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CNN Live At Daybreak
Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar Defending His Government's Handling of Madrid Train Bombings; Godzilla Getting Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Aired November 29, 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.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, DAYBREAK: A key moment today in Spain. Former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar testifies in a government probe into the March train bombings in Madrid. Aznar lost the election just three days later.
And in Texas, jury selection starts today in the first trial stemming from the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt. Three people are accused in the deaths of 19 immigrants. They were found locked in a trailer last year. Now the temperature inside that trailer was more than 170 degrees.
A recount also starts today, in Alabama, on a ballot measure that voters narrowly rejected this month. The measure would have erased segregation era language from the state constitution. Officials don't expect a recount to change the results.
It is a Monday morning, a lot of folks headed back to work, if they even made it home after the holiday weekend, Rob.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: Federal investigators are on the way to the site of a plan crash in Montrose, Colorado The charter jet crashed and burned on take off. An FAA spokesman says the jet struck a fence beyond the end of that runway there. A witness says the cockpit was ripped from the fuselage, killing the pilot and the co-pilot.
NBC's sports executive Dick Ebersol and his two sons were on board. Ebersol is hospitalized in serious condition. His son, Charles, also survived, but a Denver television station reports his 14-year-old son, Teddy, is missing. Rescuers are searching for the boy.
The man accused of killing Wisconsin hunters is expected to be charged today. The shootings happened last Sunday. Two people were also wounded in that incident. The accused shooter, Chai Vang, seen here, now has three attorneys representing him. One of his lawyers says his defense team is looking at, quote, "potential mental and mental responsibility defenses."
Vang's daughter says the truth will come out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIA VANG, DAUGHTER OF ALLEGED HUNTER KILLINGS: My father, he is a great person, and he does take care of his family. He loves his family very much. And, you know, at the time I really don't know what my father did. You know, I haven't talked to him. I haven't had any kind of contact with him. You know it was a shock to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Vang's daughter also expressed her condolences to the victims' families.
Here's the latest from Iraq. Much needed relief for people in Falluja. An Iraqi group says it is now bringing in aid, daily, to the city.
It is Iraq's most feared terror group, the one lead by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, and it is has supposedly claimed to have killed 17 Iraqi security officers and a Kurdish militiaman in Mosul. U.S. forces have found dozens of bodies in an around the northern city in recent days.
Meanwhile a U.S. diplomat's family is in morning. Jim Mullin was gunned down by insurgents in Baghdad. He came under fire while driving outside the protected green zone.
We want to go to "The War Room", where we will find out more about the slaughter of Iraqi security forces in Mosul. CNN Senior International Editor David Clinch joins us to give us insight on this.
We have 50 people dead in Mosul, Al-Zarqawi saying that he is responsible for this. So has he moved his operation from Falluja to Mosul?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Right, well a very good question. I mean, first of all we get these claims of responsibility. This one, in particular, of an attack in Mosul. Very hard to verify, in fact, in this case there is some suspicion that this may be just a claim that is on a web site. It is always hard to know for sure.
But of course, the threat, the idea that Zarqawi, who was thought to be in Falluja, may have been able to escape Falluja. That seems clear at this point, since Falluja has been taken and he hasn't been found. The fear that he has moved to Mosul, or his group has, a very significant factor for the U.S. military.
Mosul, a much more complicated city than Falluja. A mix of Kurds, as well as Sunni Arabs there. Much more difficult to target insurgents and Zarqawi in a city like that. Certainly, very hard to believe that any kind of military assault on Mosul, in the scale we saw in Falluja would ever take place.
So, a hard man to find, anywhere, but certainly very difficult to track down in Mosul. And there have been a lot of incidents in that area in the last few weeks.
NGUYEN: Now, this is having an effect on Iraqi national guardsmen, because they are very worried that the same situation is going happen to them. They may be one of the ones killed in this action. Is that having a big effect? Especially when the election is still set for January 30?
CLINCH: Right, well the Iraqi force is playing a key part, not only in the security leading up to the election but obviously in the attempt to capture Zarqawi and the assault on Falluja. The Iraqi forces, both the military and the police playing a key part there.
And of course, we have been looking at this for months. The moral effect, if nothing else, and the death toll, of course on Iraqi forces, a very significant factor. We're just getting reports of an attack in Rammadi today, in which some Iraqi forces were targeted, too. So, wherever Zarqawi is, the insurgency is not over and the Iraqis are bearing the brunt of it.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. All right, CNN Senior International Editor David Clinch, thank you for your time and insight.
CLINCH: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar is defending his government's handling of the Madrid train bombings last March. Aznar is testifying before a parliamentary commission investigating those bombings and our Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): March 11, 10 bombs hidden in bags go off in quick succession on Madrid commuter trains three days before a general election.
The trail of evidence leads Spanish police and investigating magistrates to Islamic terrorists at the perpetrators. Raids and arrests follow, the majority of those held, like this man, are Moroccan nationals. And that will make the appearance before the parliamentary commission by Jose Maria Aznar especially interesting. Because immediately after the bombings Aznar's government was focusing its investigations on just one group.
ANGEL ACEBES, FORMER INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): At this moment, the police and the interior ministry don't have any doubt that the Eta terrorist group was responsible for the attack.
GOODMAN: Basque politicians allege that just 10 hours after the attacks Aznar knew Eta was not involved.
EMILIO OLARABAMILIA (ph), BASQUE NATIONALIST PARTY (through translator): We're convinced that by 5:30 in the afternoon, on March 11, it was know that Eta had nothing to do with the train bombing.
GOODMAN: And on election eve, Spaniards protested out side Aznar's popular party headquarters alleging manipulation of the attacks for political advantage. The next day, Aznar's conservative party lost.
Eta has been responsible for many attacks in Spain over three decades, though never on the scale of the March train bombings. Even so, senior figures in the Popular Party still say you can't rule out Eta's involvement.
VINCENTE MARTINZE FUJJAL TE,, POPULAR PARTY: (through translator): We found a connection between Eta and Islamic terrorists in prisons, in their dynamite supplier and in phone numbers. Things worth investigating.
GOODMAN: The ruling Socialists are wary of Aznar's testimony to the commission.
ALYARO CUESTA, SOCIALIST PARTY (through translator): I hope he doesn't come to the commission aggressively or try to trick the Spaniards or blame his subordinates.
GOODMAN: But the Popular Party has a point to prove.
RAFAEL HERNANDO, POPULAR PARTY: (through translator): I think Aznar will try to shed light on the truth and show the government did not lie or try to fool the people.
GOODMAN: Aznar's testimony comes as the city of Madrid unveiled plans for a crystal monument at Atocha (ph) Train Station, with messages of peace for the victims.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And CNN's Al Goodman has been in the hearing room in Madrid, joins us live now, with an update.
Al, there is a report in a Spanish newspaper suggesting a link between the 9/11 attacks in this country and the Madrid bombings. What do you know about that connection?
GOODMAN: Hello, Betty.
Well, we are about three hours into this hearing. It is expected to go many hours more, now the report you're referring to came out on Sunday in the leading conservative newspaper called "ABC" newspaper" here in Spain. Now that newspaper is considered to be very close to former Prime Minister Aznar's conservative Popular Party.
It basically reported that what is well know is that in the summer of 2001, July 2001, two months before the September 11 attacks in the United States, some of the conspirators in those attacks held a summit meeting, according to authorities that CNN has talked to over the years, in eastern Spain. Now the report in the newspaper says that one man, who was connected to that meeting, may have been the man who ordered the Madrid train bombings.
Now, what Mr. Aznar has said, in the commission hearing so far is that his government did not lie about who was behind the train bombings. He has insisted that even today, eight months after the bombings you can't rule out the Basque separatist group, Eta, which is a terrorist group according to the United States and the European Union. It is blamed for hundreds of deaths in Spain, but has never done anything like the Madrid train bombings. He has said you can't rule that out and he has said that by sending troops to Iraq, when he was prime minister, and he close supported President Bush in the Iraq war, that that also didn't have an effect.
Now, his government, the Popular Party, was upset three days after those train bombings, Betty. And a lot of political damage done to his party. Some analysts say he's trying to repair some of that this day.
But specifically, on the link to September 11 attacks, this report on Sunday, in the newspaper, it has not specifically come up. It did not come up in his opening statement, which lasted nearly an hour. And in the second hour it also did not specifically come up.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: So, we'll have to wait to hear on that. All right. CNN's Al Goodman for us in Madrid this morning, out of time.
Thank you, Al.
Still to come here on DAYBREAK, children who are still learning the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic are also being taught the fundamentals of sex, condoms, and AIDS. That is coming up at 50 past.
And our e-mail question: What was your holiday travel experience like?
E-mail us at Daybreak@cnn.com. But first, here is a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, you knew it had to happen. After a film career spanning 50 years and 28 films that big stomping, grumpy atomic age import from Japan, talking about Godzilla, is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Our Atika Shubert has more on Godzilla.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GODZILLA SCREAMING)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The big G is back and looking a healthy 50 years old. He's got a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and "Final Wars". A new movie that producers promise will be his last featuring every Godzilla friend and foe ever created.
It started as something of a joke. Who knew a guy in a rubber suit stomping around Tokyo would become a icon, much less the subject of serious discussion. What is Godzilla? Is he the embodiment of Japan's nuclear post-war trauma? Or is he Japan's national hope cleverly disguised as a fire-breathing monster?
(On camera): What is Godzilla is still under debate, but who is Godzilla is pretty easy to find out. Especially since all the actors who played him still live in Tokyo.
Haruwa (ph) Nakajima is the original Godzilla. He has suffered burns, electric shocks and near suffocation while playing the monster. Not surprising since the suit weighted almost 100 kilograms, about 200 pounds, powered by a car battery wedged between his knees.
Now 75, Nakajima says today's actors could learn something from playing a monster.
HARUWA (ph) NAKAJIMA, FIRST GODZILLA ACTOR (through translator): Actors shouldn't show weakness, he says. You can't say I have no oxygen in the middle of filming. Actors shouldn't cry. If they complain, they should just quit.
SHUBERT: The current Godzilla, Tsutomu Kitagawa takes that advice to heart and happily gives us lessons in proper stomping technique.
(GROWLING)
TSUTOMU KITAGAWA, NEW GODZILLA ACTOR (through translator): The suit is very tight. I can't see very well and inside there is a tube for breathing. Once it came undone while I was underwater and I was drowning. Godzilla may look great on the outside, but inside he's pretty desperate.
(GODZILLA SCREAMING)
SHUBERT: Godzilla creators never figured he would last beyond one movie; 50 years and 28 films later, Godzilla biggest problem is finding a way to stomp into the sunset for good -- Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: We have your news, money, weather and sports. Right now, the time is 5:46 Eastern. Here's what is all new this morning.
NBC sports chairman Dick Ebersol is one of three people hurt in a crash of a private plane in Colorado. Two people died in that crash.
In money, a running this past weekend for the holiday shopping season; 86 million shoppers spent more than $22 billion, an average of $265.15, that is per shopper. Online merchants reported sharp increases over last year.
In culture, Julia Roberts is a mother, twice over. The Oscar- winning actress has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Roberts is married to cinema photographer Danny Moder (ph).
And in sports, coming from behind, late in the game, the Raiders beat the Broncos by one point on a snowy night in Denver. Terry Collins threw five touchdown passes for Oakland. Three of them to Jerry Porter.
Rob, snow didn't seem to be a factor there. ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. No, they are used to it in the Mile High City. But always a fun game to watch, I'm glad it was in prime time.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: Still to come this morning, teaching grade schoolers about condoms, sex, and AIDS. Has it come to this? Well, we tell you why it has, and where.
Our e-mail question: What was your travel holiday experience like? E-mail us now at Daybreak@cnn.com.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Monday, November 29.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: World AIDS Day will be observed Wednesday. The U.N. says that by the end of this year more than 39 million people, worldwide, will be living with HIV or AIDS. We'll have a series of reports on this deadly pandemic this week. And we begin in Thailand where activists say you are never too young to learn about sex and AIDS. More now from CNN's Aneesh Raman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Come to Thailand, the saying goes, for sun, sand, and sex. Prostitution has a long been a business here, but now casual sex is spreading throughout society, especially among young people.
(On camera): In the northern city of Chang Mai (ph), there is a dangerous twist. Not only is sex easy to find but they've got one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV in Asia. So, as you can imagine, here, you're never too young to learn about sex.
(voice over): At this village primary school the morning starts with the national anthem and then it time for a lesson on condoms.
(on camera): So, you are really worried here that the age group is getting younger, in terms of those getting infected?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and I believe that it will be common for Thailand that we will have the younger people that have HIV infection when they are about 15 years old.
RAMAN: And you have already found a girl that is 12, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, we already found a girl that she might get HIV infection when she was about 12 years old.
RAMAN (voice over): Preteens could become the next danger group in Thailand. That drove Dr. Funkou (ph) to start a program that travels to elementary schools teaching children as young as nine about safe sex. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is not too young for us to prepare them. I think it is very important that we prepare them to be ready to have really accurate information and have understanding about the sexual issues.
RAMAN (on camera): Getting through to these kids and others like them is essential. Thailand has about 700,000 cases of HIV right now. And more than 10 percent of those are kids between the ages of 15 and 24.
(Voice over): In today's world, where kids are growing up surrounded by sexual content, the idea in northern Thailand is that education is the backbone of prevention. The question they raise is that if sex exists in many aspects of a kid's world, why shouldn't it be in the schools?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RAMAN: And, Betty, another reason this issue is of critical importance, Durex (ph), the condom company just out with survey showing nearly 50 percent of Thais are having unprotected sex, many without any knowledge of their partners sexual history.
NGUYEN: Aneesh, I want to ask you about these course, or these at least lessons that are being taught to elementary school kids. How are they reacting to these sex education classes? They are so very young, are they embarrassed by it? Do they understand how serious the problem is?
RAMAN: They did. You have to keep in mind the context. And the advocates of this program don't think it should be replicated everywhere in the world. But this is really an extreme scenario. Almost every one of these kids knows someone that has HIV. And like we mentioned in the piece, sexual content really is just pervasive everywhere.
So for them, these are discussions, these are things that they are seeing outside of the school. And the educators really felt that if it exists there, why not bring it into the school setting and really educate them.
So, I was really actually quite shocked at how little embarrassment there was. Obviously, they are kids. There is giggling, there is an awkwardness to the fact that you are giving condoms to nine year olds. But you were quite aware of the fact that this exists in other parts of their lives.
NGUYEN: But the message is getting through, that is so very important. Aneesh Raman, in Bangkok this morning. Thank you.
Headlines for you this morning: The nation's flu shock shortage is forcing federal health officials to take a critical look at vaccine production. "The Washington Post" reports officials are now eager for new technologies that could produce vaccines faster and cheaper. One idea is to grow the vaccines in cells from caterpillar ovaries. That's right, rather than chicken eggs, which is the current method. When current methods wont' work to fight bad breath, well there is always laser treatment. An Israeli scientist says a new 15 minute technique can be effective when halitosis is not caused by bacteria in the mouth but rather in the tonsils. You can zap the infected tissue in the tonsils, thereby zapping away bad breath. Very interesting.
And Swiss voters have spoken on the issue of stem cell research. They have voted to forbid the cloning of human embryos. But they approved measures to allow scientists to extract stem cells from unwanted embryos to use in disease research.
Now for more on this or any other health story, head to our web site at the address, CNN.com/health.
Here's what is all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
It looks like Bush bashing is on the rise. Has the U.S. president become the man the world just loves to hate?
Also, at 6, you might not see it but it is there, tracking your computer movements and potentially messing up your PC. What you should know about spyware.
Also, today's question: What famous company adopted its name on this day back in 1975?
From Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for a Monday, morning November 29.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK our history trivia question for the day is: What famous company adopted its name on this day back in 1975?
The answer: Microsoft. You knew that, right?
Bill Gates and his partner Paul Allen adopted the name for a company they had formed to write the basic computer language.
Let's get to our e-mails today. Here's the question: What was your holiday travel experience like? We had just one, but you know what, this one takes the cake.
This person, Michael Fisher (ph), from Long Beach, California, writes: "Our holiday travel went very well. Going from the living room to the dining room was uneventful. Landing at a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my wife, daughter, and son-in-law. The return trip to the living room was more difficult" because he had accumulated more weight.
Very cute, huh?
MARCIANO: That made for a short travel day.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. All right we're out of time. But we will be up just next, the next hour of DAYBREAK begins right now.
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Aired November 29, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, DAYBREAK: A key moment today in Spain. Former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar testifies in a government probe into the March train bombings in Madrid. Aznar lost the election just three days later.
And in Texas, jury selection starts today in the first trial stemming from the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt. Three people are accused in the deaths of 19 immigrants. They were found locked in a trailer last year. Now the temperature inside that trailer was more than 170 degrees.
A recount also starts today, in Alabama, on a ballot measure that voters narrowly rejected this month. The measure would have erased segregation era language from the state constitution. Officials don't expect a recount to change the results.
It is a Monday morning, a lot of folks headed back to work, if they even made it home after the holiday weekend, Rob.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: Federal investigators are on the way to the site of a plan crash in Montrose, Colorado The charter jet crashed and burned on take off. An FAA spokesman says the jet struck a fence beyond the end of that runway there. A witness says the cockpit was ripped from the fuselage, killing the pilot and the co-pilot.
NBC's sports executive Dick Ebersol and his two sons were on board. Ebersol is hospitalized in serious condition. His son, Charles, also survived, but a Denver television station reports his 14-year-old son, Teddy, is missing. Rescuers are searching for the boy.
The man accused of killing Wisconsin hunters is expected to be charged today. The shootings happened last Sunday. Two people were also wounded in that incident. The accused shooter, Chai Vang, seen here, now has three attorneys representing him. One of his lawyers says his defense team is looking at, quote, "potential mental and mental responsibility defenses."
Vang's daughter says the truth will come out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIA VANG, DAUGHTER OF ALLEGED HUNTER KILLINGS: My father, he is a great person, and he does take care of his family. He loves his family very much. And, you know, at the time I really don't know what my father did. You know, I haven't talked to him. I haven't had any kind of contact with him. You know it was a shock to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Vang's daughter also expressed her condolences to the victims' families.
Here's the latest from Iraq. Much needed relief for people in Falluja. An Iraqi group says it is now bringing in aid, daily, to the city.
It is Iraq's most feared terror group, the one lead by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, and it is has supposedly claimed to have killed 17 Iraqi security officers and a Kurdish militiaman in Mosul. U.S. forces have found dozens of bodies in an around the northern city in recent days.
Meanwhile a U.S. diplomat's family is in morning. Jim Mullin was gunned down by insurgents in Baghdad. He came under fire while driving outside the protected green zone.
We want to go to "The War Room", where we will find out more about the slaughter of Iraqi security forces in Mosul. CNN Senior International Editor David Clinch joins us to give us insight on this.
We have 50 people dead in Mosul, Al-Zarqawi saying that he is responsible for this. So has he moved his operation from Falluja to Mosul?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Right, well a very good question. I mean, first of all we get these claims of responsibility. This one, in particular, of an attack in Mosul. Very hard to verify, in fact, in this case there is some suspicion that this may be just a claim that is on a web site. It is always hard to know for sure.
But of course, the threat, the idea that Zarqawi, who was thought to be in Falluja, may have been able to escape Falluja. That seems clear at this point, since Falluja has been taken and he hasn't been found. The fear that he has moved to Mosul, or his group has, a very significant factor for the U.S. military.
Mosul, a much more complicated city than Falluja. A mix of Kurds, as well as Sunni Arabs there. Much more difficult to target insurgents and Zarqawi in a city like that. Certainly, very hard to believe that any kind of military assault on Mosul, in the scale we saw in Falluja would ever take place.
So, a hard man to find, anywhere, but certainly very difficult to track down in Mosul. And there have been a lot of incidents in that area in the last few weeks.
NGUYEN: Now, this is having an effect on Iraqi national guardsmen, because they are very worried that the same situation is going happen to them. They may be one of the ones killed in this action. Is that having a big effect? Especially when the election is still set for January 30?
CLINCH: Right, well the Iraqi force is playing a key part, not only in the security leading up to the election but obviously in the attempt to capture Zarqawi and the assault on Falluja. The Iraqi forces, both the military and the police playing a key part there.
And of course, we have been looking at this for months. The moral effect, if nothing else, and the death toll, of course on Iraqi forces, a very significant factor. We're just getting reports of an attack in Rammadi today, in which some Iraqi forces were targeted, too. So, wherever Zarqawi is, the insurgency is not over and the Iraqis are bearing the brunt of it.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. All right, CNN Senior International Editor David Clinch, thank you for your time and insight.
CLINCH: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar is defending his government's handling of the Madrid train bombings last March. Aznar is testifying before a parliamentary commission investigating those bombings and our Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): March 11, 10 bombs hidden in bags go off in quick succession on Madrid commuter trains three days before a general election.
The trail of evidence leads Spanish police and investigating magistrates to Islamic terrorists at the perpetrators. Raids and arrests follow, the majority of those held, like this man, are Moroccan nationals. And that will make the appearance before the parliamentary commission by Jose Maria Aznar especially interesting. Because immediately after the bombings Aznar's government was focusing its investigations on just one group.
ANGEL ACEBES, FORMER INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): At this moment, the police and the interior ministry don't have any doubt that the Eta terrorist group was responsible for the attack.
GOODMAN: Basque politicians allege that just 10 hours after the attacks Aznar knew Eta was not involved.
EMILIO OLARABAMILIA (ph), BASQUE NATIONALIST PARTY (through translator): We're convinced that by 5:30 in the afternoon, on March 11, it was know that Eta had nothing to do with the train bombing.
GOODMAN: And on election eve, Spaniards protested out side Aznar's popular party headquarters alleging manipulation of the attacks for political advantage. The next day, Aznar's conservative party lost.
Eta has been responsible for many attacks in Spain over three decades, though never on the scale of the March train bombings. Even so, senior figures in the Popular Party still say you can't rule out Eta's involvement.
VINCENTE MARTINZE FUJJAL TE,, POPULAR PARTY: (through translator): We found a connection between Eta and Islamic terrorists in prisons, in their dynamite supplier and in phone numbers. Things worth investigating.
GOODMAN: The ruling Socialists are wary of Aznar's testimony to the commission.
ALYARO CUESTA, SOCIALIST PARTY (through translator): I hope he doesn't come to the commission aggressively or try to trick the Spaniards or blame his subordinates.
GOODMAN: But the Popular Party has a point to prove.
RAFAEL HERNANDO, POPULAR PARTY: (through translator): I think Aznar will try to shed light on the truth and show the government did not lie or try to fool the people.
GOODMAN: Aznar's testimony comes as the city of Madrid unveiled plans for a crystal monument at Atocha (ph) Train Station, with messages of peace for the victims.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And CNN's Al Goodman has been in the hearing room in Madrid, joins us live now, with an update.
Al, there is a report in a Spanish newspaper suggesting a link between the 9/11 attacks in this country and the Madrid bombings. What do you know about that connection?
GOODMAN: Hello, Betty.
Well, we are about three hours into this hearing. It is expected to go many hours more, now the report you're referring to came out on Sunday in the leading conservative newspaper called "ABC" newspaper" here in Spain. Now that newspaper is considered to be very close to former Prime Minister Aznar's conservative Popular Party.
It basically reported that what is well know is that in the summer of 2001, July 2001, two months before the September 11 attacks in the United States, some of the conspirators in those attacks held a summit meeting, according to authorities that CNN has talked to over the years, in eastern Spain. Now the report in the newspaper says that one man, who was connected to that meeting, may have been the man who ordered the Madrid train bombings.
Now, what Mr. Aznar has said, in the commission hearing so far is that his government did not lie about who was behind the train bombings. He has insisted that even today, eight months after the bombings you can't rule out the Basque separatist group, Eta, which is a terrorist group according to the United States and the European Union. It is blamed for hundreds of deaths in Spain, but has never done anything like the Madrid train bombings. He has said you can't rule that out and he has said that by sending troops to Iraq, when he was prime minister, and he close supported President Bush in the Iraq war, that that also didn't have an effect.
Now, his government, the Popular Party, was upset three days after those train bombings, Betty. And a lot of political damage done to his party. Some analysts say he's trying to repair some of that this day.
But specifically, on the link to September 11 attacks, this report on Sunday, in the newspaper, it has not specifically come up. It did not come up in his opening statement, which lasted nearly an hour. And in the second hour it also did not specifically come up.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: So, we'll have to wait to hear on that. All right. CNN's Al Goodman for us in Madrid this morning, out of time.
Thank you, Al.
Still to come here on DAYBREAK, children who are still learning the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic are also being taught the fundamentals of sex, condoms, and AIDS. That is coming up at 50 past.
And our e-mail question: What was your holiday travel experience like?
E-mail us at Daybreak@cnn.com. But first, here is a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, you knew it had to happen. After a film career spanning 50 years and 28 films that big stomping, grumpy atomic age import from Japan, talking about Godzilla, is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Our Atika Shubert has more on Godzilla.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GODZILLA SCREAMING)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The big G is back and looking a healthy 50 years old. He's got a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and "Final Wars". A new movie that producers promise will be his last featuring every Godzilla friend and foe ever created.
It started as something of a joke. Who knew a guy in a rubber suit stomping around Tokyo would become a icon, much less the subject of serious discussion. What is Godzilla? Is he the embodiment of Japan's nuclear post-war trauma? Or is he Japan's national hope cleverly disguised as a fire-breathing monster?
(On camera): What is Godzilla is still under debate, but who is Godzilla is pretty easy to find out. Especially since all the actors who played him still live in Tokyo.
Haruwa (ph) Nakajima is the original Godzilla. He has suffered burns, electric shocks and near suffocation while playing the monster. Not surprising since the suit weighted almost 100 kilograms, about 200 pounds, powered by a car battery wedged between his knees.
Now 75, Nakajima says today's actors could learn something from playing a monster.
HARUWA (ph) NAKAJIMA, FIRST GODZILLA ACTOR (through translator): Actors shouldn't show weakness, he says. You can't say I have no oxygen in the middle of filming. Actors shouldn't cry. If they complain, they should just quit.
SHUBERT: The current Godzilla, Tsutomu Kitagawa takes that advice to heart and happily gives us lessons in proper stomping technique.
(GROWLING)
TSUTOMU KITAGAWA, NEW GODZILLA ACTOR (through translator): The suit is very tight. I can't see very well and inside there is a tube for breathing. Once it came undone while I was underwater and I was drowning. Godzilla may look great on the outside, but inside he's pretty desperate.
(GODZILLA SCREAMING)
SHUBERT: Godzilla creators never figured he would last beyond one movie; 50 years and 28 films later, Godzilla biggest problem is finding a way to stomp into the sunset for good -- Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: We have your news, money, weather and sports. Right now, the time is 5:46 Eastern. Here's what is all new this morning.
NBC sports chairman Dick Ebersol is one of three people hurt in a crash of a private plane in Colorado. Two people died in that crash.
In money, a running this past weekend for the holiday shopping season; 86 million shoppers spent more than $22 billion, an average of $265.15, that is per shopper. Online merchants reported sharp increases over last year.
In culture, Julia Roberts is a mother, twice over. The Oscar- winning actress has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Roberts is married to cinema photographer Danny Moder (ph).
And in sports, coming from behind, late in the game, the Raiders beat the Broncos by one point on a snowy night in Denver. Terry Collins threw five touchdown passes for Oakland. Three of them to Jerry Porter.
Rob, snow didn't seem to be a factor there. ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. No, they are used to it in the Mile High City. But always a fun game to watch, I'm glad it was in prime time.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: Still to come this morning, teaching grade schoolers about condoms, sex, and AIDS. Has it come to this? Well, we tell you why it has, and where.
Our e-mail question: What was your travel holiday experience like? E-mail us now at Daybreak@cnn.com.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Monday, November 29.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: World AIDS Day will be observed Wednesday. The U.N. says that by the end of this year more than 39 million people, worldwide, will be living with HIV or AIDS. We'll have a series of reports on this deadly pandemic this week. And we begin in Thailand where activists say you are never too young to learn about sex and AIDS. More now from CNN's Aneesh Raman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Come to Thailand, the saying goes, for sun, sand, and sex. Prostitution has a long been a business here, but now casual sex is spreading throughout society, especially among young people.
(On camera): In the northern city of Chang Mai (ph), there is a dangerous twist. Not only is sex easy to find but they've got one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV in Asia. So, as you can imagine, here, you're never too young to learn about sex.
(voice over): At this village primary school the morning starts with the national anthem and then it time for a lesson on condoms.
(on camera): So, you are really worried here that the age group is getting younger, in terms of those getting infected?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and I believe that it will be common for Thailand that we will have the younger people that have HIV infection when they are about 15 years old.
RAMAN: And you have already found a girl that is 12, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, we already found a girl that she might get HIV infection when she was about 12 years old.
RAMAN (voice over): Preteens could become the next danger group in Thailand. That drove Dr. Funkou (ph) to start a program that travels to elementary schools teaching children as young as nine about safe sex. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is not too young for us to prepare them. I think it is very important that we prepare them to be ready to have really accurate information and have understanding about the sexual issues.
RAMAN (on camera): Getting through to these kids and others like them is essential. Thailand has about 700,000 cases of HIV right now. And more than 10 percent of those are kids between the ages of 15 and 24.
(Voice over): In today's world, where kids are growing up surrounded by sexual content, the idea in northern Thailand is that education is the backbone of prevention. The question they raise is that if sex exists in many aspects of a kid's world, why shouldn't it be in the schools?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RAMAN: And, Betty, another reason this issue is of critical importance, Durex (ph), the condom company just out with survey showing nearly 50 percent of Thais are having unprotected sex, many without any knowledge of their partners sexual history.
NGUYEN: Aneesh, I want to ask you about these course, or these at least lessons that are being taught to elementary school kids. How are they reacting to these sex education classes? They are so very young, are they embarrassed by it? Do they understand how serious the problem is?
RAMAN: They did. You have to keep in mind the context. And the advocates of this program don't think it should be replicated everywhere in the world. But this is really an extreme scenario. Almost every one of these kids knows someone that has HIV. And like we mentioned in the piece, sexual content really is just pervasive everywhere.
So for them, these are discussions, these are things that they are seeing outside of the school. And the educators really felt that if it exists there, why not bring it into the school setting and really educate them.
So, I was really actually quite shocked at how little embarrassment there was. Obviously, they are kids. There is giggling, there is an awkwardness to the fact that you are giving condoms to nine year olds. But you were quite aware of the fact that this exists in other parts of their lives.
NGUYEN: But the message is getting through, that is so very important. Aneesh Raman, in Bangkok this morning. Thank you.
Headlines for you this morning: The nation's flu shock shortage is forcing federal health officials to take a critical look at vaccine production. "The Washington Post" reports officials are now eager for new technologies that could produce vaccines faster and cheaper. One idea is to grow the vaccines in cells from caterpillar ovaries. That's right, rather than chicken eggs, which is the current method. When current methods wont' work to fight bad breath, well there is always laser treatment. An Israeli scientist says a new 15 minute technique can be effective when halitosis is not caused by bacteria in the mouth but rather in the tonsils. You can zap the infected tissue in the tonsils, thereby zapping away bad breath. Very interesting.
And Swiss voters have spoken on the issue of stem cell research. They have voted to forbid the cloning of human embryos. But they approved measures to allow scientists to extract stem cells from unwanted embryos to use in disease research.
Now for more on this or any other health story, head to our web site at the address, CNN.com/health.
Here's what is all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK.
It looks like Bush bashing is on the rise. Has the U.S. president become the man the world just loves to hate?
Also, at 6, you might not see it but it is there, tracking your computer movements and potentially messing up your PC. What you should know about spyware.
Also, today's question: What famous company adopted its name on this day back in 1975?
From Atlanta, this is DAYBREAK for a Monday, morning November 29.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK our history trivia question for the day is: What famous company adopted its name on this day back in 1975?
The answer: Microsoft. You knew that, right?
Bill Gates and his partner Paul Allen adopted the name for a company they had formed to write the basic computer language.
Let's get to our e-mails today. Here's the question: What was your holiday travel experience like? We had just one, but you know what, this one takes the cake.
This person, Michael Fisher (ph), from Long Beach, California, writes: "Our holiday travel went very well. Going from the living room to the dining room was uneventful. Landing at a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my wife, daughter, and son-in-law. The return trip to the living room was more difficult" because he had accumulated more weight.
Very cute, huh?
MARCIANO: That made for a short travel day.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. All right we're out of time. But we will be up just next, the next hour of DAYBREAK begins right now.
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