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CNN Live At Daybreak
Troop Morale as They Face Another Holiday Season Away From Home; Police Out in Force to Try to Keep Casualty Rate Low for Thanksgiving
Aired November 19, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK. Happy Friday, too. Let's check the headlines, shall we?
A bill raising the federal borrowing limit by $800 billion, it's on its way to President Bush's desk. The House gave final approval to the measure late last night. It will raise the federal borrowing limit to nearly $8.2 trillion. President Bush is expected to sign the measure on Monday.
Protesters have already hit the streets to oppose President Bush's visit to Santiago, Chile, today. The president will be attending the Pacific Rim Economic Summit, which kicks off tomorrow. Among other things, Mr. Bush will push for freer trade.
Warring factions in Sudan have signed an agreement promising to end their 21-year civil war. They signed the deal in front of the U.N. Security Council, which led to a rare meeting in Kenya.
French President Jacques Chirac is in the final day of a state visit to Britain. It is part of a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of an agreement to end the colonial rivalry between France and Britain.
To the forecast center now.
Good morning, Chad.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: U.S. lead troops fought with insurgents in Falluja again today. That comes after troops found a house suspected of being a command center for fighter loyal to terrorist leader Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. Among items in the house, anti-tank mines with explosives removed for us in home-made bombs.
And about seven miles north of Falluja there is an effort to send food and other aid to the civilians forced to flee the fighting.
Here in the states, in Connecticut, the mother and father of two Marines serving in Iraq say they've had enough. One son has been wounded. And now they want the other son removed from harm's way. CNN's Mary Snow has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VERA HERON, MOTHER OF MARINE: I just -- just broke down. I can't believe it.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A mother grapples with the tragedy of war. Her 24-year-old son, Corporal Brian Johnston, lost his right arm and part of his right leg fighting with the Marines in Falluja, earlier this month.
Her only other son, Kevin, is also a Marine, on his second tour of duty. He, too, was just in Falluja. The family now wants him out of Iraq.
HERON: There are only two children. We only have the two boys.
BRUCE JOHNSTON, FATHER OF MARINE: We've already given enough. We do not want to go through this again, ever again.
SNOW: And they've enlisted the help of politicians from their home state of Connecticut.
REP. JOHN LARSON, (D) CONNECTICUT: To look into the eye of any parent, in that situation, obviously, you can identify with the urgency needed to bring their other son home.
SNOW: There are cases when the military does take some one out of combat zones.
TOM HANKS, ACTOR, "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN": We're here for a Private Ryan. SNOW: It was made famous in "Saving Private Ryan", when a paratrooper was ordered out of combat during World War II, after his three brothers were killed.
Back in April, two sisters from the Wisconsin National Guard were transferred to non-combat jobs when their sister was killed in the line of duty. This case is different, since Corporal Johnston is a survivor.
JOHNSTON: To hell with the damn rules and regulations. I want my son home and I want him home now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Heartbreaking, that was Mary Snow reporting.
You know, for the men and women who are fighting the battle in Iraq, it is tough. So we're wondering about troop morale, as they face another holiday season away from home. So let's head "The War Room", now, and our Senior International Editor David Clinch.
Good morning, David.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.
This is one of the things that our reporters that are embedded with the troops, they are right there, so they are witnessing this question of morale in real time. And we're about 19 days into November now, an average of five coalition troops are dying every day of this month. So morale is a very key issue.
You know, when you are right in there with the troops, our reporters are telling us, you always find there is the clown, the comedian. You look at all these pictures of these guys fighting, but when they're off the front line and back at base, there is always the comedian. There is always the musician.
And then other things come into play, too. There is faith. We've seen lots of pictures of many of the troops there, in Iraq, being baptized, there in Iraq. Realizing that their faith is very important to them.
Then, of course, really the officers telling us that the most important thing for morale is discipline. They have to know what the goal is and they have to know how to achieve it. And with the focus on discipline, that helps moral a lot.
But, you know, the other question of course is what does victory mean for these? Some of the soldiers on the ground victory is about the military aspect. And some of them looking at that story about the family back home, for some of them victory is going home.
So morale is a very complicated, very difficult issue.
COSTELLO: You know, I wanted to ask you something about this, that Marine, accused of shooting the Iraqi man inside the mosque. He had been shot the day before, sent back into battle. Is that standard procedure?
CLINCH: Well, we were asking about that, at the time. Apparently, it really is just a medical decision. There isn't necessarily a standard as such. It is whether they are fit for duty and if they are, they go back, and that apparently was the case.
Morale, obviously, a factor there, too. When the soldiers want to fight and they want to be on the front line, the officers reluctant, obviously, to keep them back. But you know we talk about how many people have died, injuries of course are a very big factor as well. And for these troops on the front line, seeing their colleagues dead, seeing their colleagues injured and shipped out to Landstuhl, as we were reporting last week, in Germany, the injured there. It is tough.
But, again, discipline really is the key. They focus on the goal and for some of them, they focus on getting home.
COSTELLO: David Clinch, live in London, in "The War Room" this morning. Thank you.
Get ready, millions of people will be going to grandma's house next week for Thanksgiving. Oh, lucky people after that report, don't you think?
At 42 minutes past we'll take a look at how to get where you are going safely. And please let us know how you feel this morning. Our e-mail question of the morning: Has the FCC gone too far? Daybreak@cnn.com
Here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(GRAPHIC WITH HEADLINES)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you are planning to drive somewhere this holiday season be sure to buckle up and watch the speed limit. That is because the police are out in force to try to keep the casualty rate low for Thanksgiving. CNN's Julie Vallese has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT (voice over): More Americans will travel over the right and through the woods this coming holiday weekend than last year, according to the annual AAA survey.
JUSTIN MCCALL (ph), AAA: We're expecting more than 37 millions Americans to travel this Thanksgiving, which is an increase of more the 3 percent from last year.
VALLESE: The roadways will be most crowded with more than 30 million traveling by car. And the National Safety Council is predicting 556 people may die, and other 30,000 may be seriously injured.
Buckling up is one sure way to lower the risk. Another may be lowering speed.
JENNIFER DOLE, RESEARCHER, COMMUTE ATLANTA: Trips with a duration of greater than 15 minutes tend to have a higher percentage of speeding activity.
VALLESE: That is what researchers at Georgia Tech have found in an ongoing study, the largest behavioral study of its kind. An instrument monitors the travel patterns of drivers, where they are going, how often they are driving, and the speeds at which they are traveling.
DOLE: Well, 44 percent of all of our movement or driving activity, where the vehicle is in motion, is above the posted speed limit.
VALLESE: That acceleration occurs not matter the posted speed limit, bit it 25, 65, or anything in between.
McCALL: The roads are going to be very busy, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time so you are not in a rush, so that you don't do anything foolish.
VALLESE: And if you do, law enforcement will be out in full force, enforcing seat belt laws, drunk driving laws, and in the case of what researchers have found is a major contributing factor, in fatal crashes, speeding laws -- Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports it is 5:44 Eastern. Here's what is all new this morning.
It is in writing, Sudanese government and rebel officials signed an agreement today promising to end the 21-year civil war in Sudan. They made that written pledge at a United Nations Security Council meeting in Kenya.
A star-studded gala to raise money to find a cure for victims of spinal cord injuries turns into a tribute to for the late Christopher Reeve. The New York event raised $1.7 million.
In money news, someone else will walk in the shoes of Nike's co- found Phil Knight. He is stepping down as president and CEO of the athletic shoe and clothing company. He'll be replaced by William Perez, the top man at S.C. Johnson & Son.
In culture, the Museum of Modern Art is ready to reopen in New York City. It has been closed for more than two years while $425 million worth of renovations were done.
In sports, Roger Federer advanced to the semi-finals of the Tennis Masters Series finale in Houston, Texas. Federer beat Leyton Hewitt, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, to remain undefeated in the round robin tournament.
To the forecast center now, and Chad.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning. Still to come on DAYBREAK. Sudden Impact, an ad campaign designed to get your attention so you will get to a doctor. We'll check to see if the ends justifies the means, though.
And we want to know what you think this morning. Has the FCC gone too far with its indecency regulations? Send your e-mails to us, Daybreak@cnn.com. That is Daybreak@cnn.com.
And you are watching DAYBREAK for Friday, November 19.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A new ad campaign in magazines and pasted on walls around New York is raising awareness and quite a few eyebrows. CNN's Adaora Udoji shows us what its all about.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Even along a busy Manhattan street the poster stand out. Over a picture of a nude man, on asks, "What do we have to do to remind you to get a prostate screening? Tie a ribbon on it?" JULIE LEWIT-NEURENBERG, BLUE RIBBON PROSTATE INITIATIVE: They are intended to be shocking because this is not the time to bashful and reticent. Especially when it comes to saving men's lives.
UDOJI: President of the Blue Ribbon Prostate Initiative, Julie Lewit-Neurenberg says, people must understand 230,000 men are newly diagnosed and 30,000 die of prostate cancer every year. Determined to change that, the magazine veteran developed and ad campaign. The first one ran in "O"s September issue. And the response she says was immediate, 1,000 men and women, mostly women, called for information.
LEWIT-NEURENBERG: Men do not go to the doctor, unless somebody, literally, says to them, OK, honey. You're going. And you're going right now.
UDOJI: Ads are also planned in half a dozen upcoming national magazines.
(On camera): Then there are these street posters. She says 130 have been put up the past two months here in New York City, with more planned across the country next year.
(Voice over): Some from New York's Conservative Party applaud the goal but say ads like this go too far. It reads, "Finally, it pays to think with your -- beep".
MIKE LONG, NEW YORK CONSERVATIVE PARTY: I think what they are really doing here is shock value. It is outrageous that the go to the lowest level, trying to appeal to someone, to get some one's attention.
UDOJI: Lewit-Neurenberg respectfully disagrees. She says little else seems to work and she's determined to see prostate cancer death rates decline - Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: In other "Health Headlines" for you this morning, one of the FDA's own scientists is criticizing the agency over its handling of the Vioxx drug. Dr. David Graham told Congress, the agency failed to protect the public. The arthritic painkiller, has been withdrawn from the market because of the threat of heart risks.
Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's choice to be the next secretary of State, is due to have minor surgery today. Rice, currently Bush's national security advisor, will undergo uterine surgery, no anesthesia required. But she will stay overnight at a Washington hospital.
For more on this or any other health story, head to our web site, CNN.com/health.
Here's what is all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK. The cracks are getting a little deeper in the wonderful world of Disney. We'll take a look at the fallout over Chief Executive Michael Eisner calling the company's former president, a "psychopath". Whew. And SpongeBob SquarePants leaps from the TV to the silver screen. We'll take a look at if the film is all wet or good enough to soak up some major dollars. And we'll also take a look at the psychology of SpongeBob. Why do adults love this cartoon so much?
Also, today's history question. Are you ready? What important presidential speech was made on this date?
From New York, this is DAYBREAK for a Friday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: All right our history trivia question for the morning. What important presidential speech was made on this date?
Kind of a wide-ranging question, isn't it? But we have the answer for you, it is, "The Gettysburg Address". It was delivered in 1863 by President Lincoln at the dedication of a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. And a powerful address it was.
Time to check out our web clicks this morning, because of course we are always interested in what you are interested in on CNN.com.
And this first story is incredible, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Ready.
COSTELLO: It is in Florida, these bus passengers. They were riding on the bus towards the Sunshine Bridge in Tampa.
MYERS: Right?
COSTELLO: And the driver has a heart attack, collapses and falls out of his seat.
MYERS: And the passengers come in and save the day.
COSTELLO: Three passengers run up, take the wheel, they control the bus, stopping it before it plummets off the bridge.
MYERS: Yes, this is not a low bridge. This is way up there, cruise ships go under this bridge.
COSTELLO: Oh, it is so scary. And you know, bridges scare me anyway. Going over them I just have this thing.
MYERS: Guess what, Carol? You live on an island.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Oh, right.
The second-most popular story on CNN.com this morning. Bill Gates, you think you get a lot of spam?
MYERS: Well, I do. And you know what?
COSTELLO: But Bill Gates, though?
MYERS: You know what it is like, I have problems with something down below my waist, I don't have any hair, I got credit problems and women still want to meet me! I don't know. All the spam I get is crazy.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Well, Bill Gates gets the same spam, except he gets 4 million e-mails every day. They have an entire department devoted just to getting rid of this e-mail that he gets.
MYERS: You'd think he'd make himself a spam blocker or something.
COSTELLO: Well, they do. But some still get through because those spammers are smart. They certainly are.
Let's get to our e-mail question of the day. We've had many interesting responses. We're asking you: Do you think the FCC has gone too far?
I know you have some e-mails to read, Chad.
MYERS: Diane, in Columbia, Maryland, thinks that "The FCC is confused. The commercials are racier now than the programs."
But the commercials are also under the scrutiny, too, though. Right?
COSTELLO: Interesting. Yes, they are, but she is absolutely right about that.
This is from Rex, from Atlanta. "You're kidding? Right? Has the FCC gone too far? Why isn't the question, has Howard Stern gone too far? The airways belong to all of us. It is not too much to ask that they be kept free from the clutter of Stern's verbal garbage.
"And yes, I hope the network is fined for that towel-dropping football intro. Absolutely uncalled for."
MYERS: You know, Howard Stern really is in almost every one of the e-mails. Mentioned, something, one way or the other.
"No. We have not gone too far. We need the obscenity rules for cesspool types like Howard Stern who exploit the deviant side of the weak people for his own financial gain." From Scott, in Trucky (ph), California.
COSTELLO: Wow. That is a terse one.
MYERS: Wow.
COSTELLO: We love those. This is from Douglas, "The violence of a football game, where we sometimes see people suffer devastating injuries on live TV is fine for our children to view but Nicolette Sheridan's naked back is not? What kind of absurd and bizarre country do we live in these days?"
MYERS: Well, you know, the FCC has rules on time. After 10 o'clock it is OK to do some of those things.
COSTELLO: Yes, but a football game is on in the afternoon.
MYERS: This is "Monday Night Football".
COSTELLO: Oh, that's right. But still you see it in the afternoon on Sundays.
MYERS: Yes, and the other thing it is 6 o'clock in California.
COSTELLO: That's right.
MYERS: Wasn't even nighttime there.
And one from Dave, "The FCC has gone so far they are not on this world anymore. Howard Stern thinks he'll be safe on satellite radio. Think again. The FCC is coming to cable and satellite. You just watch."
COSTELLO: I don't think so. I don't think so.
Thanks for your e-mails this morning. We enjoyed them.
The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 19, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK. Happy Friday, too. Let's check the headlines, shall we?
A bill raising the federal borrowing limit by $800 billion, it's on its way to President Bush's desk. The House gave final approval to the measure late last night. It will raise the federal borrowing limit to nearly $8.2 trillion. President Bush is expected to sign the measure on Monday.
Protesters have already hit the streets to oppose President Bush's visit to Santiago, Chile, today. The president will be attending the Pacific Rim Economic Summit, which kicks off tomorrow. Among other things, Mr. Bush will push for freer trade.
Warring factions in Sudan have signed an agreement promising to end their 21-year civil war. They signed the deal in front of the U.N. Security Council, which led to a rare meeting in Kenya.
French President Jacques Chirac is in the final day of a state visit to Britain. It is part of a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of an agreement to end the colonial rivalry between France and Britain.
To the forecast center now.
Good morning, Chad.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: U.S. lead troops fought with insurgents in Falluja again today. That comes after troops found a house suspected of being a command center for fighter loyal to terrorist leader Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. Among items in the house, anti-tank mines with explosives removed for us in home-made bombs.
And about seven miles north of Falluja there is an effort to send food and other aid to the civilians forced to flee the fighting.
Here in the states, in Connecticut, the mother and father of two Marines serving in Iraq say they've had enough. One son has been wounded. And now they want the other son removed from harm's way. CNN's Mary Snow has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VERA HERON, MOTHER OF MARINE: I just -- just broke down. I can't believe it.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A mother grapples with the tragedy of war. Her 24-year-old son, Corporal Brian Johnston, lost his right arm and part of his right leg fighting with the Marines in Falluja, earlier this month.
Her only other son, Kevin, is also a Marine, on his second tour of duty. He, too, was just in Falluja. The family now wants him out of Iraq.
HERON: There are only two children. We only have the two boys.
BRUCE JOHNSTON, FATHER OF MARINE: We've already given enough. We do not want to go through this again, ever again.
SNOW: And they've enlisted the help of politicians from their home state of Connecticut.
REP. JOHN LARSON, (D) CONNECTICUT: To look into the eye of any parent, in that situation, obviously, you can identify with the urgency needed to bring their other son home.
SNOW: There are cases when the military does take some one out of combat zones.
TOM HANKS, ACTOR, "SAVING PRIVATE RYAN": We're here for a Private Ryan. SNOW: It was made famous in "Saving Private Ryan", when a paratrooper was ordered out of combat during World War II, after his three brothers were killed.
Back in April, two sisters from the Wisconsin National Guard were transferred to non-combat jobs when their sister was killed in the line of duty. This case is different, since Corporal Johnston is a survivor.
JOHNSTON: To hell with the damn rules and regulations. I want my son home and I want him home now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Heartbreaking, that was Mary Snow reporting.
You know, for the men and women who are fighting the battle in Iraq, it is tough. So we're wondering about troop morale, as they face another holiday season away from home. So let's head "The War Room", now, and our Senior International Editor David Clinch.
Good morning, David.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.
This is one of the things that our reporters that are embedded with the troops, they are right there, so they are witnessing this question of morale in real time. And we're about 19 days into November now, an average of five coalition troops are dying every day of this month. So morale is a very key issue.
You know, when you are right in there with the troops, our reporters are telling us, you always find there is the clown, the comedian. You look at all these pictures of these guys fighting, but when they're off the front line and back at base, there is always the comedian. There is always the musician.
And then other things come into play, too. There is faith. We've seen lots of pictures of many of the troops there, in Iraq, being baptized, there in Iraq. Realizing that their faith is very important to them.
Then, of course, really the officers telling us that the most important thing for morale is discipline. They have to know what the goal is and they have to know how to achieve it. And with the focus on discipline, that helps moral a lot.
But, you know, the other question of course is what does victory mean for these? Some of the soldiers on the ground victory is about the military aspect. And some of them looking at that story about the family back home, for some of them victory is going home.
So morale is a very complicated, very difficult issue.
COSTELLO: You know, I wanted to ask you something about this, that Marine, accused of shooting the Iraqi man inside the mosque. He had been shot the day before, sent back into battle. Is that standard procedure?
CLINCH: Well, we were asking about that, at the time. Apparently, it really is just a medical decision. There isn't necessarily a standard as such. It is whether they are fit for duty and if they are, they go back, and that apparently was the case.
Morale, obviously, a factor there, too. When the soldiers want to fight and they want to be on the front line, the officers reluctant, obviously, to keep them back. But you know we talk about how many people have died, injuries of course are a very big factor as well. And for these troops on the front line, seeing their colleagues dead, seeing their colleagues injured and shipped out to Landstuhl, as we were reporting last week, in Germany, the injured there. It is tough.
But, again, discipline really is the key. They focus on the goal and for some of them, they focus on getting home.
COSTELLO: David Clinch, live in London, in "The War Room" this morning. Thank you.
Get ready, millions of people will be going to grandma's house next week for Thanksgiving. Oh, lucky people after that report, don't you think?
At 42 minutes past we'll take a look at how to get where you are going safely. And please let us know how you feel this morning. Our e-mail question of the morning: Has the FCC gone too far? Daybreak@cnn.com
Here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(GRAPHIC WITH HEADLINES)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If you are planning to drive somewhere this holiday season be sure to buckle up and watch the speed limit. That is because the police are out in force to try to keep the casualty rate low for Thanksgiving. CNN's Julie Vallese has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT (voice over): More Americans will travel over the right and through the woods this coming holiday weekend than last year, according to the annual AAA survey.
JUSTIN MCCALL (ph), AAA: We're expecting more than 37 millions Americans to travel this Thanksgiving, which is an increase of more the 3 percent from last year.
VALLESE: The roadways will be most crowded with more than 30 million traveling by car. And the National Safety Council is predicting 556 people may die, and other 30,000 may be seriously injured.
Buckling up is one sure way to lower the risk. Another may be lowering speed.
JENNIFER DOLE, RESEARCHER, COMMUTE ATLANTA: Trips with a duration of greater than 15 minutes tend to have a higher percentage of speeding activity.
VALLESE: That is what researchers at Georgia Tech have found in an ongoing study, the largest behavioral study of its kind. An instrument monitors the travel patterns of drivers, where they are going, how often they are driving, and the speeds at which they are traveling.
DOLE: Well, 44 percent of all of our movement or driving activity, where the vehicle is in motion, is above the posted speed limit.
VALLESE: That acceleration occurs not matter the posted speed limit, bit it 25, 65, or anything in between.
McCALL: The roads are going to be very busy, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time so you are not in a rush, so that you don't do anything foolish.
VALLESE: And if you do, law enforcement will be out in full force, enforcing seat belt laws, drunk driving laws, and in the case of what researchers have found is a major contributing factor, in fatal crashes, speeding laws -- Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports it is 5:44 Eastern. Here's what is all new this morning.
It is in writing, Sudanese government and rebel officials signed an agreement today promising to end the 21-year civil war in Sudan. They made that written pledge at a United Nations Security Council meeting in Kenya.
A star-studded gala to raise money to find a cure for victims of spinal cord injuries turns into a tribute to for the late Christopher Reeve. The New York event raised $1.7 million.
In money news, someone else will walk in the shoes of Nike's co- found Phil Knight. He is stepping down as president and CEO of the athletic shoe and clothing company. He'll be replaced by William Perez, the top man at S.C. Johnson & Son.
In culture, the Museum of Modern Art is ready to reopen in New York City. It has been closed for more than two years while $425 million worth of renovations were done.
In sports, Roger Federer advanced to the semi-finals of the Tennis Masters Series finale in Houston, Texas. Federer beat Leyton Hewitt, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, to remain undefeated in the round robin tournament.
To the forecast center now, and Chad.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning. Still to come on DAYBREAK. Sudden Impact, an ad campaign designed to get your attention so you will get to a doctor. We'll check to see if the ends justifies the means, though.
And we want to know what you think this morning. Has the FCC gone too far with its indecency regulations? Send your e-mails to us, Daybreak@cnn.com. That is Daybreak@cnn.com.
And you are watching DAYBREAK for Friday, November 19.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: A new ad campaign in magazines and pasted on walls around New York is raising awareness and quite a few eyebrows. CNN's Adaora Udoji shows us what its all about.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Even along a busy Manhattan street the poster stand out. Over a picture of a nude man, on asks, "What do we have to do to remind you to get a prostate screening? Tie a ribbon on it?" JULIE LEWIT-NEURENBERG, BLUE RIBBON PROSTATE INITIATIVE: They are intended to be shocking because this is not the time to bashful and reticent. Especially when it comes to saving men's lives.
UDOJI: President of the Blue Ribbon Prostate Initiative, Julie Lewit-Neurenberg says, people must understand 230,000 men are newly diagnosed and 30,000 die of prostate cancer every year. Determined to change that, the magazine veteran developed and ad campaign. The first one ran in "O"s September issue. And the response she says was immediate, 1,000 men and women, mostly women, called for information.
LEWIT-NEURENBERG: Men do not go to the doctor, unless somebody, literally, says to them, OK, honey. You're going. And you're going right now.
UDOJI: Ads are also planned in half a dozen upcoming national magazines.
(On camera): Then there are these street posters. She says 130 have been put up the past two months here in New York City, with more planned across the country next year.
(Voice over): Some from New York's Conservative Party applaud the goal but say ads like this go too far. It reads, "Finally, it pays to think with your -- beep".
MIKE LONG, NEW YORK CONSERVATIVE PARTY: I think what they are really doing here is shock value. It is outrageous that the go to the lowest level, trying to appeal to someone, to get some one's attention.
UDOJI: Lewit-Neurenberg respectfully disagrees. She says little else seems to work and she's determined to see prostate cancer death rates decline - Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: In other "Health Headlines" for you this morning, one of the FDA's own scientists is criticizing the agency over its handling of the Vioxx drug. Dr. David Graham told Congress, the agency failed to protect the public. The arthritic painkiller, has been withdrawn from the market because of the threat of heart risks.
Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's choice to be the next secretary of State, is due to have minor surgery today. Rice, currently Bush's national security advisor, will undergo uterine surgery, no anesthesia required. But she will stay overnight at a Washington hospital.
For more on this or any other health story, head to our web site, CNN.com/health.
Here's what is all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK. The cracks are getting a little deeper in the wonderful world of Disney. We'll take a look at the fallout over Chief Executive Michael Eisner calling the company's former president, a "psychopath". Whew. And SpongeBob SquarePants leaps from the TV to the silver screen. We'll take a look at if the film is all wet or good enough to soak up some major dollars. And we'll also take a look at the psychology of SpongeBob. Why do adults love this cartoon so much?
Also, today's history question. Are you ready? What important presidential speech was made on this date?
From New York, this is DAYBREAK for a Friday.
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COSTELLO: All right our history trivia question for the morning. What important presidential speech was made on this date?
Kind of a wide-ranging question, isn't it? But we have the answer for you, it is, "The Gettysburg Address". It was delivered in 1863 by President Lincoln at the dedication of a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. And a powerful address it was.
Time to check out our web clicks this morning, because of course we are always interested in what you are interested in on CNN.com.
And this first story is incredible, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Ready.
COSTELLO: It is in Florida, these bus passengers. They were riding on the bus towards the Sunshine Bridge in Tampa.
MYERS: Right?
COSTELLO: And the driver has a heart attack, collapses and falls out of his seat.
MYERS: And the passengers come in and save the day.
COSTELLO: Three passengers run up, take the wheel, they control the bus, stopping it before it plummets off the bridge.
MYERS: Yes, this is not a low bridge. This is way up there, cruise ships go under this bridge.
COSTELLO: Oh, it is so scary. And you know, bridges scare me anyway. Going over them I just have this thing.
MYERS: Guess what, Carol? You live on an island.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Oh, right.
The second-most popular story on CNN.com this morning. Bill Gates, you think you get a lot of spam?
MYERS: Well, I do. And you know what?
COSTELLO: But Bill Gates, though?
MYERS: You know what it is like, I have problems with something down below my waist, I don't have any hair, I got credit problems and women still want to meet me! I don't know. All the spam I get is crazy.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Well, Bill Gates gets the same spam, except he gets 4 million e-mails every day. They have an entire department devoted just to getting rid of this e-mail that he gets.
MYERS: You'd think he'd make himself a spam blocker or something.
COSTELLO: Well, they do. But some still get through because those spammers are smart. They certainly are.
Let's get to our e-mail question of the day. We've had many interesting responses. We're asking you: Do you think the FCC has gone too far?
I know you have some e-mails to read, Chad.
MYERS: Diane, in Columbia, Maryland, thinks that "The FCC is confused. The commercials are racier now than the programs."
But the commercials are also under the scrutiny, too, though. Right?
COSTELLO: Interesting. Yes, they are, but she is absolutely right about that.
This is from Rex, from Atlanta. "You're kidding? Right? Has the FCC gone too far? Why isn't the question, has Howard Stern gone too far? The airways belong to all of us. It is not too much to ask that they be kept free from the clutter of Stern's verbal garbage.
"And yes, I hope the network is fined for that towel-dropping football intro. Absolutely uncalled for."
MYERS: You know, Howard Stern really is in almost every one of the e-mails. Mentioned, something, one way or the other.
"No. We have not gone too far. We need the obscenity rules for cesspool types like Howard Stern who exploit the deviant side of the weak people for his own financial gain." From Scott, in Trucky (ph), California.
COSTELLO: Wow. That is a terse one.
MYERS: Wow.
COSTELLO: We love those. This is from Douglas, "The violence of a football game, where we sometimes see people suffer devastating injuries on live TV is fine for our children to view but Nicolette Sheridan's naked back is not? What kind of absurd and bizarre country do we live in these days?"
MYERS: Well, you know, the FCC has rules on time. After 10 o'clock it is OK to do some of those things.
COSTELLO: Yes, but a football game is on in the afternoon.
MYERS: This is "Monday Night Football".
COSTELLO: Oh, that's right. But still you see it in the afternoon on Sundays.
MYERS: Yes, and the other thing it is 6 o'clock in California.
COSTELLO: That's right.
MYERS: Wasn't even nighttime there.
And one from Dave, "The FCC has gone so far they are not on this world anymore. Howard Stern thinks he'll be safe on satellite radio. Think again. The FCC is coming to cable and satellite. You just watch."
COSTELLO: I don't think so. I don't think so.
Thanks for your e-mails this morning. We enjoyed them.
The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.
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