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CNN Live At Daybreak
Queen Elizabeth Tackles Crime, Terror; Sixth Hunter Dies in Wisconsin Shootings
Aired November 23, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, word of a possible terror attack in London as Tony Blair prepares to run on what some say is the politics of fear. Sound familiar?
Plus, an intelligence reform deal dies. The hot potato topic of immigration is the reason. Will the president's second term spell setback?
Also, from hot potato to hot topic, you won't believe what a radio D.J. called soon to be Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
And dangerous toys -- what not to give this holiday season.
It is Tuesday, November 23.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
Thank you for waking up with us.
I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Let's get to the headlines right now, shall we?
Iraqi and U.S. forces conduct a major raid early today in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. They've detained 38 people and confiscated several weapons, including night vision equipment, police radios and I.D. cards.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth addresses parliament within the next half hour. You're looking at a live shot of Buckingham Palace. It's not going to all be pomp and circumstance, though. She's expected to lay out the country's legislative agenda for next year. Crime, terrorism and security will take center stage. A strong domestic agenda is expected to be key, as Prime Minister Tony Blair's government seeks to win a third term.
In Afghanistan, three United Nations workers abducted nearly a month ago are free. A Taliban splinter group took the three in October and demanded the release of Afghan and non-Afghan prisoners.
And flooding problems across Texas and parts of the Southwest. Look at this. One woman caught by rising waters in Sedona clung to some trees for about an hour. And you see the rescue workers came and she's doing fine this morning -- Chad. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, I just want to show you this Phoenix here. This is a map from yesterday, the 24 hour rainfall totals. And this little green area right through here north of Phoenix, just to the west of Carefree, that's the area that picked up the most rain. That's only two inches. That's all it takes sometimes in the desert when all of that water runs off so quickly because it comes down so quickly.
So you really do need to be careful and that storm is moving into New Mexico, same story -- all of those mountains, all those canyons and valleys -- and then it eventually moves into Texas. And see this white area right through here? It travels over Gayman (ph) into Oklahoma and then through Kansas and even into Missouri and possibly into Chicago for Wednesday night into Thursday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Hey, let's go right to London right now, Chad.
We have live pictures of the queen leaving Buckingham Palace.
MYERS: Oh, awesome.
COSTELLO: She's on her way to the House of Lords. House of Lords.
Is that not a beautiful sight?
MYERS: Wow! Yes, have you seen the changing of the guards, Carol?
COSTELLO: You know, I have.
MYERS: Yes, it's just a beautiful sight.
COSTELLO: It's astounding.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: And there you see the queen. She's going to the House of Lords, where she'll do a presentation of Tony Blair's agenda for the upcoming -- because as you know, Tony Blair and his party running for a third term.
Walt Rodgers is with us now -- good morning, Walt. ]
We're watching this incredible sight.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Yes, that is one heck of a coach. I think they weighed it once and it weighed as much as a main battle tank. Indeed, that is her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. And, of course, her husband traveling with her there. Both of them are in this carriage, which is headed up what the British call the Mall, what Americans would pronounce the mall, a long street which ultimately winds around through Whitehall and goes back to the parliament. Of course, most people recognize that by the clock tower Big Ben.
The queen is going to deliver her annual speech to the parliament. It's a ceremonial speech. It will be delivered in the House of Lords. She'll be wearing the crown jewels, of course, when she delivers that speech.
The speech itself is actually not of her making. She's reading a speech which was written for her at Number 10 Downing Street. Of course, that's Prime Minister Blair's residence. And it sets out Mr. Blair's legislative agenda and perhaps political agenda, because recall the British prime minister will probably be facing an election this coming May.
That speech will have a very heavy 9/11 theme to it, focusing on crime and security. The security aspects of it suggest Mr. Blair may be running on a parallel ticket to President Bush's security ticket more recently. The British will be talking about introducing national bio-identity cards such that you have your fingerprints on file, you have your eye iris on file and a facial photograph.
Additionally, they're talking about doing away with jury trials here, again, as an anti-terrorist measure, in some terrorism cases. They're talking about making a crime of contemplating or planning terrorism as opposed to the actual act itself -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Fascinating.
And when the queen arrives at the House of Lords, we'll get back to you.
Walt Rodgers reporting live for us from London this morning.
Back here in the States, police are still trying to figure out why a Laotian immigrant shot eight hunters during a trespassing dispute. A sixth Wisconsin hunter has died from gunshot wounds following Sunday's attack. No charges have been filed, but police do have a suspect in custody.
This is one of the victims you're looking at.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim has more on this story from Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The residents of Rice Lake, Wisconsin are taking in the deadly details.
LINDA KONECZNY, RICE LAKE RESIDENT: I'm shocked, you know? And it's scary. You know, my family goes out hunting every year.
OPPENHEIM: On Sunday in deep woods one hour away from town, a group of area hunters came across another hunter, 36-year-old Chai Vang, who police say was trespassing, illegally using a deer stand on private land. Investigators say the hunters told Vang he had to leave. SHERIFF JAMES MEIER, SAWYER COUNTY, WISCONSIN: The suspect got down from the deer stand, walked approximately 40 yards, fiddled with his rifle in some sort, which appeared he took the scope off the rifle. He turned and he opened fire on the group.
OPPENHEIM (on camera): One member of that group used his walkie- talkie and called for help. Other hunters came and police say Vang fired on them, too. In the end, three people were injured, five were killed, and among the dead, a 28-year-old woman and a father and his 20-year-old son.
(voice-over): Police say after the shootings, Vang got lost in the woods, then got help from two other hunters who didn't realize he was a wanted man. He was later arrested by authorities without incident.
SHERIFF TOM RICHIE, BARRON COUNTY, WISCONSIN: The most frequently asked question is how could somebody do such a horrific, inhumane act?
OPPENHEIM: At this point, police have no clear answer as to what might have led Chai Vang from committing a minor infraction, trespassing, to what police believe was his role in a multiple murder.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And we want to find out more about the background of this alleged shooter.
So let's head live to Hayward, Wisconsin and KMSP reporter Leslie Jones.
Leslie, what can you tell us about this man?
LESLIE JONES, KMSP CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's 36 years old. He is a national citizen here. His name is Chai Vang. And we're told that he does have military experience. Police believe that his experience, though, is in Laos. We also are told that he does have on his record an aggravated assault and he also has a misdemeanor warrant for trespassing out in a county in Minnesota.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
And did he own the property and it was -- was it -- did it just boil down to trespassing?
JONES: Well, it -- he did not own the property. He was on private land and, in fact, during the press conference yesterday with the sheriff, he had said that the land was clearly marked that it was private land. And, in fact, there are some reports that he had been on that land before and so he had essentially come on the land, was in the tree stand and this hunter saw him and said, you know, "Could you please leave?" And Chai Vang allegedly stepped down off the tree stand, walked away about 40 yards and fiddled with his gun and then just turned around and opened fire. And this is a large area of land. In fact, several of the victims were shot from even as far away as 100 yards.
And really at this point, people are leaving with the question of what kind of confrontation went on. What led him to just essentially open fire on these people? Because it was so quick that there were some reports or thoughts that maybe they did try to fire back at him. But at this point, they're still waiting to talk and they just have at this point two witnesses to talk to.
COSTELLO: You know, Leslie, I was just going to ask you, because they were hunting, so all of those men probably had guns. You wonder why they didn't fire back. But maybe they did.
JONES: Well, and maybe they did. And you know what? I think it probably took them off guard and they were just, weren't anticipating that kind of a reaction and it happened so fast and maybe with his -- and this is all, of course, speculation -- but with his military experience it, you know, just -- it was just the shots fired. And I know that we mentioned that five people died last night, that six -- a sixth victim did die, Denny Drew, and he was one that was shot in the abdomen.
And yesterday talking with his surgeon, his surgeon says their biggest concern was infection and nutrition. And they said that he was getting better. He was listed in critical condition. But something happened last night and now they have a sixth victim in this case.
COSTELLO: Leslie Jones reporting live from Hayward, Wisconsin from KMSP.
Thank you so much.
Well, let's talk about the basket brawl, because they got the man in the white hat, at least they think they do. Prosecutors are still reviewing tapes of Friday night's NBA melee. No charges have been filed yet.
But as I said, investigators did identify the man believed to have thrown that very first cup at Pacers' forward Ron Artest. The video shows that he isn't the fan that Artest attacked in the stands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GORCYCA, OAKLAND COUNTY PROSECUTOR: A mistaken identity won't be a justification or an excuse. And even if someone did throw water, you don't have a license or a green light to punch them. So he can claim self-defense, but that video, again, will speak for itself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: As for the man identified by police, the Pistons' season ticket holder has been banned from attending any more games. In the meantime, the University of South Carolina and Clemson University will not allow their football teams to play in any post- season bowl games. Both schools agreed that Saturday's bench clearing brawl was unacceptable. Retiring South Carolina Head Coach Lou Holtz talked about the incident and what turned out to be the last game for him as coach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOU HOLTZ, RETIRING SOUTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH: What happened last week completely disappointed me. But also when you look at it, nobody's right and nobody's wrong in a situation like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Both universities stand to lose millions of dollars due to their decision to skip the bowl games.
So, to our e-mail Question of the Day. Because Coach Tommy Bowden of Clemson actually said that because the players watched this NBA brawl over and over and over again on television, that, in part, made them act violently. So we're asking this question this morning -- does violence on TV influence a person's behavior?
Tell us what you think. Daybreak@cnn.com. Daybreak@cnn.com.
We will read your e-mails a little later on in the show.
Hitting the road for this Thanksgiving? You may want to hit the ATM before you go. We'll tell you why at 16 minutes past.
Plus, the FCC gets hot under the collar about sex on TV. Should the agency focus on violence instead? Should the FCC be involved in this basket brawl being shown over and over and over on television? Hmmm. We will debate that issue at 6:40 Eastern.
Plus, a New York institution gets ready to open its doors just in time for the holiday shopping season.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
The 20 nations attending the Iraqi donor conference in Egypt threw their full support behind the U.S.-backed government in Iraq, but also say the interim government should meet with opponents before elections next year.
A small plane crashes on its way to pick up former President Bush in Houston, Texas. All three people aboard that plane were killed. Heavy fog may have been a factor in the plane. It hit a light pole, a light tower, rather, while on approach to the airport on Monday.
In money news, there is a new Mayor McCheese at McDonald's. Vice Chairman Jim Skinner steps up to the plate to assume the CEO duties. Outgoing CEO Charlie Bell was diagnosed with cancer and he decided to step down to focus on his health.
In culture, more and more Americans are surfing the Net and they're doing it faster. A government report says that 20 percent of American households are hooked up to high speed Internet services. That's double what it was in 2001.
And in sports, legendary football coach Lou Holtz formally announces his retirement as head coach at the University of South Carolina. Holtz is stepping down to make room for incoming coach Steve Spurrier.
To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.
MYERS: A great career for that man standing right there, including all those other big colleges he played for and coached for. So, yes, congratulations to him. It's about time. Maybe he can enjoy some time off with the rest of his family.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
Time now for a little "Business Buzz."
As you gobble up your turkey dinner on Thursday, something else might be eating away at your pocket.
Carrie Lee has more on that story live from the NASDAQ market site -- good morning, Carrie.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Take a guess. We're talking about gas prices. U.S. drivers traveling this week are going to pay the highest gasoline prices on record, heading into a Thanksgiving holiday. Now, last week the average price for an unleaded gallon did fall over $0.02 a gallon, to about $1.95. But still, this is up $0.44 from a year ago and this is the highest ever period coming into the Thanksgiving holiday.
We're still off of the all time record high of $2.06 a gallon we hit back in May. Also, though, when you adjust for inflation, gas much more expensive than -- more expensive back in 1981, at close to $3 a gallon. Over 37 million people will travel over 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving, 82 percent of them driving. So people will definitely have to budget.
If you're flying, you can bet that you're going to pay higher ticket prices because of rising jet fuel costs. A lot of airlines passing some of those fees on to consumers. So that's the latest there.
Turning to stocks, futures looking a bit weak for today's session, flat to slightly weak, I think is a fair way of putting it.
McDonald's in focus, Carol, as you were saying. CEO Charlie Bell stepping down. He's going to be replaced by Vice Chairman Jim Skinner. McDonald's' new CEO took over just seven months ago, but he was diagnosed with colon cancer, so he's going to be taking care of his health. Remember that Charlie Bell replaced Jim Cantalupo, who died unexpectedly. So an unfortunate turn of events at McDonald's. We'll be keeping an eye on the Dow component stock today.
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ MarketSite.
Thank you.
The queen enters parliament, so what's all the hubbub about? What's all the hubbub about the crown and the black rod and the other lingo Americans may not be familiar with? We'll break down the pomp and circumstance taking place in London this morning. That's next on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Reports out of London this morning claim British security has unraveled a plot to launch a September 11 type attack in England. The alleged plot was to crash planes into two targets. One of them was Heathrow Airport. News reports are citing unidentified sources and they are not disclosing how this plot was uncovered.
The other alleged target is in London's financial district. It's an area known as Canary Wharf.
Fighting crime and terrorism are expected to be key topics today when Queen Elizabeth goes before parliament. You're looking at a live picture at the House of Lords. In less than 10 minutes, the queen will deliver her traditional speech here that'll outline the British government's path for the year ahead.
Let's head live to London now, where CNN's Walt Rodgers is standing by -- tell us what will happen next.
RODGERS: Well, in a few moments, the -- an official of the House of Lords will walk over to the House of Commons. He'll bang on the door and tell the members of parliament, the elected members of the House of Commons, that it's time to walk over the short distance to the House of Lords. And they will join the Lords who you already see sitting there in their own chamber. The Lords are wearing the scarlet costumes. Interestingly -- the scarlet robes.
Interestingly, the House of Commons does not get to speech -- to sit during the queen's speech. They stand during the entire speech. And what they will be listening to is as much a political statement as anything else, because the queen herself, Queen Elizabeth II, did not write this speech. It was presented to her by Prime Minister Tony Blair's government and it is essentially a legislative agenda, as well as the political manifesto on the issues which Prime Minister Blair thinks the public cares most about -- personal security and crime.
There you can see the House of Lords. And those are the Lords in their scarlet robes. They will be sitting -- it is their chamber -- when the members of the House of Commons enter that same chamber. They will stand throughout the queen's speech.
As I say, her speech is a dual document. It will combine public concerns about crime, which is a major issue here, over -- that's probably the issue of the greatest concern, street crime in this country now. And there will be bills enacted -- passed, or at least introduced in the next year of parliament -- to crack down on street crime, to crack down on drug abuse, which is rampant in this country.
The speech by the queen, written by the prime minister's people, also has a security theme, a 9/11 theme, if you will, and this will be the Blair government's bid to raise the consciousness, some say raise the fear, of the British public about the threat of a 9/11 type al Qaeda attack in this country.
Britain has been fortunate in that sense in that although allied closely with the United States, it has not experienced anything like the 9/11 terrorism, which so afflicted the United States.
Many people are saying that Prime Minister Blair's legislative agenda sounds remarkably similar to something that they would expect to emerge from the Bush administration. Some of the items which Mr. Blair's government will be proposing is a national identity card. One of the reasons for that is that terrorism experts say that often those who perpetuate terror change their identity three or four times and may have that many different identities. This would eliminate that avenue of escape to those who would perpetuate terrorism.
Another issue is that the parliament will consider a new anti- crime agency similar to the American FBI. And that, of course, would be aimed at striking organized crime back in the terrorism bailiwick again. There will be efforts to write a law which makes the contemplation of terrorism, that is to say, the preparation for a terrorist act, a crime in and of itself, so it can be prosecuted even though it has not been committed.
Now, there are people in this country who say that Prime Minister Blair is essentially scaremongering on the eve of the elections here. One of the papers, "The Independent," this morning had a headline called "The Politics of Fear." That politics of fear is, of course, what Mr. Blair is being accused of.
But apparently the Labor government in this country saw it seemed to work rather well for President George W. Bush when he ran for reelection, and there are some similarities between Mr. Blair's legislative agenda, particularly in the area of 9/11 type terrorism, and what the Bush administration is putting out. One of the things, for example, would be trial which dispenses with juries in certain terrorism cases. That's, of course, unheard of under most circumstances in this country -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Unbelievably similar.
Walt Rodgers reporting live from London.
Thank you.
When the queen begins to speak, we'll dip in again. She's expected to speak, oh, in just about 10 minutes.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, a radio D.J. says he's sorry, sorry for some off color remarks he made about the president's choice for secretary of state.
And later, we'll tell you what toys Santa will not be bringing down the chimney this year.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired November 23, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, word of a possible terror attack in London as Tony Blair prepares to run on what some say is the politics of fear. Sound familiar?
Plus, an intelligence reform deal dies. The hot potato topic of immigration is the reason. Will the president's second term spell setback?
Also, from hot potato to hot topic, you won't believe what a radio D.J. called soon to be Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
And dangerous toys -- what not to give this holiday season.
It is Tuesday, November 23.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
Thank you for waking up with us.
I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Let's get to the headlines right now, shall we?
Iraqi and U.S. forces conduct a major raid early today in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. They've detained 38 people and confiscated several weapons, including night vision equipment, police radios and I.D. cards.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth addresses parliament within the next half hour. You're looking at a live shot of Buckingham Palace. It's not going to all be pomp and circumstance, though. She's expected to lay out the country's legislative agenda for next year. Crime, terrorism and security will take center stage. A strong domestic agenda is expected to be key, as Prime Minister Tony Blair's government seeks to win a third term.
In Afghanistan, three United Nations workers abducted nearly a month ago are free. A Taliban splinter group took the three in October and demanded the release of Afghan and non-Afghan prisoners.
And flooding problems across Texas and parts of the Southwest. Look at this. One woman caught by rising waters in Sedona clung to some trees for about an hour. And you see the rescue workers came and she's doing fine this morning -- Chad. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, I just want to show you this Phoenix here. This is a map from yesterday, the 24 hour rainfall totals. And this little green area right through here north of Phoenix, just to the west of Carefree, that's the area that picked up the most rain. That's only two inches. That's all it takes sometimes in the desert when all of that water runs off so quickly because it comes down so quickly.
So you really do need to be careful and that storm is moving into New Mexico, same story -- all of those mountains, all those canyons and valleys -- and then it eventually moves into Texas. And see this white area right through here? It travels over Gayman (ph) into Oklahoma and then through Kansas and even into Missouri and possibly into Chicago for Wednesday night into Thursday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Hey, let's go right to London right now, Chad.
We have live pictures of the queen leaving Buckingham Palace.
MYERS: Oh, awesome.
COSTELLO: She's on her way to the House of Lords. House of Lords.
Is that not a beautiful sight?
MYERS: Wow! Yes, have you seen the changing of the guards, Carol?
COSTELLO: You know, I have.
MYERS: Yes, it's just a beautiful sight.
COSTELLO: It's astounding.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: And there you see the queen. She's going to the House of Lords, where she'll do a presentation of Tony Blair's agenda for the upcoming -- because as you know, Tony Blair and his party running for a third term.
Walt Rodgers is with us now -- good morning, Walt. ]
We're watching this incredible sight.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Yes, that is one heck of a coach. I think they weighed it once and it weighed as much as a main battle tank. Indeed, that is her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. And, of course, her husband traveling with her there. Both of them are in this carriage, which is headed up what the British call the Mall, what Americans would pronounce the mall, a long street which ultimately winds around through Whitehall and goes back to the parliament. Of course, most people recognize that by the clock tower Big Ben.
The queen is going to deliver her annual speech to the parliament. It's a ceremonial speech. It will be delivered in the House of Lords. She'll be wearing the crown jewels, of course, when she delivers that speech.
The speech itself is actually not of her making. She's reading a speech which was written for her at Number 10 Downing Street. Of course, that's Prime Minister Blair's residence. And it sets out Mr. Blair's legislative agenda and perhaps political agenda, because recall the British prime minister will probably be facing an election this coming May.
That speech will have a very heavy 9/11 theme to it, focusing on crime and security. The security aspects of it suggest Mr. Blair may be running on a parallel ticket to President Bush's security ticket more recently. The British will be talking about introducing national bio-identity cards such that you have your fingerprints on file, you have your eye iris on file and a facial photograph.
Additionally, they're talking about doing away with jury trials here, again, as an anti-terrorist measure, in some terrorism cases. They're talking about making a crime of contemplating or planning terrorism as opposed to the actual act itself -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Fascinating.
And when the queen arrives at the House of Lords, we'll get back to you.
Walt Rodgers reporting live for us from London this morning.
Back here in the States, police are still trying to figure out why a Laotian immigrant shot eight hunters during a trespassing dispute. A sixth Wisconsin hunter has died from gunshot wounds following Sunday's attack. No charges have been filed, but police do have a suspect in custody.
This is one of the victims you're looking at.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim has more on this story from Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The residents of Rice Lake, Wisconsin are taking in the deadly details.
LINDA KONECZNY, RICE LAKE RESIDENT: I'm shocked, you know? And it's scary. You know, my family goes out hunting every year.
OPPENHEIM: On Sunday in deep woods one hour away from town, a group of area hunters came across another hunter, 36-year-old Chai Vang, who police say was trespassing, illegally using a deer stand on private land. Investigators say the hunters told Vang he had to leave. SHERIFF JAMES MEIER, SAWYER COUNTY, WISCONSIN: The suspect got down from the deer stand, walked approximately 40 yards, fiddled with his rifle in some sort, which appeared he took the scope off the rifle. He turned and he opened fire on the group.
OPPENHEIM (on camera): One member of that group used his walkie- talkie and called for help. Other hunters came and police say Vang fired on them, too. In the end, three people were injured, five were killed, and among the dead, a 28-year-old woman and a father and his 20-year-old son.
(voice-over): Police say after the shootings, Vang got lost in the woods, then got help from two other hunters who didn't realize he was a wanted man. He was later arrested by authorities without incident.
SHERIFF TOM RICHIE, BARRON COUNTY, WISCONSIN: The most frequently asked question is how could somebody do such a horrific, inhumane act?
OPPENHEIM: At this point, police have no clear answer as to what might have led Chai Vang from committing a minor infraction, trespassing, to what police believe was his role in a multiple murder.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And we want to find out more about the background of this alleged shooter.
So let's head live to Hayward, Wisconsin and KMSP reporter Leslie Jones.
Leslie, what can you tell us about this man?
LESLIE JONES, KMSP CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's 36 years old. He is a national citizen here. His name is Chai Vang. And we're told that he does have military experience. Police believe that his experience, though, is in Laos. We also are told that he does have on his record an aggravated assault and he also has a misdemeanor warrant for trespassing out in a county in Minnesota.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
And did he own the property and it was -- was it -- did it just boil down to trespassing?
JONES: Well, it -- he did not own the property. He was on private land and, in fact, during the press conference yesterday with the sheriff, he had said that the land was clearly marked that it was private land. And, in fact, there are some reports that he had been on that land before and so he had essentially come on the land, was in the tree stand and this hunter saw him and said, you know, "Could you please leave?" And Chai Vang allegedly stepped down off the tree stand, walked away about 40 yards and fiddled with his gun and then just turned around and opened fire. And this is a large area of land. In fact, several of the victims were shot from even as far away as 100 yards.
And really at this point, people are leaving with the question of what kind of confrontation went on. What led him to just essentially open fire on these people? Because it was so quick that there were some reports or thoughts that maybe they did try to fire back at him. But at this point, they're still waiting to talk and they just have at this point two witnesses to talk to.
COSTELLO: You know, Leslie, I was just going to ask you, because they were hunting, so all of those men probably had guns. You wonder why they didn't fire back. But maybe they did.
JONES: Well, and maybe they did. And you know what? I think it probably took them off guard and they were just, weren't anticipating that kind of a reaction and it happened so fast and maybe with his -- and this is all, of course, speculation -- but with his military experience it, you know, just -- it was just the shots fired. And I know that we mentioned that five people died last night, that six -- a sixth victim did die, Denny Drew, and he was one that was shot in the abdomen.
And yesterday talking with his surgeon, his surgeon says their biggest concern was infection and nutrition. And they said that he was getting better. He was listed in critical condition. But something happened last night and now they have a sixth victim in this case.
COSTELLO: Leslie Jones reporting live from Hayward, Wisconsin from KMSP.
Thank you so much.
Well, let's talk about the basket brawl, because they got the man in the white hat, at least they think they do. Prosecutors are still reviewing tapes of Friday night's NBA melee. No charges have been filed yet.
But as I said, investigators did identify the man believed to have thrown that very first cup at Pacers' forward Ron Artest. The video shows that he isn't the fan that Artest attacked in the stands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GORCYCA, OAKLAND COUNTY PROSECUTOR: A mistaken identity won't be a justification or an excuse. And even if someone did throw water, you don't have a license or a green light to punch them. So he can claim self-defense, but that video, again, will speak for itself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: As for the man identified by police, the Pistons' season ticket holder has been banned from attending any more games. In the meantime, the University of South Carolina and Clemson University will not allow their football teams to play in any post- season bowl games. Both schools agreed that Saturday's bench clearing brawl was unacceptable. Retiring South Carolina Head Coach Lou Holtz talked about the incident and what turned out to be the last game for him as coach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOU HOLTZ, RETIRING SOUTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH: What happened last week completely disappointed me. But also when you look at it, nobody's right and nobody's wrong in a situation like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Both universities stand to lose millions of dollars due to their decision to skip the bowl games.
So, to our e-mail Question of the Day. Because Coach Tommy Bowden of Clemson actually said that because the players watched this NBA brawl over and over and over again on television, that, in part, made them act violently. So we're asking this question this morning -- does violence on TV influence a person's behavior?
Tell us what you think. Daybreak@cnn.com. Daybreak@cnn.com.
We will read your e-mails a little later on in the show.
Hitting the road for this Thanksgiving? You may want to hit the ATM before you go. We'll tell you why at 16 minutes past.
Plus, the FCC gets hot under the collar about sex on TV. Should the agency focus on violence instead? Should the FCC be involved in this basket brawl being shown over and over and over on television? Hmmm. We will debate that issue at 6:40 Eastern.
Plus, a New York institution gets ready to open its doors just in time for the holiday shopping season.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
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COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:15 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
The 20 nations attending the Iraqi donor conference in Egypt threw their full support behind the U.S.-backed government in Iraq, but also say the interim government should meet with opponents before elections next year.
A small plane crashes on its way to pick up former President Bush in Houston, Texas. All three people aboard that plane were killed. Heavy fog may have been a factor in the plane. It hit a light pole, a light tower, rather, while on approach to the airport on Monday.
In money news, there is a new Mayor McCheese at McDonald's. Vice Chairman Jim Skinner steps up to the plate to assume the CEO duties. Outgoing CEO Charlie Bell was diagnosed with cancer and he decided to step down to focus on his health.
In culture, more and more Americans are surfing the Net and they're doing it faster. A government report says that 20 percent of American households are hooked up to high speed Internet services. That's double what it was in 2001.
And in sports, legendary football coach Lou Holtz formally announces his retirement as head coach at the University of South Carolina. Holtz is stepping down to make room for incoming coach Steve Spurrier.
To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.
MYERS: A great career for that man standing right there, including all those other big colleges he played for and coached for. So, yes, congratulations to him. It's about time. Maybe he can enjoy some time off with the rest of his family.
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COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
Time now for a little "Business Buzz."
As you gobble up your turkey dinner on Thursday, something else might be eating away at your pocket.
Carrie Lee has more on that story live from the NASDAQ market site -- good morning, Carrie.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Take a guess. We're talking about gas prices. U.S. drivers traveling this week are going to pay the highest gasoline prices on record, heading into a Thanksgiving holiday. Now, last week the average price for an unleaded gallon did fall over $0.02 a gallon, to about $1.95. But still, this is up $0.44 from a year ago and this is the highest ever period coming into the Thanksgiving holiday.
We're still off of the all time record high of $2.06 a gallon we hit back in May. Also, though, when you adjust for inflation, gas much more expensive than -- more expensive back in 1981, at close to $3 a gallon. Over 37 million people will travel over 50 miles from home this Thanksgiving, 82 percent of them driving. So people will definitely have to budget.
If you're flying, you can bet that you're going to pay higher ticket prices because of rising jet fuel costs. A lot of airlines passing some of those fees on to consumers. So that's the latest there.
Turning to stocks, futures looking a bit weak for today's session, flat to slightly weak, I think is a fair way of putting it.
McDonald's in focus, Carol, as you were saying. CEO Charlie Bell stepping down. He's going to be replaced by Vice Chairman Jim Skinner. McDonald's' new CEO took over just seven months ago, but he was diagnosed with colon cancer, so he's going to be taking care of his health. Remember that Charlie Bell replaced Jim Cantalupo, who died unexpectedly. So an unfortunate turn of events at McDonald's. We'll be keeping an eye on the Dow component stock today.
COSTELLO: Absolutely.
Carrie Lee live from the NASDAQ MarketSite.
Thank you.
The queen enters parliament, so what's all the hubbub about? What's all the hubbub about the crown and the black rod and the other lingo Americans may not be familiar with? We'll break down the pomp and circumstance taking place in London this morning. That's next on DAYBREAK.
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COSTELLO: Reports out of London this morning claim British security has unraveled a plot to launch a September 11 type attack in England. The alleged plot was to crash planes into two targets. One of them was Heathrow Airport. News reports are citing unidentified sources and they are not disclosing how this plot was uncovered.
The other alleged target is in London's financial district. It's an area known as Canary Wharf.
Fighting crime and terrorism are expected to be key topics today when Queen Elizabeth goes before parliament. You're looking at a live picture at the House of Lords. In less than 10 minutes, the queen will deliver her traditional speech here that'll outline the British government's path for the year ahead.
Let's head live to London now, where CNN's Walt Rodgers is standing by -- tell us what will happen next.
RODGERS: Well, in a few moments, the -- an official of the House of Lords will walk over to the House of Commons. He'll bang on the door and tell the members of parliament, the elected members of the House of Commons, that it's time to walk over the short distance to the House of Lords. And they will join the Lords who you already see sitting there in their own chamber. The Lords are wearing the scarlet costumes. Interestingly -- the scarlet robes.
Interestingly, the House of Commons does not get to speech -- to sit during the queen's speech. They stand during the entire speech. And what they will be listening to is as much a political statement as anything else, because the queen herself, Queen Elizabeth II, did not write this speech. It was presented to her by Prime Minister Tony Blair's government and it is essentially a legislative agenda, as well as the political manifesto on the issues which Prime Minister Blair thinks the public cares most about -- personal security and crime.
There you can see the House of Lords. And those are the Lords in their scarlet robes. They will be sitting -- it is their chamber -- when the members of the House of Commons enter that same chamber. They will stand throughout the queen's speech.
As I say, her speech is a dual document. It will combine public concerns about crime, which is a major issue here, over -- that's probably the issue of the greatest concern, street crime in this country now. And there will be bills enacted -- passed, or at least introduced in the next year of parliament -- to crack down on street crime, to crack down on drug abuse, which is rampant in this country.
The speech by the queen, written by the prime minister's people, also has a security theme, a 9/11 theme, if you will, and this will be the Blair government's bid to raise the consciousness, some say raise the fear, of the British public about the threat of a 9/11 type al Qaeda attack in this country.
Britain has been fortunate in that sense in that although allied closely with the United States, it has not experienced anything like the 9/11 terrorism, which so afflicted the United States.
Many people are saying that Prime Minister Blair's legislative agenda sounds remarkably similar to something that they would expect to emerge from the Bush administration. Some of the items which Mr. Blair's government will be proposing is a national identity card. One of the reasons for that is that terrorism experts say that often those who perpetuate terror change their identity three or four times and may have that many different identities. This would eliminate that avenue of escape to those who would perpetuate terrorism.
Another issue is that the parliament will consider a new anti- crime agency similar to the American FBI. And that, of course, would be aimed at striking organized crime back in the terrorism bailiwick again. There will be efforts to write a law which makes the contemplation of terrorism, that is to say, the preparation for a terrorist act, a crime in and of itself, so it can be prosecuted even though it has not been committed.
Now, there are people in this country who say that Prime Minister Blair is essentially scaremongering on the eve of the elections here. One of the papers, "The Independent," this morning had a headline called "The Politics of Fear." That politics of fear is, of course, what Mr. Blair is being accused of.
But apparently the Labor government in this country saw it seemed to work rather well for President George W. Bush when he ran for reelection, and there are some similarities between Mr. Blair's legislative agenda, particularly in the area of 9/11 type terrorism, and what the Bush administration is putting out. One of the things, for example, would be trial which dispenses with juries in certain terrorism cases. That's, of course, unheard of under most circumstances in this country -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Unbelievably similar.
Walt Rodgers reporting live from London.
Thank you.
When the queen begins to speak, we'll dip in again. She's expected to speak, oh, in just about 10 minutes.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, a radio D.J. says he's sorry, sorry for some off color remarks he made about the president's choice for secretary of state.
And later, we'll tell you what toys Santa will not be bringing down the chimney this year.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
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