go home after the show, but now I'm going to stay and watch. Thanks to you both. We'll catch you in 10 minutes.

HEMMER: Bye-bye.

COSTELLO: A few twists, a few turns at the movies this weekend. We'll get the critic's take on a thrilling film about a mother's greatest loss, or is it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Che Guevara, he heads out onto the highway, looking for adventure. That is the plot of one of the weekend movies we'll look at this morning.

Tom O'Neil of "In Touch Weekly" joins us with his take on the films. But let's hold off on Che Guevara for just a second and talk about "The Forgotten," because this is one film I'd like to see.

TOM O'NEIL, EDITOR, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": Well, the big drama this weekend is, can it topple "Spy Captain" from the No. 1 perch at the box office?

This is the story of a mother whose 9-year-old boy is killed in a plane crash, or is he? Did he even exist? She's told by this psychiatrist she's dreamt up the whole thing. And she goes on a quest to find out whether or not he existed.

Carol, I think we have to pass the hat for poor Julianne Moore. She has never won an Oscar. She obviously needs a paycheck. This...

COSTELLO: Oh! Oh, come on!

O'NEIL: This -- yes, remember the awful movie she was in earlier this year with Pierce Brosnan?

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

O'NEIL: You know, this movie had such great potential, the premise is so good. But then it falls apart. I can't tell you -- there is a conspiracy behind this whole thing that goes beyond the government. It's a kind of universal -- without spoiling things, it's a mess!

COSTELLO: It's a mess. Did you say it was a mess?

O'NEIL: Yes, it's a mess. I wish I had better news for you, but...

COSTELLO: OK, I won't go see it. Thanks a lot.

O'NEIL: Don't go see it.

COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about Che Guevara in "The Motorcycle Diaries." He has become quite the pop culture icon these days.

O'NEIL: He really is. He's...

COSTELLO: I don't think anybody knows who he -- what he did and what the history is surrounding him.

O'NEIL: You mean of the young star, Gael Garcia Bernal?

COSTELLO: No, I mean of the young audience watching the movie.

O'NEIL: Oh. Or Che Guevara. I'm confused.

COSTELLO: Oh, I'm sorry. Che Guevara.

O'NEIL: Yes... COSTELLO: Young people are really into him these days.

O'NEIL: They really are. He was the young firebrand revolutionary, of course, who brought Fidel Castro to power in Cuba, and he was inspired to his Marxist beliefs. But because of this trip he took via motorcycle across South America, this movie star, Gael Garcia Bernal, who is the young star of "Y Tu Mama Tambien," this was getting standing ovations at the film festival.

What's bizarre about this movie is because Marxism is so discredited these days, they took it out of this movie. So, you see a firebrand revolutionary without a political cause. Instead, he's just upset about scenes of poverty.

COSTELLO: Really?

O'NEIL: Yes, it's very...

COSTELLO: So, it doesn't go into the whole Fidel Castro and this guy was his top lieutenant and things like that?

O'NEIL: Yes, it -- no, it just deals with his earliest days.

COSTELLO: Understand, OK. The last movie, is it "Shaun of the Dead?"

O'NEIL: Yes. This is really a delightful little discovery of a movie from two slackers from British television, who are making their film debut here, taking on zombies. One of these guys decides he's going to get his ex-girlfriend back and save the whole day.

COSTELLO: Oh!

O'NEIL: It's weird. It's ridiculous. It's very British. The humor is odd. But, boy, it's a terrific film.

COSTELLO: OK, I'll go see that one. Thank you...

O'NEIL: You know, this is...

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

O'NEIL: You know, every now and then these Brits come up with these Monty Python things right out of left field, and we think, you know, what is that all about? But they...

COSTELLO: Yes, and then we love them and they become classics.

O'NEIL: Right.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Tom O'Neil, from "In Touch Weekly" magazine joining us on Friday, as usual.

We'll announce today's mug winner and read some more of your e- mail after this. This is DAYBREAK for Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We've been talking about the Terri Schiavo case all morning long, and asking you this question: Should the government get involved in life and death medical decisions? I want to read a few of your e-mails.

This is from Harold. He says: "The government does not have any business in getting into family problems regarding life and death decisions. These are emotional decisions that government cannot possibly understand."

This is from Joe. He's says: "It's unfortunate that this young woman is caught in the middle of this heart-wrenching debate. In the absence of any properly-witnessed documentation of her desire not to be kept alive, she should be allowed to live."

And this is from Rita from Oklahoma. She says: "My thoughts are that the government should stay out of our homes as well as our hospital rooms."

And I'm going to read one more. We've been getting so many this morning. And I do appreciate it. They're always interesting.

This is from Marie. She's from South Carolina. She says: "The case of the woman in a coma in Florida is very disturbing. Politics should never be involved, but it is. This man should be allowed to get his insurance settlement and be divorced from this poor woman."

And she's talking about Terri Schiavo's husband. Of course, Terri Schiavo's parents want her to be kept alive.

Let's head up to the forecast center now, because it is time to talk about something good.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, do you say South Carolina?

COSTELLO: I'm trying to get into the spirit.

MYERS: You are from Ohio.

COSTELLO: I do say Ohia (ph) and Missoura (ph).

MYERS: Ohia (ph)? All right, fair enough.

Hey, let's give away a mug from yesterday, and we'll try to give away one today. There it is. That's the one that will be in the mail to you.

Homeland security screeners were able to slip explosives and weapons through how many U.S. airports? The answer was 15, scary enough. And who is being honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild? And that was obviously James Garner. That was the answer from yesterday.

And the winner, the winner in Maryland, Leslie Bartsch is from Hurlock, Maryland, and she gets the coffee mug today. Here is your chance to win over the weekend. Put on your thinking cap.

CNN's latest analysis of the electoral map shows which two states have just moved into President Bush's favor? We showed you all of those red and blue states. Which two have now moved over to President Bush?

And what historical figure was featured just a minute ago in Tom O'Neil's movie review?

COSTELLO: Oh!

MYERS: Daybreak@CNN.com.

COSTELLO: Daybreak@CNN.com. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.


Aired September 24, 2004 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you from the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news.

In just a couple of hours, Yusuf Islam, the singer once known as Cat Stevens, will hold a news conference in London. He's expected to discuss his experience on that United Airlines flight that was diverted to Maine. Authorities matched Islam's name to a terror watch list.

Palestinians attack a Jewish settlement in Gaza with mortars today, and Israelis say one woman was killed. Earlier, three Israeli soldiers died in a raid by Palestinian gunmen on another Jewish settlement. Security is tight ahead of the Yom Kippur holiday.

The first beans, rice and other supplies are being handed out to thousands of survivors of the flooding in Haiti. And donor nations have now pledged $84 million to help Haiti recover from Tropical Storm Jeanne. And she's still out there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Add two more people to the list of hostages in Iraq. The latest victims are Egyptian engineers, snatched overnight from their office in Western Baghdad. Gunmen tied up the guards outside of the office, and then they sped away with their victims in a BMW. The men worked for an Iraqi subsidiary of an Egyptian-owned mobile phone company.

In the meantime in Liverpool, England, the family of British hostage, Kenneth Bigley, waits for word on his fate. Bigley's 83- year-old mother is now in stable condition at the hospital -- actually, I think she was taken home from the hospital now. But she was taken to the hospital shortly after making a tearful appeal for her son's life.

CNN's Robyn Curnow is at the Bigley family home in Liverpool, and she brings us up-to-date this morning.

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Carol.

Indeed, the Bigley family home is just a few meters down the road behind me. Mrs. Bigley is at home. The curtains are drawn, and there is a bouquet of flowers on the front steps, a commemoration, a tribute, a sign from the community that they are thinking about this family during this agonizing time. Nine days Kenneth Bigley has been taken hostage.

And as you said, Mrs. Bigley made a very emotional plea just last night to the hostage-takers. This is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIL BIGLEY, HOSTAGE'S MOTHER: Would you please help my son?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go on. Take a breath. Come on, take a breath.

BIGLEY: He is only a working man who wants to support his family. Please show mercy to Ken and send him home to me. His family needs him, and I need him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: The common thread throughout her plea to the hostage- takers: please be merciful, show mercy.

It's the same thing her other sons have said. Kenneth Bigley's wife has said the same thing; so too his son. And they say, please be merciful, as they wait nine days for some news from Iraq -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Robyn Curnow live from Liverpool, England, thank you.

Here in this country, memorial services have begun for Jack Hensley. He's one of the Americans kidnapped and killed in Iraq. About 250 people gathered in Hensley's hometown of Marietta, Georgia, for a candlelight vigil. Another service is planned at the Hensley family church on Saturday. His family does plan to attend, but so far no word on funeral arrangements.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, Afghanistan reality check. What is that country like these days? And how far has the nation come since the U.S. invaded more than two years ago?

And then, history revs up at the movies this weekend. At 50 past the hour, we'll take a look at the new film, "Motorcycle Diaries," a road trip in the life of Che Guevara.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking the overseas markets for you now. Japan's Nikkei ended in negative territory for a sixth straight day, closing down 124 points, Britain's FTSE trading down nearly 2, and France's CAD up nearly 8 points.

We wanted to talk about the other war this morning. Iraq is overshadowing what's happening in Afghanistan. Terror analyst Peter Bergen has written a fascinating op-ed in "The New York Times" this morning, and he joins us live now, as well as our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Welcome to you both.

PETER BERGEN, TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Peter, I want to first talk about your op-ed piece. You went to Kabul. You were there physically. You saw the capital. What did you see?

BERGEN: Well, you know, there are three million refugees who have come back to Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban. You see a lot of construction. You see a lot of traffic jams in Kabul. And that story is also repeated in other cities I traveled to. Jalalabad, Kandahar are also seeing, you know, a lot of people coming back and a lot of construction.

Obviously there are many problems in Afghanistan, the drug culture. There is a, you know, booming drug trade. There's still the slow pace of disarming the warlords. The situation is not perfect, but I think it's better than OK.

COSTELLO: Well, you were surprised by that, too, weren't you?

BERGEN: Yes, I was kind of, I mean, you know, sort of surprised. I have been visiting there since '93, so I've seen a lot of different things. I was there during the civil war. I was there under the Taliban on two occasions.

And, you know, life is very much better. Now that's a very low bar, obviously. You know, the civil war was very brutal. It killed a lot of people. The Taliban brought some security at the cost of an authoritarian theocracy that I don't think most people would want to live under.

So, these were not great, and obviously things have gotten better. There is still much to be done.

COSTELLO: Well, I want to read a quote from your op-ed piece. Actually, I'm going to paraphrase it. You say, 10 million Afghans have registered to vote, half are women. With these kinds of numbers registering, it seems possible that turnout will be higher than those who have participated in American presidential elections. Really?

BERGEN: Well, I mean, it's possible. I mean, you've got, you know, the rates of registration in Kandahar, which, after all, was at the heart of the Taliban, is 60 percent. And, you know, in most American presidential elections we've had some pretty low turnouts in recent years.

So, Afghans has very enthusiastically registered. Hamid Karzai, who is the president, is drawing substantial support in every part of the country. I think he's going to win in a landslide. And I think that's going to send a very important signal to other countries in the region, which, after all, are not representative democracies, places like Pakistan which has a military dictatorship right now, or Iran which has elections but it not really exactly representative, or Uzbekistan, Tajikistan -- all of these countries. I think that if they see really even a partially successful election in Afghanistan that sends a powerful signal.

COSTELLO: I want to go to our Pentagon correspondent now, Barbara Starr.

Barbara -- tell us about things from a U.S. military perspective.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. military, I would think, agrees with Peter. And I have to say, I was in Afghanistan last month with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. I had the same observations. We got stuck in a traffic jam in Kabul. That's not something that would have happened just several months ago. There is a real pace of activity on the street.

But, indeed there are still a lot of military challenges ahead. There is concern that the Taliban is regrouping, continues to regroup along the border with Pakistan. There is the certainty the al Qaeda elements still remain in the country, infiltrating back and forth across the border.

A lot of security concerns about that upcoming election in early October that there will be more attacks by insurgents, maybe even the same types of attacks that you have seen in Iraq, though perhaps not on that scale -- roadside attacks, bomb attacks, that sort of thing. There has been some of that.

So, a lot of challenges, but they really do think they're making significant progress in Afghanistan. Of course, one of the key differences is the Afghan people genuinely appear to be happy to be liberated from the Taliban and to have the Americans in their country.

COSTELLO: You know, you talk about things getting better, both of you. Then, why can't the U.S. military find Osama bin Laden?

BERGEN: Well...

STARR: I'll let Peter start on that one.

BERGEN: You know, I was just over there. That was the reason I was over there was to answer that question.

I think part of it is Osama bin Laden isn't in Afghanistan. He's in Pakistan. I mean, we don't know where he is, but the general wisdom in talking to U.S. officials, Afghan officials, Pakistani officials, he's in Pakistan. Most of the al Qaeda are long gone. They left, you know, in December of 2001 after the battle of Tora Bora. So, he's just not there.

COSTELLO: Barbara, do you want to weigh in, too?

STARR: Well, that is the general assessment by the U.S. intelligence community that bin Laden is across the border in Pakistan. So, one of the key questions is -- we see almost every day the Pakistani military conducting operations along that border region with Afghanistan -- why can't they find him and get him? The question is, of course: Who is sheltering Osama bin Laden? He still apparently has a lot of supporters along that remote border region, people who are willing to give him and his organization shelter, keep them out of the hands of the Pakistani military.

So, a key question would be: When will that sheltering end, and will it ever end?

COSTELLO: Peter Bergen, Barbara Starr, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

No word yet on the fate of Kenneth Bigley. He's the British engineer kidnapped in Iraq with two Americans, who have been beheaded. Bigley's 86-year-old mother was briefly hospitalized due to stress.

In the pipeline, possibly more aid for refugees in the troubled Darfur region of Sudan. The U.S. Senate has approved up to $680 million for refugees. The House has already come up with $311 million.

In money news, even compared to other billionaires, Bill Gates is one rich guy with $48 billion. Gates tops the list of -- get this -- 313 billionaires in the United States.

In culture, creditors are said to be lining up for a piece of the $21 million estate left behind by actor Marlon Brando. An attorney for the estate says he believes the claims will not exceed $1 million.

In sports, U.S. Olympic cyclist Tyler Hamilton will get to keep his gold medal, thanks to a screw-up at the testing lab. After initial positive doping tests, the back-up sample came back inconclusive, because it had been mistakenly frozen.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Let's head to New York now and check in with Bill and Heidi to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Carol.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, we've almost made it, right?

COSTELLO: Almost.

HEMMER: Almost. We're going to look at Jeanne today. We're going to look at Ivan again today coming back as that tropical storm that Chad was talking about. Jeanne is looming again, so we'll get to the National Hurricane Center and find out what you need to know about this storm.

COLLINS: Yes, when we give them names, it seems like we should know them a little bit better.

HEMMER: Yes.

COLLINS: But then they are so unpredictable.

HEMMER: But Jeanne and Karl, they seem so kind compared to Ivan.

COLLINS: Yes. Hopefully they stay that way.

HEMMER: Yes.

COLLINS: Also, Carol, a new segment that we have today called "State of the Union." What we're going to do is look at the latest Electoral College map and show where the race stands right now. Of course, some states are red, some are blue, more red than blue right now. So, we're going to talk to Carlos Watson about that and get his take on what it all could mean.

HEMMER: Also, the significance of Iyad Allawi and his speech yesterday not only on Congress but also that press conference we watched in the Rose Garden. He is now firmly entrenched in this election cycle. And John Kerry was quick to respond to his words yesterday. We'll talk to Dan Senor today and find out what the Bush administration's perspective is on this and how Allawi fights for credibility yet again after his visit here to the U.S.

COLLINS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to see him in Congress yesterday.

HEMMER: Oh, yes, that's exactly right. So, we'll have it, too, top of the hour. Jack is here, too, online. He's got a little something working about -- oh, I won't tell you.

COSTELLO: Oh, come on!

COLLINS: It's not a surprise. You've got to watch.

COSTELLO: All right.

HEMMER: It's got something to do with Teresa Heinz Kerry.

COSTELLO: I wanted to go home after the show, but now I'm going to stay and watch. Thanks to you both. We'll catch you in 10 minutes.

HEMMER: Bye-bye.

COSTELLO: A few twists, a few turns at the movies this weekend. We'll get the critic's take on a thrilling film about a mother's greatest loss, or is it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Che Guevara, he heads out onto the highway, looking for adventure. That is the plot of one of the weekend movies we'll look at this morning.

Tom O'Neil of "In Touch Weekly" joins us with his take on the films. But let's hold off on Che Guevara for just a second and talk about "The Forgotten," because this is one film I'd like to see.

TOM O'NEIL, EDITOR, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": Well, the big drama this weekend is, can it topple "Spy Captain" from the No. 1 perch at the box office?

This is the story of a mother whose 9-year-old boy is killed in a plane crash, or is he? Did he even exist? She's told by this psychiatrist she's dreamt up the whole thing. And she goes on a quest to find out whether or not he existed.

Carol, I think we have to pass the hat for poor Julianne Moore. She has never won an Oscar. She obviously needs a paycheck. This...

COSTELLO: Oh! Oh, come on!

O'NEIL: This -- yes, remember the awful movie she was in earlier this year with Pierce Brosnan?

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

O'NEIL: You know, this movie had such great potential, the premise is so good. But then it falls apart. I can't tell you -- there is a conspiracy behind this whole thing that goes beyond the government. It's a kind of universal -- without spoiling things, it's a mess!

COSTELLO: It's a mess. Did you say it was a mess?

O'NEIL: Yes, it's a mess. I wish I had better news for you, but...

COSTELLO: OK, I won't go see it. Thanks a lot.

O'NEIL: Don't go see it.

COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about Che Guevara in "The Motorcycle Diaries." He has become quite the pop culture icon these days.

O'NEIL: He really is. He's...

COSTELLO: I don't think anybody knows who he -- what he did and what the history is surrounding him.

O'NEIL: You mean of the young star, Gael Garcia Bernal?

COSTELLO: No, I mean of the young audience watching the movie.

O'NEIL: Oh. Or Che Guevara. I'm confused.

COSTELLO: Oh, I'm sorry. Che Guevara.

O'NEIL: Yes... COSTELLO: Young people are really into him these days.

O'NEIL: They really are. He was the young firebrand revolutionary, of course, who brought Fidel Castro to power in Cuba, and he was inspired to his Marxist beliefs. But because of this trip he took via motorcycle across South America, this movie star, Gael Garcia Bernal, who is the young star of "Y Tu Mama Tambien," this was getting standing ovations at the film festival.

What's bizarre about this movie is because Marxism is so discredited these days, they took it out of this movie. So, you see a firebrand revolutionary without a political cause. Instead, he's just upset about scenes of poverty.

COSTELLO: Really?

O'NEIL: Yes, it's very...

COSTELLO: So, it doesn't go into the whole Fidel Castro and this guy was his top lieutenant and things like that?

O'NEIL: Yes, it -- no, it just deals with his earliest days.

COSTELLO: Understand, OK. The last movie, is it "Shaun of the Dead?"

O'NEIL: Yes. This is really a delightful little discovery of a movie from two slackers from British television, who are making their film debut here, taking on zombies. One of these guys decides he's going to get his ex-girlfriend back and save the whole day.

COSTELLO: Oh!

O'NEIL: It's weird. It's ridiculous. It's very British. The humor is odd. But, boy, it's a terrific film.

COSTELLO: OK, I'll go see that one. Thank you...

O'NEIL: You know, this is...

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

O'NEIL: You know, every now and then these Brits come up with these Monty Python things right out of left field, and we think, you know, what is that all about? But they...

COSTELLO: Yes, and then we love them and they become classics.

O'NEIL: Right.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Tom O'Neil, from "In Touch Weekly" magazine joining us on Friday, as usual.

We'll announce today's mug winner and read some more of your e- mail after this. This is DAYBREAK for Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We've been talking about the Terri Schiavo case all morning long, and asking you this question: Should the government get involved in life and death medical decisions? I want to read a few of your e-mails.

This is from Harold. He says: "The government does not have any business in getting into family problems regarding life and death decisions. These are emotional decisions that government cannot possibly understand."

This is from Joe. He's says: "It's unfortunate that this young woman is caught in the middle of this heart-wrenching debate. In the absence of any properly-witnessed documentation of her desire not to be kept alive, she should be allowed to live."

And this is from Rita from Oklahoma. She says: "My thoughts are that the government should stay out of our homes as well as our hospital rooms."

And I'm going to read one more. We've been getting so many this morning. And I do appreciate it. They're always interesting.

This is from Marie. She's from South Carolina. She says: "The case of the woman in a coma in Florida is very disturbing. Politics should never be involved, but it is. This man should be allowed to get his insurance settlement and be divorced from this poor woman."

And she's talking about Terri Schiavo's husband. Of course, Terri Schiavo's parents want her to be kept alive.

Let's head up to the forecast center now, because it is time to talk about something good.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, do you say South Carolina?

COSTELLO: I'm trying to get into the spirit.

MYERS: You are from Ohio.

COSTELLO: I do say Ohia (ph) and Missoura (ph).

MYERS: Ohia (ph)? All right, fair enough.

Hey, let's give away a mug from yesterday, and we'll try to give away one today. There it is. That's the one that will be in the mail to you.

Homeland security screeners were able to slip explosives and weapons through how many U.S. airports? The answer was 15, scary enough. And who is being honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild? And that was obviously James Garner. That was the answer from yesterday.

And the winner, the winner in Maryland, Leslie Bartsch is from Hurlock, Maryland, and she gets the coffee mug today. Here is your chance to win over the weekend. Put on your thinking cap.

CNN's latest analysis of the electoral map shows which two states have just moved into President Bush's favor? We showed you all of those red and blue states. Which two have now moved over to President Bush?

And what historical figure was featured just a minute ago in Tom O'Neil's movie review?

COSTELLO: Oh!

MYERS: Daybreak@CNN.com.

COSTELLO: Daybreak@CNN.com. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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