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CNN Live At Daybreak
"Hot Topics"; NASCAR Race Team Tragedy; Missing Explosives; "Scorecard"
Aired October 25, 2004 - 06:29 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: The Democrats roll out the big guns in the final days of the presidential campaign. Bill Clinton back on the stump and Jimmy Carter in print.
The former president tells Britain's "Guardian" newspaper -- this is from President Clinton, he says -- and I quote -- "The U.S. suffered, in 9/11 a terrible and shocking attack, and George Bush has been adroit at exploiting that attack. And he has elevated himself in the consciousness of many Americans to a heroic commander-in-chief, fighting a global threat against America" -- that's end quote.
So President Carter is bashing Bush. Soon President Clinton will be, too. Weeks after heart surgery and looking much thinner, Bill Clinton will hit the campaign trail, one of our hot topics this morning.
So let's head live to Washington and Vaughn Ververs of "The National Journal's" "Hotline."
Good morning, Vaughn.
VAUGHN VERVERS, EDITOR, "THE HOTLINE": Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Diane Sawyer of ABC news interviewed Clinton. His interview airs today. Take a look at some of the pictures of President Clinton. He looks less than robust. He looks, of course, much thinner.
VERVERS: Well, it's going to be interesting to see him out on the campaign trail. I think people are very curious at how he will be able to perform, if it'll be the same Bill Clinton that we've seen in the past. He has apparently been getting tired. I mean, it's very common. He just had heart surgery, of course, and, you know, he's not going to be as spry as he used to be right away. But it's going to be interesting to see how he performs.
He's going to be in Philadelphia today and also going to be going down to Florida. And his goal for the moment is to sort of fire up the African-American vote. Of course, Bill Clinton is very popular in that demographic. And he's trying to get that segment of the population excited about John Kerry. The Democratic campaign has been a little bit worried about that, and this will be a big help for him.
And, of course, they'd like to have had him out on the trail a little bit earlier, I think, but they'll take him anytime they can get him. COSTELLO: Yes, and, of course, everyone hopes he's OK. But he does look rather thin. The interesting thing is Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to stump for President Bush. So let's put the Governor Schwarzenegger versus the former President Bill Clinton, who is more helpful to whom?
VERVERS: Well, Clinton probably has a little bit more practical impact. Schwarzenegger does bring a very -- he brings the Hollywood level to the campaign. That's something that the president doesn't have a lot of.
But I think in a practical sense, Bill Clinton probably means more to the Kerry campaign in some of those demographics to really rally the base of the Democratic Party. Schwarzenegger might be effective in trying to lure some undecideds over to the president's side, but, you know, he probably just brings a lot more show than real serious impact.
COSTELLO: Yes, because President Bush's base certainly isn't going to be listening very closely to what Arnold Schwarzenegger says.
VERVERS: That's right.
COSTELLO: President Bush granted an interview to Fox News. In it, he says, America's safety from terrorism is up in the air. And, of course, the Kerry camp has pounced on that. But is that really a slip-up by President Bush, though? I mean, can America ever be completely safe? Was it ever completely safe even before 9/11?
VERVERS: Well, I think that's what the president and his campaign would tell you. But it is sort of confounding that he would make that statement. I mean, after all, he earlier this fall gave another interview where he said that, you know, he doesn't know if the war on terror was winnable. And you can parse that any way you want.
But this is a slip-up in that same vein, and I would think that the president would have sort of prepared a little bit better, maybe remembered that slip-up and not made it again.
You know, it's up in the air what he said as much as what he was talking about. But it certainly is something that the Democrats -- and this is a point in time where we're really focusing in on just the smallest elements of both of these campaigns, and any little thing like that is going to be pounced upon and blown up.
COSTELLO: Oh, you're right about that. Vaughn Ververs is editor of "The Hotline" online. Thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
The New York office of the Homeland Security Department is facing allegations of discrimination. Three African-American female employees have filed a complaint. They say they were dropped from management spots, sent to out-of-state offices and replaced by less- qualified white males.
One of the women, Charlene Monroe, has this to say in a statement. She says: "I received a call on Friday afternoon, August 13, informing me that I was to pack my bags because I was being transferred to an office in California that following Monday. The new management team at Homeland Security has cleaned house of any black employees in the New York office."
A Homeland Security Department spokesman says the allegations are completely false.
Employees and fans gathered outside of the offices of Hendrick Motorsports after they heard that several members of the organization were killed in a plane crash. Among the victims was owner Rick Hendrick's son and brother.
For more on this story, here's John Romero, CNN affiliate WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Good morning to you.
JOHN ROMERO, CNN AFFILIATE WCNC REPORTER: Well, good morning to you, too.
Employees are just now showing up here at Rick Hendrick Motorsports, as friends and family have come to pay their final respects, fans too, to one of NASCAR's best-known names.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMERO (voice over): Fans laying flowers at the gate of Hendrick Motorsports, searching for answers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe it. It's just devastating. It was such a great race team.
ROMERO: Employees comforting each other in the barricaded parking lot, wondering what to do next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pray and be there for each other, and we just need that.
ROMERO: 12:30 yesterday afternoon the Hendrick Motorsports' Beech 200 disappeared from the radar, trying to land at a tiny Blue Ridge regional airport outside of Martinsville. Among the 10 killed in the crash, John Hendrick, brother of Rick, and president of the company, Ricky Hendrick, Rick's son and retired NASCAR driver.
The crash site near Virginia's Bull Mountain is so remote crews were forced to mount their rescue on ATVs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a state police helicopter in the area, who picked up on the transponder signal from the aircraft.
ROMERO: Team owner Rick Hendrick was not on board the flight, skipping the trip because he wasn't feeling well. His team fields some of NASCAR's best-known drivers, including Jeff Gordon.
His drivers at yesterday's Subway 500 not told of the crash until after the race. The winning car was one of Hendrick's and was allowed to skip the Victory Lane celebration.
Back in Concord, employees covered the sign at the entrance of Hendrick Motorsports, waiting until nightfall when the team returned to the shops. They had huddled like a family in mourning for 90 minutes, returning home, taking the condolences of the NASCAR family with them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
A statement early this morning from Hendrick Motorsports asks for prayers, support, but also privacy during what they call a very difficult time.
COSTELLO: John Romero, thanks so much for joining DAYBREAK this morning, from North Carolina.
ROMERO: Thank you very much.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, wounded in war. We'll talk to a general who's trying to make it easier for military families and for the wounded veterans themselves.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A disturbing report out this morning about Iraq's weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, says 350 tons of high explosives have simply vanished from a former Iraqi Army base south of Baghdad.
Joining us to talk about this is Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the IAEA in Vienna.
Good morning.
MELISSA FLEMING, IAEA SPOKESWOMAN: Good morning.
COSTELLO: The Interim Iraqi Government called the IAEA about this. What did they say?
FLEMING: Well, they sent us a declaration on the 10th of October, saying that approximately 350 tons of high explosive material that were previously under our watch had gone missing. They did not indicate when it went missing. They just said due to theft and looting, they're just gone.
COSTELLO: Can you explain to us the types of explosives we're talking about, specifics?
FLEMING: Well, without getting too technical, these are explosives that are more powerful than explosives such as TNT. They have potential conventional military use, for example in artillery ammunitions. They have some civilian use, in quarries for example. But they also have some potential use in a nuclear explosion device, which was why the IAEA was watching out for these materials.
Our most immediate concern is what the threat these explosives would have if they fell into the wrong hands and were used to commit terrorist acts.
COSTELLO: Yes, because these explosives can be used to do things like blow up buildings as well. What does the interim government in Iraq, where do they think these weapons have gone?
FLEMING: They really seem to be throwing their hands up in the air. They say they really just simply do not know.
COSTELLO: Of course, the fear is is that they've landed in the hands of insurgents.
FLEMING: Absolutely. That's the worst-case scenario.
COSTELLO: So the IAEA before the war was watching these weapons. Describe to us what these -- what kind of facility these weapons were kept in.
FLEMING: Actually, they were, you know, explosives, not weapons.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry.
FLEMING: They could potentially have been used in weapons. This was a major, major, huge military facility. It had ammunition stores, ammunition production and several bunkers containing these 350 tons of explosives. A big facility, let's say, about 50 miles southwest of Baghdad.
COSTELLO: So if this was a known facility, why wasn't the U.S. military guarding this?
FLEMING: That's the question we can't answer.
COSTELLO: Melissa Fleming, IAEA spokesperson, joining us live from Vienna this morning, thank you.
Wounded in action. More than 8,000 U.S. troops have been hurt in the Iraq conflict. Of those, 3,712 were returned to duty within a three-day period; 4,304 troops could not return. They had more serious injuries.
And when U.S. troops are wounded, they need more than just bandages or medals. And the Army is trying to provide them with the help they need through a new program called the Disabled Soldiers' Support System.
Joining us from Washington to talk about the program is General Richard Cody.
Good morning, General Cody.
GEN. RICHARD CODY, U.S. ARMY: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: You often visit injured soldiers in hospitals all over the country. What are their injuries?
CODY: Well, for the soldiers that we're talking about for the Disabled Soldiers' Support System, most are amputees, loss of eyes, and severely wounded soldiers that normally can't come back to active duty. We have about 880 soldiers in that category right now, Carol.
COSTELLO: Physically, of course, some will never be the same. But their psychological health is important, too. So how do you help them with that?
CODY: Well, what we've set up with the DS3 program is to deal holistically with the soldier, their family, their extended family. And in many cases, the first thing a disabled soldier wants when we see him at Walter Reed or Bethesda is they want to stay in the Army, because that is their support network. They've just fought for this country. And a lot of them want to stay in.
COSTELLO: So how do you place them?
CODY: Well, what we do -- let me tell you a couple of vignettes. We've got one soldier like Sergeant First Class Louis Rodriguez (ph) who lost a leg while serving in the 101st up in Mosul. He's worked real hard. He's got a prosthesis device. He's still on active duty. He's going to stay on for another three to four years so he can retire. And he's at Fort Campbell now teaching combat medicine.
COSTELLO: Wow!
CODY: And another soldier, a specialist -- excuse me -- Sergeant Cain (ph). He lost his right leg, initially wanted to stay on active duty. Now he wants to go to school, so that our DS3 caseworkers are helping him transition, along with his family, transition out, go to school, and teaming with the Veterans Administration, our caseworkers will follow through with Sergeant Cain (ph) as he goes to school and then moves on to his civilian employment.
COSTELLO: All of this medical care, the prosthesis that you mentioned, costs a lot of money. Is the Army partnering with private entities?
CODY: Well, right now Walter Reed Army Medical Center probably is the foremost and the best place for prosthesis devices. Unfortunately, we've got an awful lot of experience in it.
But the devices today that we have are so much better than what we had in the 1970s and '80s, and that's one of the reasons why we set up the DS3 program, so we could take a look at the different types of regulations and policies so we could help soldiers come back on active duty if they want to and that they can help in their transition to their civilian jobs.
And we're partnering with an awful lot of corporations right now as part of Helping Our Heroes Foundation, so that corporations that want to help us transition soldiers into the civilian community after having served this country. COSTELLO: You know, in looking at those pictures, I know so many people out there want to help. I know you have a hotline number. Tell us what that's for.
CODY: The hotline number is 1-800-833-6622. And that is our disabled soldiers' support system network. And people who want to help, if they call that number we have caseworkers that can put them in touch with foundations like Helping Our Heroes Foundation to assist the soldiers and their families in the transition.
COSTELLO: And, of course, viewers, if you want that number, just e-mail us here, daybreak@cnn.com, and we'll get you that number. General Richard Cody, thanks so much for joining DAYBREAK this morning. We appreciate it.
CODY: Well, thank you, Carol, and we want to thank the American people for their great support of their soldiers.
COSTELLO: It's very special. Thanks, General Cody.
Let's head live to New York now to check in with Bill and Soledad to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."
Good morning to you both.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol. Back here in New York City, a big long week last week in Chicago. A lot more about what you were just talking about, Carol: missing explosives in Iraq. More on that developing story. Hundreds of tons of powerful explosives have disappeared. Live to the Pentagon searching for answers there this morning.
O'BRIEN: Also, we are now eight days away. We're going to continue talking about the campaign. Former President Bill Clinton is going to hit the campaign trail with John Kerry today. The big question, of course: Can he affect the race? He is recovering from quadruple bypass surgery, see how much energy he really has to help out. We're going to talk about the Clinton factor this morning.
HEMMER: Also, this devastating story from over the weekend, a NASCAR plane crash. The NASCAR community suffering a terrible loss, a plane crash killing members of one of the sport's biggest family. We'll measure their impact this morning here at the top of the hour.
O'BRIEN: That's ahead. See you in a little bit -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks to you both.
Coming up, it's a tale of opportunity, some missed, some taken, an emotional World Series. And we've also got NFL action on the DAYBREAK "Scorecard." You stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Oh, it is a manic Monday. It means it's time for some sports talk.
Joining me, as always, CNN sports contributor Chris Cotter, and Jacqui Jeras is in the house today.
CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: I see that. Hello, Jackie.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hello.
COTTER: How are you?
JERAS: Great.
COSTELLO: Now that we have those pleasantries out of the way...
COTTER: Right, the pleasantries of your throat and your voice today.
COSTELLO: I'm telling you...
COTTER: You were at the Giants/Lions game yesterday, huh?
COSTELLO: I was indeed, and it was such an exciting game. We were dressed head to toe in Lion's gear. We were cursed at a lot.
COTTER: In Giants Stadium. There are certain places you just don't do that. You shouldn't do that at all anywhere...
COSTELLO: I must admit...
COTTER: ... but in Giants Stadium you don't do it.
COSTELLO: I must admit, I feared for my life. But the Lions just spanked them.
COTTER: Yes, the Lions are looking very good on the road. You know, Philadelphia is looking good, too. And they go into Cleveland, where, you know, Terrell Owens has been talking smack all week long about his former quarterback, Jeff Garcia, who is now with Cleveland.
And Terrell Owens had a great game. Here, you see Donovan McNabb hooking up with him, and they did it twice on the day. And here he goes and finds a sign that's making fun of him. He rips it off. He always a unique celebration.
Here's Jeff Garcia getting into the end zone, though, to send the game into overtime. And the folks in Cleveland are happy. They almost pulled the upset, but Jeff with a game winner for the Eagles, and the Eagles continue to stay undefeated as one of the best teams in the league.
COSTELLO: They are great this year.
COTTER: Unbelievable.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about the Patriots, because Jacqui has been amazed by that story all morning long.
COTTER: Twenty-one in a row.
JERAS: Unbelievable.
COTTER: Twenty-one in a row!
JERAS: Not knowing what it feels like to lose maybe some of them.
COTTER: Really it's been since last year, last September. So over a calendar year since they've lost a game. Chad Pennington gives it just the early lead, though, here with a run. You can see it's beautiful New England weather there in Foxborough. It's cold. It's rainy. Perfect for the Patriots. They love playing in that kind of stuff.
And here you see Grady (ph) finds Gibbons for the touchdown -- or David Patton, I should say. And it's enough. That's all that the Patriots need, and they rely heavily on defense in forcing turnovers.
COSTELLO: I actually hope they go all the way through without losing a game. I think that would be terrific.
JERAS: It would be terrific.
COTTER: It's an unbelievable story. It's 21 in a row and counting, and they are clearly the best team in the AFC.
COSTELLO: Awesome. Let's whip through Jacksonville, because we have to get to Kansas City and the Falcons.
COTTER: This has become a rivalry, you know, Jacksonville and the Colts, because, you know, the Colts went down there and won earlier on in the season. Now Jacksonville comes up to Indianapolis. And everybody thought Indianapolis was just going to run all over them. Jimmy Smith catches a touchdown, though, and tells the folks in Indianapolis, this is my kind of place right now.
And look at the battling going on here between Manning and Reggie Wayne, a little disgruntlement, a little argument. That's very un- Colt-like, isn't it?
COSTELLO: Yes, because usually the Colts are a pretty boring team.
COTTER: Well, usually they're just dominating, you know? And there are no fireworks, but you see a little bit there from Peyton Manning.
COSTELLO: Oh, good -- actually that's good to see. But let's get to Kansas City, because that was...
JERAS: Oh, my gosh!
COSTELLO: Oh, it was a very... JERAS: How do you score 50 points in one game?
COTTER: It's very difficult, and especially to do it running the football, which is what Kansas City did, eight rushing touchdowns. It sets a new NFL record. Priest Holmes going in here. Priest Holmes going in again and again...
COSTELLO: Again.
COTTER: ... and again, and then here is his counterpart, because he had a broken -- not a broken ankle, a mild ankle injury. Derrick Blaylock comes in and again and again and again, and Priest Holmes again.
JERAS: It's almost (INAUDIBLE) with so much scoring, huh?
COSTELLO: It's amazing.
COTTER: And again.
COSTELLO: Well, you have to wonder about...
JERAS: Over here.
COSTELLO: You have to wonder about Michael Vick, though, because everybody, you know, thinks he's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but maybe he's not.
COTTER: And again with the rushing touchdown. These are not replays, folks. Michael Vick has no shot, because he has no offensive line right now. In this game, when the Chiefs are running the football as effectively as they are, they keep the ball away from Michael Vick. So Michael Vick can't make things happen when he's standing on the sideline.
COSTELLO: Excuses, excuses. We can't get to the World Series, because we're out of sports time. But thanks for joining us, Chris Cotter.
COTTER: Not at all?
COSTELLO: Yes, we have to take a break. I'm sorry. We have to come back with the mug winner...
(CROSSTALK)
COTTER: There's the mug.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We have to talk just for a few seconds about Boston and St. Louis, because Curt Schilling, what a game.
COTTER: He is unbelievable right now. He goes six innings last night. He might, he says after the game, I'm not even thinking about whether I'm going to have to go again if this goes six or seven games. But 2-0 Boston right now. Three-quarters of the teams that have gone up 2-0 in the World Series have won it, but this is the year where everything is kind of out of the ordinary. So we'll still have to wait and see.
Game three on Tuesday. It'll be Suppan and Martinez as your pitchers.
COSTELLO: Cool.
JERAS: All right, let's get to that mug.
COTTER: Here it is.
JERAS: The coveted mug. OK, time to reveal the winner. Friday you asked, Ralph Nader asked the Supreme Court to force what state to put him on the ballot. The answer is Pennsylvania. And speaking of the Red Sox and the Cardinals, in what two years did the Red Sox lose to the Cardinals in a World Series? Do you know?
COTTER: 1946 and 1967.
JERAS: You peeked. You peeked. I know it. The winner is Tom Puterbaugh? I hope I said that right, Tom.
COSTELLO: Yes, from Chula Vista, California.
JERAS: Chula Vista, California.
COSTELLO: Congratulations. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
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Aired October 25, 2004 - 06:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Democrats roll out the big guns in the final days of the presidential campaign. Bill Clinton back on the stump and Jimmy Carter in print.
The former president tells Britain's "Guardian" newspaper -- this is from President Clinton, he says -- and I quote -- "The U.S. suffered, in 9/11 a terrible and shocking attack, and George Bush has been adroit at exploiting that attack. And he has elevated himself in the consciousness of many Americans to a heroic commander-in-chief, fighting a global threat against America" -- that's end quote.
So President Carter is bashing Bush. Soon President Clinton will be, too. Weeks after heart surgery and looking much thinner, Bill Clinton will hit the campaign trail, one of our hot topics this morning.
So let's head live to Washington and Vaughn Ververs of "The National Journal's" "Hotline."
Good morning, Vaughn.
VAUGHN VERVERS, EDITOR, "THE HOTLINE": Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Diane Sawyer of ABC news interviewed Clinton. His interview airs today. Take a look at some of the pictures of President Clinton. He looks less than robust. He looks, of course, much thinner.
VERVERS: Well, it's going to be interesting to see him out on the campaign trail. I think people are very curious at how he will be able to perform, if it'll be the same Bill Clinton that we've seen in the past. He has apparently been getting tired. I mean, it's very common. He just had heart surgery, of course, and, you know, he's not going to be as spry as he used to be right away. But it's going to be interesting to see how he performs.
He's going to be in Philadelphia today and also going to be going down to Florida. And his goal for the moment is to sort of fire up the African-American vote. Of course, Bill Clinton is very popular in that demographic. And he's trying to get that segment of the population excited about John Kerry. The Democratic campaign has been a little bit worried about that, and this will be a big help for him.
And, of course, they'd like to have had him out on the trail a little bit earlier, I think, but they'll take him anytime they can get him. COSTELLO: Yes, and, of course, everyone hopes he's OK. But he does look rather thin. The interesting thing is Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to stump for President Bush. So let's put the Governor Schwarzenegger versus the former President Bill Clinton, who is more helpful to whom?
VERVERS: Well, Clinton probably has a little bit more practical impact. Schwarzenegger does bring a very -- he brings the Hollywood level to the campaign. That's something that the president doesn't have a lot of.
But I think in a practical sense, Bill Clinton probably means more to the Kerry campaign in some of those demographics to really rally the base of the Democratic Party. Schwarzenegger might be effective in trying to lure some undecideds over to the president's side, but, you know, he probably just brings a lot more show than real serious impact.
COSTELLO: Yes, because President Bush's base certainly isn't going to be listening very closely to what Arnold Schwarzenegger says.
VERVERS: That's right.
COSTELLO: President Bush granted an interview to Fox News. In it, he says, America's safety from terrorism is up in the air. And, of course, the Kerry camp has pounced on that. But is that really a slip-up by President Bush, though? I mean, can America ever be completely safe? Was it ever completely safe even before 9/11?
VERVERS: Well, I think that's what the president and his campaign would tell you. But it is sort of confounding that he would make that statement. I mean, after all, he earlier this fall gave another interview where he said that, you know, he doesn't know if the war on terror was winnable. And you can parse that any way you want.
But this is a slip-up in that same vein, and I would think that the president would have sort of prepared a little bit better, maybe remembered that slip-up and not made it again.
You know, it's up in the air what he said as much as what he was talking about. But it certainly is something that the Democrats -- and this is a point in time where we're really focusing in on just the smallest elements of both of these campaigns, and any little thing like that is going to be pounced upon and blown up.
COSTELLO: Oh, you're right about that. Vaughn Ververs is editor of "The Hotline" online. Thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
The New York office of the Homeland Security Department is facing allegations of discrimination. Three African-American female employees have filed a complaint. They say they were dropped from management spots, sent to out-of-state offices and replaced by less- qualified white males.
One of the women, Charlene Monroe, has this to say in a statement. She says: "I received a call on Friday afternoon, August 13, informing me that I was to pack my bags because I was being transferred to an office in California that following Monday. The new management team at Homeland Security has cleaned house of any black employees in the New York office."
A Homeland Security Department spokesman says the allegations are completely false.
Employees and fans gathered outside of the offices of Hendrick Motorsports after they heard that several members of the organization were killed in a plane crash. Among the victims was owner Rick Hendrick's son and brother.
For more on this story, here's John Romero, CNN affiliate WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Good morning to you.
JOHN ROMERO, CNN AFFILIATE WCNC REPORTER: Well, good morning to you, too.
Employees are just now showing up here at Rick Hendrick Motorsports, as friends and family have come to pay their final respects, fans too, to one of NASCAR's best-known names.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMERO (voice over): Fans laying flowers at the gate of Hendrick Motorsports, searching for answers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe it. It's just devastating. It was such a great race team.
ROMERO: Employees comforting each other in the barricaded parking lot, wondering what to do next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pray and be there for each other, and we just need that.
ROMERO: 12:30 yesterday afternoon the Hendrick Motorsports' Beech 200 disappeared from the radar, trying to land at a tiny Blue Ridge regional airport outside of Martinsville. Among the 10 killed in the crash, John Hendrick, brother of Rick, and president of the company, Ricky Hendrick, Rick's son and retired NASCAR driver.
The crash site near Virginia's Bull Mountain is so remote crews were forced to mount their rescue on ATVs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a state police helicopter in the area, who picked up on the transponder signal from the aircraft.
ROMERO: Team owner Rick Hendrick was not on board the flight, skipping the trip because he wasn't feeling well. His team fields some of NASCAR's best-known drivers, including Jeff Gordon.
His drivers at yesterday's Subway 500 not told of the crash until after the race. The winning car was one of Hendrick's and was allowed to skip the Victory Lane celebration.
Back in Concord, employees covered the sign at the entrance of Hendrick Motorsports, waiting until nightfall when the team returned to the shops. They had huddled like a family in mourning for 90 minutes, returning home, taking the condolences of the NASCAR family with them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
A statement early this morning from Hendrick Motorsports asks for prayers, support, but also privacy during what they call a very difficult time.
COSTELLO: John Romero, thanks so much for joining DAYBREAK this morning, from North Carolina.
ROMERO: Thank you very much.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, wounded in war. We'll talk to a general who's trying to make it easier for military families and for the wounded veterans themselves.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A disturbing report out this morning about Iraq's weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, says 350 tons of high explosives have simply vanished from a former Iraqi Army base south of Baghdad.
Joining us to talk about this is Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the IAEA in Vienna.
Good morning.
MELISSA FLEMING, IAEA SPOKESWOMAN: Good morning.
COSTELLO: The Interim Iraqi Government called the IAEA about this. What did they say?
FLEMING: Well, they sent us a declaration on the 10th of October, saying that approximately 350 tons of high explosive material that were previously under our watch had gone missing. They did not indicate when it went missing. They just said due to theft and looting, they're just gone.
COSTELLO: Can you explain to us the types of explosives we're talking about, specifics?
FLEMING: Well, without getting too technical, these are explosives that are more powerful than explosives such as TNT. They have potential conventional military use, for example in artillery ammunitions. They have some civilian use, in quarries for example. But they also have some potential use in a nuclear explosion device, which was why the IAEA was watching out for these materials.
Our most immediate concern is what the threat these explosives would have if they fell into the wrong hands and were used to commit terrorist acts.
COSTELLO: Yes, because these explosives can be used to do things like blow up buildings as well. What does the interim government in Iraq, where do they think these weapons have gone?
FLEMING: They really seem to be throwing their hands up in the air. They say they really just simply do not know.
COSTELLO: Of course, the fear is is that they've landed in the hands of insurgents.
FLEMING: Absolutely. That's the worst-case scenario.
COSTELLO: So the IAEA before the war was watching these weapons. Describe to us what these -- what kind of facility these weapons were kept in.
FLEMING: Actually, they were, you know, explosives, not weapons.
COSTELLO: I'm sorry.
FLEMING: They could potentially have been used in weapons. This was a major, major, huge military facility. It had ammunition stores, ammunition production and several bunkers containing these 350 tons of explosives. A big facility, let's say, about 50 miles southwest of Baghdad.
COSTELLO: So if this was a known facility, why wasn't the U.S. military guarding this?
FLEMING: That's the question we can't answer.
COSTELLO: Melissa Fleming, IAEA spokesperson, joining us live from Vienna this morning, thank you.
Wounded in action. More than 8,000 U.S. troops have been hurt in the Iraq conflict. Of those, 3,712 were returned to duty within a three-day period; 4,304 troops could not return. They had more serious injuries.
And when U.S. troops are wounded, they need more than just bandages or medals. And the Army is trying to provide them with the help they need through a new program called the Disabled Soldiers' Support System.
Joining us from Washington to talk about the program is General Richard Cody.
Good morning, General Cody.
GEN. RICHARD CODY, U.S. ARMY: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: You often visit injured soldiers in hospitals all over the country. What are their injuries?
CODY: Well, for the soldiers that we're talking about for the Disabled Soldiers' Support System, most are amputees, loss of eyes, and severely wounded soldiers that normally can't come back to active duty. We have about 880 soldiers in that category right now, Carol.
COSTELLO: Physically, of course, some will never be the same. But their psychological health is important, too. So how do you help them with that?
CODY: Well, what we've set up with the DS3 program is to deal holistically with the soldier, their family, their extended family. And in many cases, the first thing a disabled soldier wants when we see him at Walter Reed or Bethesda is they want to stay in the Army, because that is their support network. They've just fought for this country. And a lot of them want to stay in.
COSTELLO: So how do you place them?
CODY: Well, what we do -- let me tell you a couple of vignettes. We've got one soldier like Sergeant First Class Louis Rodriguez (ph) who lost a leg while serving in the 101st up in Mosul. He's worked real hard. He's got a prosthesis device. He's still on active duty. He's going to stay on for another three to four years so he can retire. And he's at Fort Campbell now teaching combat medicine.
COSTELLO: Wow!
CODY: And another soldier, a specialist -- excuse me -- Sergeant Cain (ph). He lost his right leg, initially wanted to stay on active duty. Now he wants to go to school, so that our DS3 caseworkers are helping him transition, along with his family, transition out, go to school, and teaming with the Veterans Administration, our caseworkers will follow through with Sergeant Cain (ph) as he goes to school and then moves on to his civilian employment.
COSTELLO: All of this medical care, the prosthesis that you mentioned, costs a lot of money. Is the Army partnering with private entities?
CODY: Well, right now Walter Reed Army Medical Center probably is the foremost and the best place for prosthesis devices. Unfortunately, we've got an awful lot of experience in it.
But the devices today that we have are so much better than what we had in the 1970s and '80s, and that's one of the reasons why we set up the DS3 program, so we could take a look at the different types of regulations and policies so we could help soldiers come back on active duty if they want to and that they can help in their transition to their civilian jobs.
And we're partnering with an awful lot of corporations right now as part of Helping Our Heroes Foundation, so that corporations that want to help us transition soldiers into the civilian community after having served this country. COSTELLO: You know, in looking at those pictures, I know so many people out there want to help. I know you have a hotline number. Tell us what that's for.
CODY: The hotline number is 1-800-833-6622. And that is our disabled soldiers' support system network. And people who want to help, if they call that number we have caseworkers that can put them in touch with foundations like Helping Our Heroes Foundation to assist the soldiers and their families in the transition.
COSTELLO: And, of course, viewers, if you want that number, just e-mail us here, daybreak@cnn.com, and we'll get you that number. General Richard Cody, thanks so much for joining DAYBREAK this morning. We appreciate it.
CODY: Well, thank you, Carol, and we want to thank the American people for their great support of their soldiers.
COSTELLO: It's very special. Thanks, General Cody.
Let's head live to New York now to check in with Bill and Soledad to see what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."
Good morning to you both.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol. Back here in New York City, a big long week last week in Chicago. A lot more about what you were just talking about, Carol: missing explosives in Iraq. More on that developing story. Hundreds of tons of powerful explosives have disappeared. Live to the Pentagon searching for answers there this morning.
O'BRIEN: Also, we are now eight days away. We're going to continue talking about the campaign. Former President Bill Clinton is going to hit the campaign trail with John Kerry today. The big question, of course: Can he affect the race? He is recovering from quadruple bypass surgery, see how much energy he really has to help out. We're going to talk about the Clinton factor this morning.
HEMMER: Also, this devastating story from over the weekend, a NASCAR plane crash. The NASCAR community suffering a terrible loss, a plane crash killing members of one of the sport's biggest family. We'll measure their impact this morning here at the top of the hour.
O'BRIEN: That's ahead. See you in a little bit -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks to you both.
Coming up, it's a tale of opportunity, some missed, some taken, an emotional World Series. And we've also got NFL action on the DAYBREAK "Scorecard." You stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Oh, it is a manic Monday. It means it's time for some sports talk.
Joining me, as always, CNN sports contributor Chris Cotter, and Jacqui Jeras is in the house today.
CHRIS COTTER, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: I see that. Hello, Jackie.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hello.
COTTER: How are you?
JERAS: Great.
COSTELLO: Now that we have those pleasantries out of the way...
COTTER: Right, the pleasantries of your throat and your voice today.
COSTELLO: I'm telling you...
COTTER: You were at the Giants/Lions game yesterday, huh?
COSTELLO: I was indeed, and it was such an exciting game. We were dressed head to toe in Lion's gear. We were cursed at a lot.
COTTER: In Giants Stadium. There are certain places you just don't do that. You shouldn't do that at all anywhere...
COSTELLO: I must admit...
COTTER: ... but in Giants Stadium you don't do it.
COSTELLO: I must admit, I feared for my life. But the Lions just spanked them.
COTTER: Yes, the Lions are looking very good on the road. You know, Philadelphia is looking good, too. And they go into Cleveland, where, you know, Terrell Owens has been talking smack all week long about his former quarterback, Jeff Garcia, who is now with Cleveland.
And Terrell Owens had a great game. Here, you see Donovan McNabb hooking up with him, and they did it twice on the day. And here he goes and finds a sign that's making fun of him. He rips it off. He always a unique celebration.
Here's Jeff Garcia getting into the end zone, though, to send the game into overtime. And the folks in Cleveland are happy. They almost pulled the upset, but Jeff with a game winner for the Eagles, and the Eagles continue to stay undefeated as one of the best teams in the league.
COSTELLO: They are great this year.
COTTER: Unbelievable.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about the Patriots, because Jacqui has been amazed by that story all morning long.
COTTER: Twenty-one in a row.
JERAS: Unbelievable.
COTTER: Twenty-one in a row!
JERAS: Not knowing what it feels like to lose maybe some of them.
COTTER: Really it's been since last year, last September. So over a calendar year since they've lost a game. Chad Pennington gives it just the early lead, though, here with a run. You can see it's beautiful New England weather there in Foxborough. It's cold. It's rainy. Perfect for the Patriots. They love playing in that kind of stuff.
And here you see Grady (ph) finds Gibbons for the touchdown -- or David Patton, I should say. And it's enough. That's all that the Patriots need, and they rely heavily on defense in forcing turnovers.
COSTELLO: I actually hope they go all the way through without losing a game. I think that would be terrific.
JERAS: It would be terrific.
COTTER: It's an unbelievable story. It's 21 in a row and counting, and they are clearly the best team in the AFC.
COSTELLO: Awesome. Let's whip through Jacksonville, because we have to get to Kansas City and the Falcons.
COTTER: This has become a rivalry, you know, Jacksonville and the Colts, because, you know, the Colts went down there and won earlier on in the season. Now Jacksonville comes up to Indianapolis. And everybody thought Indianapolis was just going to run all over them. Jimmy Smith catches a touchdown, though, and tells the folks in Indianapolis, this is my kind of place right now.
And look at the battling going on here between Manning and Reggie Wayne, a little disgruntlement, a little argument. That's very un- Colt-like, isn't it?
COSTELLO: Yes, because usually the Colts are a pretty boring team.
COTTER: Well, usually they're just dominating, you know? And there are no fireworks, but you see a little bit there from Peyton Manning.
COSTELLO: Oh, good -- actually that's good to see. But let's get to Kansas City, because that was...
JERAS: Oh, my gosh!
COSTELLO: Oh, it was a very... JERAS: How do you score 50 points in one game?
COTTER: It's very difficult, and especially to do it running the football, which is what Kansas City did, eight rushing touchdowns. It sets a new NFL record. Priest Holmes going in here. Priest Holmes going in again and again...
COSTELLO: Again.
COTTER: ... and again, and then here is his counterpart, because he had a broken -- not a broken ankle, a mild ankle injury. Derrick Blaylock comes in and again and again and again, and Priest Holmes again.
JERAS: It's almost (INAUDIBLE) with so much scoring, huh?
COSTELLO: It's amazing.
COTTER: And again.
COSTELLO: Well, you have to wonder about...
JERAS: Over here.
COSTELLO: You have to wonder about Michael Vick, though, because everybody, you know, thinks he's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but maybe he's not.
COTTER: And again with the rushing touchdown. These are not replays, folks. Michael Vick has no shot, because he has no offensive line right now. In this game, when the Chiefs are running the football as effectively as they are, they keep the ball away from Michael Vick. So Michael Vick can't make things happen when he's standing on the sideline.
COSTELLO: Excuses, excuses. We can't get to the World Series, because we're out of sports time. But thanks for joining us, Chris Cotter.
COTTER: Not at all?
COSTELLO: Yes, we have to take a break. I'm sorry. We have to come back with the mug winner...
(CROSSTALK)
COTTER: There's the mug.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We have to talk just for a few seconds about Boston and St. Louis, because Curt Schilling, what a game.
COTTER: He is unbelievable right now. He goes six innings last night. He might, he says after the game, I'm not even thinking about whether I'm going to have to go again if this goes six or seven games. But 2-0 Boston right now. Three-quarters of the teams that have gone up 2-0 in the World Series have won it, but this is the year where everything is kind of out of the ordinary. So we'll still have to wait and see.
Game three on Tuesday. It'll be Suppan and Martinez as your pitchers.
COSTELLO: Cool.
JERAS: All right, let's get to that mug.
COTTER: Here it is.
JERAS: The coveted mug. OK, time to reveal the winner. Friday you asked, Ralph Nader asked the Supreme Court to force what state to put him on the ballot. The answer is Pennsylvania. And speaking of the Red Sox and the Cardinals, in what two years did the Red Sox lose to the Cardinals in a World Series? Do you know?
COTTER: 1946 and 1967.
JERAS: You peeked. You peeked. I know it. The winner is Tom Puterbaugh? I hope I said that right, Tom.
COSTELLO: Yes, from Chula Vista, California.
JERAS: Chula Vista, California.
COSTELLO: Congratulations. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
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