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CNN Live At Daybreak
Hostage Crisis; CNN Producer Kidnapped; Debate Details; Books or Bucks?; Coffee Break
Aired September 28, 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: And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news -- explosions have been rocking the Iraqi city of Fallujah this morning. The U.S. military has launched more airstrikes in the militant stronghold. Fallujah police say the latest strike killed three people.
The U.S. held him for three years as an enemy combatant, and today, Yasser Hamdi could fly back to his native Saudi Arabia. Under a deal with the United States, Hamdi has to give up his U.S. citizenship. He has duel citizenship.
Fans are still fighting over Barry Bonds' 700 home run ball. The San Francisco Giants fan who caught it is being sued by another fan who says the ball was stolen from him during a mad scramble in the stands.
To the Forecast Center and Rob.
Good morning.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Finders keepers, isn't that the way it is?
COSTELLO: That's right.
MARCIANO: How could it be stolen? Silly thing.
COSTELLO: Who knows, people just want to get money however they can.
MARCIANO: It's all about the money.
Hey, Jeanne now decreasing in intensity, thank goodness. Just the remnants of Jeanne, what, a lot of rain. I mean it was just coming down across north Georgia yesterday with four and five inches of rain being reported in many spots. And there were 17 reports of tornadoes during the day yesterday. And we'll probably have, maybe not as many, but certainly the threat thereof, and watch boxes may be posted later on today.
Here is the core of the circulation, but the rain shield is certainly spreading up the I-95 corridor west into the Appalachian Mountain chain. New York City, Philly, D.C., even as far east as Boston, eventually today you'll start to see some rain falling and it could be heavy at times.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: That's the latest from the Forecast Center. Carol, back over to you.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you -- Rob.
MARCIANO: No problem.
COSTELLO: Turning to the hostage crisis in Iraq and the growing number of nations it's affecting. We take you to Britain and Turkey this morning. Iraqi insurgents are holding people from both nations.
We have Alfonso Van Marsh and Robin Oakley. We're going to start in Brighton, England with our European political editor Robin Oakley -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, Carol.
Well this is the last Labour Party conference for Tony Blair before the British general election expected next year. He wants it to be a rousing occasion focusing on the domestic political agenda. Instead, there, once again, Iraq is dominating the headlines, largely because of the fate of the British hostage Kenneth Bigley.
And the situation and its effect on the conference was acknowledged by the second most important man in Labour politics, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN, LABOUR PARTY: Let me say first of all what this whole conference is saying that the thoughts of everyone at this conference today are with Ken Bigley and every member of his brave family. And in these difficult...
(APPLAUSE)
BROWN: And in these difficult and testing times, all of us here, and I believe everyone throughout the country, will give and must give Tony Blair, our leader and Prime Minister, our full support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: The problem for Tony Blair is that many of the Labour Party activists entirely resent his policy in Iraq. They have had another unwelcome reminder this morning with the death of two British soldiers. They forced a debate onto the conference agenda, which will seek a call for the early return of British troops from Iraq.
Tony Blair, in his own speech, will refer to the subject. He cannot duck the subject. And it's expected that he will justify war against Saddam Hussein, though he will acknowledge some of the mistakes of British intelligence which led him to make the incorrect claim that Saddam Hussein had those weapons of mass destruction, which have not been found since. So an uncomfortable time for Tony Blair with the fate of that hostage still hanging by a thread -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin Oakley live in London or live in Brighton, England this morning.
Also, still no word on the fate of 10 Turkish hostages in Iraq. Joining us live to talk about that from Istanbul, CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh.
Good morning -- Alphonso.
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, where I've just gotten off the phone with foreign ministry officials, who, as you said, say that the kidnappers of 10 Turkish nationals in Iraq haven't said anything new. There's no new word on the status of these 10 nationals.
About three weeks ago, the armed kidnappers put out a video distributed through Al-Jazeera that showed these 10 Turkish nationals. And they claimed that they would behead the Turkish nationals unless their company pulled out of Iraq.
Now VINSAN, the company, a Turkish company that has a multimillion-dollar contract in Iraq, says that it has freeze its operations but it hasn't committed to leaving the country. And this crisis speaks on a larger issue here in Turkey because thousands of Turkish truck drivers and mechanics are crossing over the border each day to help with the reconstruction process. But they say that the United States isn't doing enough to protect them.
The Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul spoke to the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell last week, asking the United States to do more to protect Turkish truck drivers and mechanics as they make that cross between Turkey and neighboring Iraq. For the U.S. part, it says it's doing more to protect those since 60 percent of those truck convoys are escorted by U.S. troops or coalition troops -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alphonso Van Marsh live from Istanbul, Turkey this morning.
Also, this is the 21st day in captivity for two Italian aid workers in Iraq. Last week, militants had claimed they killed the women, but the Italian government says those claims are unreliable.
Jordan's King Abdullah agrees. He says he believes the Italians are still alive and that Jordan is trying to find them. The king is meeting with Italian officials today in Rome.
And we here at CNN are dealing with a hostage situation of our own, this one in Gaza where gunmen abducted one of our producers.
CNN's senior international editor Eli Flournoy joins us now with the latest word on the -- it's just so sad.
ELI FLOURNOY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, Carol, Riad Ali, a colleague, a close friend of ours, obviously was taken, abducted in Gaza City yesterday. There is Riad. We just got word in, a sound bite in, a statement from Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei who condemned the kidnapping and said that Palestinian police and authorities are doing everything they can. They tell us they have been working nonstop through the night to try and establish where Riad is and secure his release. So we're hopeful of their efforts and all of the authorities, Israeli and Palestinian authorities, are working full stop too.
COSTELLO: Tell our viewers how Riad was abducted.
FLOURNOY: He was abducted in what Ben Wedeman, and we heard from earlier in this show who was an eyewitness, was in the car, Ben Wedeman, the camerawoman Mary Rogers (ph), and Riad.
COSTELLO: They were in a taxi, right?
FLOURNOY: They were in a taxi in Gaza City. Two cars pulled up, stopped the taxi, gunmen got out, put a gun, asked for Riad by name and then took him. Ben says that the whole thing took only about 40 seconds. They knew exactly what they were doing. They knew who they were after. They were specifically after Riad, apparently. And it was a very quick and efficient operation.
COSTELLO: So Riad is of Arab decent?
FLOURNOY: That's correct. He is an Arab-Israeli.
COSTELLO: He is in the Palestinian territories, so that kind of puts him in an awkward position anyway.
FLOURNOY: Right. He is an Arab-Israeli who lives in Israel, who works out of our Jerusalem bureau. His family lives in Israel. And it is an awkward position for Arab-Israelis sort of between being a Palestinian -- or the Palestinian community and the Israeli community as they kind of straddle both.
We don't know why. Obviously we've had no word from the kidnappers about why they took Riad or any demands, so we're still waiting to hear about that. And we just hope and pray that this can be resolved quickly and that Riad will be safe and released soon.
COSTELLO: We hope so. Thank you, Eli.
We're going to take a short break. DAYBREAK will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: They've been stumping and sparring for what seems like forever. Now it's time for the presidential contenders to face off in the debates. We're getting you up to speed with a series of reports leading up to that first debate on Thursday.
Here's our Boston bureau chief Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Sunshine State, battered by four back-to-back hurricanes, now faces the stormy fight for the White House.
GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My opponent has had seven or eight different positions.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The "W" stands for "wrong."
LOTHIAN: The candidates, for the first time, face to face in what Webster's describes as a formal contest of skill and reasoned argument.
The first debate, focusing on foreign policy and homeland security, is a potentially defining event for candidate...
KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON, DEAN, ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATIONS: Sometimes in close elections they swing votes enough to potentially make a difference.
LOTHIAN: ... and voter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a good opportunity to see what they stand for.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well I think it's a piece of a whole composite.
JAMIESON: Debates signal to the electorate that it's time now to firm up the voting decision that you've already made, or if you haven't made one, to get on the ball and start paying attention.
LOTHIAN (on camera): But even before the first question is asked, the debate over the debates seems to have generated as much attention.
It took 32 pages to spell out all the rules: little details such as who gets to see the timing lights. In this case, even the TV audience. Candidates are prohibited from walking beyond their podium area, avoiding what Al Gore did, invading George Bush's space in 2000.
BUSH: And I believe I can.
LOTHIAN: In another debate, Gore, while listening to Bush, lost points while doing this some 18 times. That was fixed by doing away with cutaways when a candidate is speaking, which may also limit the opportunity for a candidate to get caught looking at his watch, appearing bored.
There's even a line that ensures an appropriate temperature in the room will be maintained, according to industry standards, hopefully preventing sweating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two major candidates for the presidency.
LOTHIAN (voice-over): Like Nixon experienced in 1960, blamed in part on a bad makeup job.
(on camera): But some people worry too much control may dilute what the voter needs to see and hear.
JAMES FALLOWS, "ATLANTIC MONTHLY": It's like an unbelievable prenup.
LOTHIAN (voice-over): James Fallows writes for the "Atlantic Monthly."
FALLOWS: I think it's a linear extension, the way these things have gone year-by-year or election-by-election. And each time, each side tries to correct something that was left out the last time.
LOTHIAN: That's important to campaigns, because ever since televised general election presidential debates began in 1960, there have been memorable moments that many believe impacted who won.
RONALD REAGAN, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here you go again.
LOTHIAN: Sometimes it's the substance: what a candidate says but didn't mean to.
FALLOWS: When Jimmy Carter was running against Gerald Ford, a very important moment was...
GERALD FORD, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.
FALLOWS: Gerald Ford appeared to say that he wasn't aware that Poland was under Soviet control, and this sort of fit into an idea that maybe Gerald Ford wasn't on top of all the issues.
LOTHIAN: Carter won the debate and the presidency.
But the unexpected moments sometimes have more to do with perception and interpretation than with reality. And that's something everyone agrees not even 32 pages of hotly negotiated guidelines can control.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And as I mentioned, we'll be looking at the run up to Thursday's debates all week on DAYBREAK. Tomorrow morning, Dan Lothian brings us a look at George W. Bush's debate style. And Thursday's 90-minute debate is the first of three. CNN is going to be at all three presidential debates, so be sure to catch this first one, 9:00 Eastern, Thursday night, right here on CNN. And one cool feature, you'll be able to see real time reaction from a focus group of undecided voters.
Well the rhetoric leading up to the debates is getting nasty as both sides are using fear as a tactic. The Republicans are playing hardball as they try to depict John Kerry as weak on terrorism. Listen to what Vice President Cheney said a few weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today on November 2 we make the right choice. Because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And yesterday, Senator Ted Kennedy took up the challenge, claiming the Bush administration policies have made the U.S. more vulnerable to terror threats. Listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The greatest danger we face in the days, weeks and months ahead is a nuclear 9/11. We hope and pray that it is not already too late to prevent. The war in Iraq has made the mushroom cloud more likely, not less likely, and it never should have happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Common theme here, fear. So our e-mail "Question of the Morning": Is fear as a political tactic, is it working for the candidates? And we've gotten some responses, very good ones, as a matter of fact, as usual.
This is from Nancy (ph) from Irvine, California. She says, "I am sick to death of the Bush-Cheney crowd trying to scare us into voting for them. It's not working with me and it's a despicable tactic."
This is from Michelle (ph) from Copper Center, Alaska. She says, "I don't believe that any scare tactic should influence American voters, but it is inevitable that some voters will be swayed by their emotions due to our troops still being in Iraq and Afghanistan."
And this from Gary (ph) from Raceland, Kentucky. He says, "Is it fear or just plain common sense? Would Americans rather fight terrorists in the deserts of Iraq or Iran or would they rather fight terrorism in the streets of New York or hometown USA?"
And this from Steven (ph) from San Jose, California. He says, "Fear, war mongering and intimidation are the only thing the current administration has left to use. They have lost all credibility."
And finally, this from fearless Bill in Montana. He says, "Of course the despicable tactic of using fear to generate votes is working, just look at the poll numbers. Makes me wonder if the poll numbers are what they are due to the fear of retribution for the wrong answer to a pollster."
You never know. Interesting comments. Keep them coming, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:48 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.
Still no word on the fate of a CNN producer this morning, gunmen kidnapped Riad Ali yesterday while he was working in the Gaza Strip.
In Dubai, officials are still trying to find out why a half- finished building at the airport collapsed. Five construction workers were killed and a dozen others hurt.
In money news, the price of crude oil has hit $50 a barrel and that would be a record. Blame it on Hurricane Ivan, which disrupted much of the oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
In culture, Jay Leno is leaving "The Tonight Show." Actually, he isn't leaving until his current contract runs out in 2009. But NBC already named "Late Night" host Conan O'Brien as Leno's successor.
In sports, Olympic champion gymnast Paul Hamm pleaded his case to sports' highest court in an effort to keep his gold medal. The controversy is over a judging error that wrongly docked a South Korean a tenth of a point. A ruling is expected some time in the next two weeks.
To the Forecast Center now and Rob.
Good morning.
MARCIANO: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Carol, back over to you.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Rob.
Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
College football is one of the most visible parts of any university, but the specter of big time athletics, is it actually hurting most schools?
CNN's Chris Huntington takes a look at academics versus athletics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): American college sports have never been more popular. More televised.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over 25 men's and women's collegiate sports.
HUNTINGTON: And more in debt than they are right now. Even with record revenue flowing in, including new streams from cable channels exclusively covering college sports, most intercollegiate athletic programs lose money.
DR. WILLIAM FRIDAY, CHAIRMAN, KNIGHT COMMISSION: Increasing supply of money distorts the picture so badly.
HUNTINGTON: One glaring example: Syracuse University unexpectedly raised tuition this year to cover a $2.5 million budget deficit run up by its athletic department. The problem, says the top watchdog for college sports, is lavish spending, particularly on football and basketball.
FRIDAY: We're in an arms race. And you have coaches making seven, eight times the salary of the chief executive officer. You know, that can't be tolerated.
HUNTINGTON: Friday blames a win at all costs culture fostered by fans and fueled by big TV contracts. CBS, for instance, is paying the NCAA $6 billion over 11 years to cover the basketball tournament known as March Madness.
The broadcast rights for college football's bowl championship series go for nearly $50 million a game.
BRIAN BEDOL, CEO, CSTV: Any time you have a lot of money going into any business, you're at risk for abuse.
HUNTINGTON: Brian Bedol runs College Sports TV, an all college sports channel launched last year with backing from George Soros and J.P. Morgan. CSTV features many sports that rarely get coverage and educational programming that Bedol believes will push back against the negative stereotypes associated with big time, big money college sports.
BEDOL: What bothers me about the coverage of the abuse is that you create this perception that college sports are bad. And the fact is is that college sports in the United States are probably one of the greatest opportunities that young people have to have somebody else pay for their education while pursuing athletic excellence.
HUNTINGTON: The nagging problem is that in pursuing athletic excellence in college, academics often get trampled. Fewer than one- third of the teams in this year's NCAA basketball tournament had graduation rates of 50 percent or better.
Chris Huntington, CNN Financial News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK this morning, American workers look forward to taking those breaks on the job, but forget the coffee and cigarettes, some companies are trying something more creative to get employees pumped up for work. We'll have that story ahead.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you have an office job, you know that sitting at your desk all day long working hard can be a real bummer. You get tired, you get sleeping, you need a break, you need a cup of coffee.
But as CNN's J.J. Ramberg reports, coffee breaks aren't just about coffee anymore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
J.J. RAMBERG, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): So much for coffee, tea, and gossip at the water cooler. Coffee breaks at this transportation company based outside of Chicago are more about boogying than they are about beverages.
CAROLYN GABLE, CEO, NEW AGE TRANSPORTATION: Coffee and tea doesn't work. Jumping up and down gets your adrenaline going. It gets your brain flowing. It gets all your thoughts going. And you come back to your desk and you just feel great.
RAMBERG: Twice a day, employees at New Age Transportation leave their phone calls and e-mails aside to dance, an activity that the CEO says not only helps them, but also helps the company.
GABLE: If you have lethargic people walking around, how do you expect to have great revenues, you know it's a contradiction. So you've got to get the employees revved up.
RAMBERG: Some experts explain the growing popularity of creative work breaks as a way to reenergize the company in the age of corporate downsizing.
ALAN ROBINSON, CO-AUTHOR, "CORPORATE CREATIVITY": Many companies are running just too lean. So the coffee break is one of those things you can do to put back in a little space that's absolutely necessary for the business, for bottom line profits.
RAMBERG: From the electric slide to foosball tournaments, employers are also using the coffee break to stimulate employees to be more creative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For 400, he invented the World Wide Web. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tim Berners-Lee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct.
RAMBERG: At this technology PR firm, every couple of months the CEO gathers his staff to play the company's version of "Jeopardy."
JORDAN CHARNOFSKY, PRES/CEO, FUSION PUBLIC RELATIONS: People need to interact in order to be creative, in order to bring together ideas and in order to work together more effectively as a team.
RAMBERG (on camera): Employers need to be careful about promoting these activities, though. Workplace psychologists say that if employees feel pressure to participate, this scheduled fun has the potential to feel a lot like work.
(voice-over): And there will always be those who just can't seem to find the time to get away.
GABLE: My coffee break, I'm usually working.
RAMBERG: For those people, there is still caffeine.
J.J. Ramberg, CNN Financial News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: I don't know, Rob, can you imagine jumping like at work just jumping with your coworkers? Let's do it.
MARCIANO: Well, come on, Carol, get up, jump, get up. And is that what you want me to do a little jumping jack routine, no.
COSTELLO: Yes, I thought we were going to catch you, but no, you were ready.
MARCIANO: Yes, yes, no, that's what we do -- I was ready for you.
COSTELLO: Thank you -- Rob.
MARCIANO: OK.
COSTELLO: It was nearly 25 years ago when Mount St. Helens erupted. The volcanic ash leveled a massive area of Washington State, killed 57 people. In the next hour of DAYBREAK, looking at the possibilities of another explosion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 28, 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: And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news -- explosions have been rocking the Iraqi city of Fallujah this morning. The U.S. military has launched more airstrikes in the militant stronghold. Fallujah police say the latest strike killed three people.
The U.S. held him for three years as an enemy combatant, and today, Yasser Hamdi could fly back to his native Saudi Arabia. Under a deal with the United States, Hamdi has to give up his U.S. citizenship. He has duel citizenship.
Fans are still fighting over Barry Bonds' 700 home run ball. The San Francisco Giants fan who caught it is being sued by another fan who says the ball was stolen from him during a mad scramble in the stands.
To the Forecast Center and Rob.
Good morning.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Finders keepers, isn't that the way it is?
COSTELLO: That's right.
MARCIANO: How could it be stolen? Silly thing.
COSTELLO: Who knows, people just want to get money however they can.
MARCIANO: It's all about the money.
Hey, Jeanne now decreasing in intensity, thank goodness. Just the remnants of Jeanne, what, a lot of rain. I mean it was just coming down across north Georgia yesterday with four and five inches of rain being reported in many spots. And there were 17 reports of tornadoes during the day yesterday. And we'll probably have, maybe not as many, but certainly the threat thereof, and watch boxes may be posted later on today.
Here is the core of the circulation, but the rain shield is certainly spreading up the I-95 corridor west into the Appalachian Mountain chain. New York City, Philly, D.C., even as far east as Boston, eventually today you'll start to see some rain falling and it could be heavy at times.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: That's the latest from the Forecast Center. Carol, back over to you.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you -- Rob.
MARCIANO: No problem.
COSTELLO: Turning to the hostage crisis in Iraq and the growing number of nations it's affecting. We take you to Britain and Turkey this morning. Iraqi insurgents are holding people from both nations.
We have Alfonso Van Marsh and Robin Oakley. We're going to start in Brighton, England with our European political editor Robin Oakley -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, Carol.
Well this is the last Labour Party conference for Tony Blair before the British general election expected next year. He wants it to be a rousing occasion focusing on the domestic political agenda. Instead, there, once again, Iraq is dominating the headlines, largely because of the fate of the British hostage Kenneth Bigley.
And the situation and its effect on the conference was acknowledged by the second most important man in Labour politics, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN, LABOUR PARTY: Let me say first of all what this whole conference is saying that the thoughts of everyone at this conference today are with Ken Bigley and every member of his brave family. And in these difficult...
(APPLAUSE)
BROWN: And in these difficult and testing times, all of us here, and I believe everyone throughout the country, will give and must give Tony Blair, our leader and Prime Minister, our full support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: The problem for Tony Blair is that many of the Labour Party activists entirely resent his policy in Iraq. They have had another unwelcome reminder this morning with the death of two British soldiers. They forced a debate onto the conference agenda, which will seek a call for the early return of British troops from Iraq.
Tony Blair, in his own speech, will refer to the subject. He cannot duck the subject. And it's expected that he will justify war against Saddam Hussein, though he will acknowledge some of the mistakes of British intelligence which led him to make the incorrect claim that Saddam Hussein had those weapons of mass destruction, which have not been found since. So an uncomfortable time for Tony Blair with the fate of that hostage still hanging by a thread -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Robin Oakley live in London or live in Brighton, England this morning.
Also, still no word on the fate of 10 Turkish hostages in Iraq. Joining us live to talk about that from Istanbul, CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh.
Good morning -- Alphonso.
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, where I've just gotten off the phone with foreign ministry officials, who, as you said, say that the kidnappers of 10 Turkish nationals in Iraq haven't said anything new. There's no new word on the status of these 10 nationals.
About three weeks ago, the armed kidnappers put out a video distributed through Al-Jazeera that showed these 10 Turkish nationals. And they claimed that they would behead the Turkish nationals unless their company pulled out of Iraq.
Now VINSAN, the company, a Turkish company that has a multimillion-dollar contract in Iraq, says that it has freeze its operations but it hasn't committed to leaving the country. And this crisis speaks on a larger issue here in Turkey because thousands of Turkish truck drivers and mechanics are crossing over the border each day to help with the reconstruction process. But they say that the United States isn't doing enough to protect them.
The Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul spoke to the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell last week, asking the United States to do more to protect Turkish truck drivers and mechanics as they make that cross between Turkey and neighboring Iraq. For the U.S. part, it says it's doing more to protect those since 60 percent of those truck convoys are escorted by U.S. troops or coalition troops -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alphonso Van Marsh live from Istanbul, Turkey this morning.
Also, this is the 21st day in captivity for two Italian aid workers in Iraq. Last week, militants had claimed they killed the women, but the Italian government says those claims are unreliable.
Jordan's King Abdullah agrees. He says he believes the Italians are still alive and that Jordan is trying to find them. The king is meeting with Italian officials today in Rome.
And we here at CNN are dealing with a hostage situation of our own, this one in Gaza where gunmen abducted one of our producers.
CNN's senior international editor Eli Flournoy joins us now with the latest word on the -- it's just so sad.
ELI FLOURNOY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, Carol, Riad Ali, a colleague, a close friend of ours, obviously was taken, abducted in Gaza City yesterday. There is Riad. We just got word in, a sound bite in, a statement from Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei who condemned the kidnapping and said that Palestinian police and authorities are doing everything they can. They tell us they have been working nonstop through the night to try and establish where Riad is and secure his release. So we're hopeful of their efforts and all of the authorities, Israeli and Palestinian authorities, are working full stop too.
COSTELLO: Tell our viewers how Riad was abducted.
FLOURNOY: He was abducted in what Ben Wedeman, and we heard from earlier in this show who was an eyewitness, was in the car, Ben Wedeman, the camerawoman Mary Rogers (ph), and Riad.
COSTELLO: They were in a taxi, right?
FLOURNOY: They were in a taxi in Gaza City. Two cars pulled up, stopped the taxi, gunmen got out, put a gun, asked for Riad by name and then took him. Ben says that the whole thing took only about 40 seconds. They knew exactly what they were doing. They knew who they were after. They were specifically after Riad, apparently. And it was a very quick and efficient operation.
COSTELLO: So Riad is of Arab decent?
FLOURNOY: That's correct. He is an Arab-Israeli.
COSTELLO: He is in the Palestinian territories, so that kind of puts him in an awkward position anyway.
FLOURNOY: Right. He is an Arab-Israeli who lives in Israel, who works out of our Jerusalem bureau. His family lives in Israel. And it is an awkward position for Arab-Israelis sort of between being a Palestinian -- or the Palestinian community and the Israeli community as they kind of straddle both.
We don't know why. Obviously we've had no word from the kidnappers about why they took Riad or any demands, so we're still waiting to hear about that. And we just hope and pray that this can be resolved quickly and that Riad will be safe and released soon.
COSTELLO: We hope so. Thank you, Eli.
We're going to take a short break. DAYBREAK will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: They've been stumping and sparring for what seems like forever. Now it's time for the presidential contenders to face off in the debates. We're getting you up to speed with a series of reports leading up to that first debate on Thursday.
Here's our Boston bureau chief Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Sunshine State, battered by four back-to-back hurricanes, now faces the stormy fight for the White House.
GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My opponent has had seven or eight different positions.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The "W" stands for "wrong."
LOTHIAN: The candidates, for the first time, face to face in what Webster's describes as a formal contest of skill and reasoned argument.
The first debate, focusing on foreign policy and homeland security, is a potentially defining event for candidate...
KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON, DEAN, ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATIONS: Sometimes in close elections they swing votes enough to potentially make a difference.
LOTHIAN: ... and voter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a good opportunity to see what they stand for.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well I think it's a piece of a whole composite.
JAMIESON: Debates signal to the electorate that it's time now to firm up the voting decision that you've already made, or if you haven't made one, to get on the ball and start paying attention.
LOTHIAN (on camera): But even before the first question is asked, the debate over the debates seems to have generated as much attention.
It took 32 pages to spell out all the rules: little details such as who gets to see the timing lights. In this case, even the TV audience. Candidates are prohibited from walking beyond their podium area, avoiding what Al Gore did, invading George Bush's space in 2000.
BUSH: And I believe I can.
LOTHIAN: In another debate, Gore, while listening to Bush, lost points while doing this some 18 times. That was fixed by doing away with cutaways when a candidate is speaking, which may also limit the opportunity for a candidate to get caught looking at his watch, appearing bored.
There's even a line that ensures an appropriate temperature in the room will be maintained, according to industry standards, hopefully preventing sweating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two major candidates for the presidency.
LOTHIAN (voice-over): Like Nixon experienced in 1960, blamed in part on a bad makeup job.
(on camera): But some people worry too much control may dilute what the voter needs to see and hear.
JAMES FALLOWS, "ATLANTIC MONTHLY": It's like an unbelievable prenup.
LOTHIAN (voice-over): James Fallows writes for the "Atlantic Monthly."
FALLOWS: I think it's a linear extension, the way these things have gone year-by-year or election-by-election. And each time, each side tries to correct something that was left out the last time.
LOTHIAN: That's important to campaigns, because ever since televised general election presidential debates began in 1960, there have been memorable moments that many believe impacted who won.
RONALD REAGAN, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here you go again.
LOTHIAN: Sometimes it's the substance: what a candidate says but didn't mean to.
FALLOWS: When Jimmy Carter was running against Gerald Ford, a very important moment was...
GERALD FORD, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.
FALLOWS: Gerald Ford appeared to say that he wasn't aware that Poland was under Soviet control, and this sort of fit into an idea that maybe Gerald Ford wasn't on top of all the issues.
LOTHIAN: Carter won the debate and the presidency.
But the unexpected moments sometimes have more to do with perception and interpretation than with reality. And that's something everyone agrees not even 32 pages of hotly negotiated guidelines can control.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And as I mentioned, we'll be looking at the run up to Thursday's debates all week on DAYBREAK. Tomorrow morning, Dan Lothian brings us a look at George W. Bush's debate style. And Thursday's 90-minute debate is the first of three. CNN is going to be at all three presidential debates, so be sure to catch this first one, 9:00 Eastern, Thursday night, right here on CNN. And one cool feature, you'll be able to see real time reaction from a focus group of undecided voters.
Well the rhetoric leading up to the debates is getting nasty as both sides are using fear as a tactic. The Republicans are playing hardball as they try to depict John Kerry as weak on terrorism. Listen to what Vice President Cheney said a few weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today on November 2 we make the right choice. Because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And yesterday, Senator Ted Kennedy took up the challenge, claiming the Bush administration policies have made the U.S. more vulnerable to terror threats. Listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The greatest danger we face in the days, weeks and months ahead is a nuclear 9/11. We hope and pray that it is not already too late to prevent. The war in Iraq has made the mushroom cloud more likely, not less likely, and it never should have happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Common theme here, fear. So our e-mail "Question of the Morning": Is fear as a political tactic, is it working for the candidates? And we've gotten some responses, very good ones, as a matter of fact, as usual.
This is from Nancy (ph) from Irvine, California. She says, "I am sick to death of the Bush-Cheney crowd trying to scare us into voting for them. It's not working with me and it's a despicable tactic."
This is from Michelle (ph) from Copper Center, Alaska. She says, "I don't believe that any scare tactic should influence American voters, but it is inevitable that some voters will be swayed by their emotions due to our troops still being in Iraq and Afghanistan."
And this from Gary (ph) from Raceland, Kentucky. He says, "Is it fear or just plain common sense? Would Americans rather fight terrorists in the deserts of Iraq or Iran or would they rather fight terrorism in the streets of New York or hometown USA?"
And this from Steven (ph) from San Jose, California. He says, "Fear, war mongering and intimidation are the only thing the current administration has left to use. They have lost all credibility."
And finally, this from fearless Bill in Montana. He says, "Of course the despicable tactic of using fear to generate votes is working, just look at the poll numbers. Makes me wonder if the poll numbers are what they are due to the fear of retribution for the wrong answer to a pollster."
You never know. Interesting comments. Keep them coming, daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:48 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.
Still no word on the fate of a CNN producer this morning, gunmen kidnapped Riad Ali yesterday while he was working in the Gaza Strip.
In Dubai, officials are still trying to find out why a half- finished building at the airport collapsed. Five construction workers were killed and a dozen others hurt.
In money news, the price of crude oil has hit $50 a barrel and that would be a record. Blame it on Hurricane Ivan, which disrupted much of the oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico.
In culture, Jay Leno is leaving "The Tonight Show." Actually, he isn't leaving until his current contract runs out in 2009. But NBC already named "Late Night" host Conan O'Brien as Leno's successor.
In sports, Olympic champion gymnast Paul Hamm pleaded his case to sports' highest court in an effort to keep his gold medal. The controversy is over a judging error that wrongly docked a South Korean a tenth of a point. A ruling is expected some time in the next two weeks.
To the Forecast Center now and Rob.
Good morning.
MARCIANO: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Carol, back over to you.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Rob.
Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
College football is one of the most visible parts of any university, but the specter of big time athletics, is it actually hurting most schools?
CNN's Chris Huntington takes a look at academics versus athletics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): American college sports have never been more popular. More televised.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over 25 men's and women's collegiate sports.
HUNTINGTON: And more in debt than they are right now. Even with record revenue flowing in, including new streams from cable channels exclusively covering college sports, most intercollegiate athletic programs lose money.
DR. WILLIAM FRIDAY, CHAIRMAN, KNIGHT COMMISSION: Increasing supply of money distorts the picture so badly.
HUNTINGTON: One glaring example: Syracuse University unexpectedly raised tuition this year to cover a $2.5 million budget deficit run up by its athletic department. The problem, says the top watchdog for college sports, is lavish spending, particularly on football and basketball.
FRIDAY: We're in an arms race. And you have coaches making seven, eight times the salary of the chief executive officer. You know, that can't be tolerated.
HUNTINGTON: Friday blames a win at all costs culture fostered by fans and fueled by big TV contracts. CBS, for instance, is paying the NCAA $6 billion over 11 years to cover the basketball tournament known as March Madness.
The broadcast rights for college football's bowl championship series go for nearly $50 million a game.
BRIAN BEDOL, CEO, CSTV: Any time you have a lot of money going into any business, you're at risk for abuse.
HUNTINGTON: Brian Bedol runs College Sports TV, an all college sports channel launched last year with backing from George Soros and J.P. Morgan. CSTV features many sports that rarely get coverage and educational programming that Bedol believes will push back against the negative stereotypes associated with big time, big money college sports.
BEDOL: What bothers me about the coverage of the abuse is that you create this perception that college sports are bad. And the fact is is that college sports in the United States are probably one of the greatest opportunities that young people have to have somebody else pay for their education while pursuing athletic excellence.
HUNTINGTON: The nagging problem is that in pursuing athletic excellence in college, academics often get trampled. Fewer than one- third of the teams in this year's NCAA basketball tournament had graduation rates of 50 percent or better.
Chris Huntington, CNN Financial News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK this morning, American workers look forward to taking those breaks on the job, but forget the coffee and cigarettes, some companies are trying something more creative to get employees pumped up for work. We'll have that story ahead.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you have an office job, you know that sitting at your desk all day long working hard can be a real bummer. You get tired, you get sleeping, you need a break, you need a cup of coffee.
But as CNN's J.J. Ramberg reports, coffee breaks aren't just about coffee anymore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
J.J. RAMBERG, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): So much for coffee, tea, and gossip at the water cooler. Coffee breaks at this transportation company based outside of Chicago are more about boogying than they are about beverages.
CAROLYN GABLE, CEO, NEW AGE TRANSPORTATION: Coffee and tea doesn't work. Jumping up and down gets your adrenaline going. It gets your brain flowing. It gets all your thoughts going. And you come back to your desk and you just feel great.
RAMBERG: Twice a day, employees at New Age Transportation leave their phone calls and e-mails aside to dance, an activity that the CEO says not only helps them, but also helps the company.
GABLE: If you have lethargic people walking around, how do you expect to have great revenues, you know it's a contradiction. So you've got to get the employees revved up.
RAMBERG: Some experts explain the growing popularity of creative work breaks as a way to reenergize the company in the age of corporate downsizing.
ALAN ROBINSON, CO-AUTHOR, "CORPORATE CREATIVITY": Many companies are running just too lean. So the coffee break is one of those things you can do to put back in a little space that's absolutely necessary for the business, for bottom line profits.
RAMBERG: From the electric slide to foosball tournaments, employers are also using the coffee break to stimulate employees to be more creative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For 400, he invented the World Wide Web. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tim Berners-Lee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct.
RAMBERG: At this technology PR firm, every couple of months the CEO gathers his staff to play the company's version of "Jeopardy."
JORDAN CHARNOFSKY, PRES/CEO, FUSION PUBLIC RELATIONS: People need to interact in order to be creative, in order to bring together ideas and in order to work together more effectively as a team.
RAMBERG (on camera): Employers need to be careful about promoting these activities, though. Workplace psychologists say that if employees feel pressure to participate, this scheduled fun has the potential to feel a lot like work.
(voice-over): And there will always be those who just can't seem to find the time to get away.
GABLE: My coffee break, I'm usually working.
RAMBERG: For those people, there is still caffeine.
J.J. Ramberg, CNN Financial News, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: I don't know, Rob, can you imagine jumping like at work just jumping with your coworkers? Let's do it.
MARCIANO: Well, come on, Carol, get up, jump, get up. And is that what you want me to do a little jumping jack routine, no.
COSTELLO: Yes, I thought we were going to catch you, but no, you were ready.
MARCIANO: Yes, yes, no, that's what we do -- I was ready for you.
COSTELLO: Thank you -- Rob.
MARCIANO: OK.
COSTELLO: It was nearly 25 years ago when Mount St. Helens erupted. The volcanic ash leveled a massive area of Washington State, killed 57 people. In the next hour of DAYBREAK, looking at the possibilities of another explosion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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