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CNN Live At Daybreak

Jurors Sentence Scott Peterson to Death; Examining Cabinet Changes in Bush Administration

Aired December 14, 2004 - 05:00   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.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHELLE NICE, PETERSON TRIAL JUROR: No anything. That's a thousand words. That was loud and clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A life in the balance -- hard-edged talk from the jurors in the Scott Peterson trial.

Plus, battling malaria in Africa, not with drugs, but with nets. We'll hear about it from a Red Cross official.

And connecting his loved ones in the war zone. A mother and son talk about how they have built a bridge to the battlefield.

It is Tuesday, December 14.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, for the second day in a row, Iraqi insurgents strike at a checkpoint in Baghdad's green zone. So far some casualties, but no deaths. It comes as the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff arrives in the Iraqi capital.

In Baghdad Province, two U.S. Marines with the 1st Expeditionary Force are killed in action. Since Sunday, nine Marines have died in action in Iraq, two Monday and seven in Al Anbar Province.

Two passenger trains collide today in northern India, killing more than 20 people. A railway official says fog could have played a role.

And in Redwood City, California, one of the most highly anticipated sentences in years. The Scott Peterson jury comes back with a death sentence.

To the forecast center now and Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers -- good morning.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: They have spent the past six months in silence. Now Scott Peterson's jurors are finally speaking out. They say their decision to recommend the death penalty in his murder trial was a tough one.

But as our Frank Buckley reports, they also say it was the right decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The entire panel appeared in a show of solidarity. Three jurors talked -- Greg Beratlis, a youth coach; Richelle Nice, an unemployed mother of four; and Steve Cardosi, a firefighter paramedic, the foreman.

Over the course of six months, they said, there were sleepless nights.

GREG BERATLIS, PETERSON TRIAL JUROR: You know, and it's a man's life and you want to make sure you make the right decision.

BUCKLEY: They said the totality of the circumstantial evidence against this man, Scott Peterson, and his actions following the disappearance and death of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, spoke to his guilt.

STEVE CARDOSI, PETERSON TRIAL JUROR: He lost his wife and his child and it didn't seem to faze him. And while that was going on, they're looking for his wife and his child, he's romancing a girlfriend. That doesn't make sense to me.

BUCKLEY: The death penalty, they said, was appropriate given the personal nature of the crime.

NICE: Scott Peterson was Laci's husband, Conner's daddy. Someone should have -- the one person that should have protected them. And for him to have done that.

BUCKLEY: The jurors said they followed the judge's instructions not to talk about the case with anyone, not to be influenced by the media. But they said they couldn't avoid this -- the public reaction to their guilty verdicts. Beratlis said for him, that was the hardest day of a tough six month ordeal.

BERATLIS: People running around and clapping and screaming and all that, that was not a happy event for anybody.

BUCKLEY: The jurors said in some cases they were personally changed by their service or emotionally drained. But all expressed confidence that they made the right decisions about guilt and death.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE) COSTELLO: And that leads us to today's e-mail question. Here it is. Did the Scott Peterson jury return the correct verdict? Did they make the right decision? We want to hear from you this morning. E- mail us at daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

In other news across America this morning, it starts with another high profile California legal case. Attorneys for Michael Jackson call the government's conduct outrageous and want the child molestation trial either delayed or thrown out altogether. The trial is scheduled to begin on January 31.

Jackson's lawyers, by the way, are also asking that a DNA sample collected from Jackson earlier this month be suppressed.

Pro-immigrant activists are calling for a weekly boycott of gas stations in California. The groups are trying to pressure lawmakers to allow illegal immigrants to apply for drivers licenses. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed an immigrant license bill back in September. Motorists are being encouraged to avoid filling up their tanks every Monday.

Nearly 3,000 sailors from the carrier USS John F. Kennedy returned home to a huge welcome after a six month stint in the Persian Gulf. The crew provided close air support for Marines during the fighting in Falluja. While they were gone, 70 of the sailors, 70 of them, became fathers.

On to politics and what is left of the Bush cabinet, at least the old one. The president has picked his new Health and Human Services secretary and you can bet he was vetted right down to his socks, especially after the Kerik stumble.

Our John King has a look at the cabinet shuffle going on at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A big job shift in the Bush cabinet, but still a vacancy in one critical security post after an embarrassing episode for a White House that prides itself on order and discipline.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When confirmed by the Senate, Mike Leavitt will be charged with a broad agenda for the health and safety of the American people.

KING: Leavitt is the president's choice to take over the $500 billion a year Department of Health and Human Services, where the challenges include medical research, Medicare overhaul and the debate over re-importation of prescription drugs, not to mention outgoing Secretary Tommy Thompson's warning that the nation's food supply is vulnerable to terrorist attack.

BUSH: We will not relent in our efforts to particular the American people from disease and the use of disease as a weapon against us. KING: Other challenges awaiting Leavitt include overseeing the president's opposition to human cloning and limits on embryonic stem cell research.

MIKE LEAVITT, HHS SECRETARY NOMINEE: I am persuaded that we can use technology and innovation to meet our most noble aspirations and not compromise our other values that we hold so dear.

KING: Leavitt now runs the Environmental Protection Agency and was governor of Utah for 11 years. Mr. Bush's biggest remaining second term personnel challenge is to find a new secretary of homeland security. Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik was Mr. Bush's choice, but he backed out Friday after acknowledging he failed to pay taxes for a nanny who was in the United States illegally.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: This issue came to the attention of Commissioner Kerik and he brought it to our attention and he indicated that he should have brought it to our attention sooner.

KING: The White House dismissed critics who blamed a faulty vetting process, saying Kerik's background was researched for several weeks and that the information about the nanny came to light because White House lawyers continued asking for information, even after Mr. Bush tapped Kerik for the homeland security post.

(on camera): White House officials say the focus now is on finding a new candidate for the homeland security post. And while they expect a decision from the president relatively soon, they also promise to be a little extra careful with the vetting process.

John King, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And I think that would be an understatement.

Straight ahead this hour on DAYBREAK, he is the son of the U.N. chief, Kofi Annan, but Kojo Annan is not being very diplomatic. Some tough talk at 14 minutes past.

Also, keeping in touch from a war zone. We'll talk to a mother and son about how they did it. That's at 45 minutes past.

And author Tom Wolfe wins an award, but he won't be putting it on his mantel. Why? Well, it's kind of erotic. We'll tell you at 26 minutes past.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning, December 14.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Emotion -- Scott Peterson did not show much of it during his murder trial and jurors say that influenced their decision to recommend the death penalty.

This morning, we take you beyond the sound bite and back into the courtroom to the jurors' own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICE: No emotion. No anything. That spoke a thousand words. That was loud and clear. Today, the giggles at the table. Loud and clear. I heard enough from him.

BERATLIS: I would have liked to have heard something out of his mouth, yes, anything. A plea for his life or just his opinion on everything that went on in the last, you know, two years. But I never got that and I couldn't use that for any decision-making. I didn't see much emotion at all. When I looked over there, I -- it was a blank stare. And I don't know why. I can't -- I couldn't read into that, but I didn't -- we'd see him laugh at certain situations and then sit there and shake his head, as if in disbelief at what was going on. That's what I saw.

CARDOSI: I did see emotions in him, most of which were anger. I mean, you could tell he didn't get upset and cry very often at all, until the penalty phase. You saw a couple of tears coming down his face. I still would have liked to see, I don't know if remorse is the right way, but a little more expression of caring about his loss. I mean if he was innocent, he lost his wife and his child. And he didn't seem to faze him. And while that was going on, they're looking for his wife and his child, he's romancing a girlfriend. That's -- that doesn't make sense to me at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ted Rowlands, our correspondent out in California, was inside the courtroom when the verdict was read, when the sentencing came down, I should say. We're going to hear from him in the 6:00 Eastern hour of DAYBREAK. We will also talk to Amanda Grove from Court TV. So be sure to stick around for that.

Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:14 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Richard Myers is in Iraq. Myers arrived at Camp Victory near Baghdad for meetings with Iraqi officials. He'll also be the emcee when Robin Williams and John Elway speak to the troops.

For the second day in a row, a car bomb has exploded near the green zone in Baghdad. There are reports of several casualties, but no Americans are among the wounded.

In money news, listen to this. Mistakes cost Medicare about $20 billion this year. A government report says the improper payments were partly due to unnecessary procedures. A portion of the payment errors may also have been due to fraud.

In culture, Regis Philbin will help ring in the new year. He's replacing Dick Clark on Clark's traditional new year Rocking Eve broadcast. Clark, as you know, lie in state recovering from a minor stroke he suffered last week.

In sports, it looks like pitcher Pedro Martinez is leaving the world champion Red Sox. Reports say Martinez will join the New York Mets once contract terms are worked out. The deal is expected to be worth more than $50 million for four years. $50 million -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Well, Carol, that's about what it's going to cost for his security brigade in order to keep him safe from the Yankee fans.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding.

MARCIANO: Anyway, good luck to him in Queens.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Let's head to Africa now. An international effort there aimed at malaria prevention is in full swing in the small West African nation of Togo. Interestingly enough, it involves tents, nets.

Here to explain how that's going is Gerry Jones, vice president of the American Red Cross.

He joins us from Togo.

Good morning, Gerry.

GERRY JONES, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAN RED CROSS INTERNATIONAL SERVICES: Good morning, Carol.

How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm fine.

You know...

JONES: This bustling, joyous scene you see behind me...

COSTELLO: Take it away, Gerry.

Describe it for us.

JONES: Carol, this bustling, joyous scene you see behind me is being repeated all over Togo today and for the following week. What you see is a steady stream of mothers and their children moving toward health centers all over the country. And when they get there, what they'll find is a health worker ready to administer to them, along with community volunteers, an insecticide treated bed net. And that will protect their child from the number one killer in this country.

Along with that, they'll be getting a measles vaccination, a polio vaccination and protection against parasites.

This is the result of an enormous collaboration with a large number of international health groups and community groups throughout the country. It has the potential to be the biggest life saver for under 5-year-old kids ever attempted in this country. It's going to be replicated, too, throughout Africa over the next year. We'll be doing three more countries in 2005 and probably another half dozen in the year after that.

So it's really an enormous step forward.

COSTELLO: Gerry, let's back up for just a second and talk about the disease itself, malaria, and just how many children it kills in Africa every single year.

JONES: Well, the death toll from malaria in Africa is enormous, Carol, well over half a million. And what's tragic about this is that we have the solution in hand. The use of insecticide treated bed nets is a very cheap, achievable goal in every household. And that provides a child with the protection he or she needs in those early years from age one to five, when they are most vulnerable to this killer.

COSTELLO: So, just so people understand, you're giving each family a net to put over the child's bed at night and that's as simple as the solution is?

JONES: That's right. It's an amazingly simple solution. It involves an enormous amount of coordination with community groups. It involves an enormous amount of mobilization. It involves volunteers going from house to house, explaining to mothers that this is the solution and that it is available to them at their health clinic or at the health station that's being set up this week, where they can get that insecticide treated bed net.

But, no, that's it. The solution is in our hands. It's involved an enormous amount of collaboration and community mobilizing. But this week I think we're going to get there. We're going to reach every child in Togo.

COSTELLO: That's fantastic. And we're talking about malaria as it's spread through mosquitoes.

Did you get donations for these nets? Is that how you were able to do this?

JONES: Yes, that's right. There's a wonderful combination of many organizations; international health organizations; community organizations; various Red Cross organizations, American Red Cross, of course; our good friends, the Canadians; UNICEF; WHO; many private individuals who have been touched by this plight of African children and have been motivated by the fact that a solution is at hand.

And that's been an enormously wonderful thing to see.

COSTELLO: Gerry Jones joining us from Togo this morning from the Red Cross. He's the vice president there. And that's wonderful work you're doing there.

Thank you very much for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

Let's stay in Africa.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is under fire from some U.S. senators for the alleged mismanagement of Iraq's Oil For Food Program. Among those under investigation are Annan's son Kojo, who is said to have illegally profited from the program. Until now, Kojo Annan has not commented on the probe. That is until now, as I've said.

Jeff Koinange has this exclusive report from Lagos, Nigeria.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kojo Annan is the 31-year-old son of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, from Annan's first marriage. The younger Annan lives in a townhouse here in Lagos, the bustling commercial capital of Nigeria. He is a businessman and a bachelor, who enjoys traveling and whose financial interests stretch from Lagos to London.

But it's Kojo Annan's work for the Swiss multinational Cotecna that's haunting him. Cotecna profited from the Oil For Food Program, hired in 1998 to authenticate approved humanitarian goods shipments to Iraq. U.N. critics suspect the firm might have won the contract because of Kojo's U.N. connections.

Cotecna says that was not a factor and that it had been originally chosen to work for the U.N. in 1992.

CNN has tried repeatedly to get Kojo Annan to speak to us on camera, but he has refused, instead, issuing this statement to CNN saying he is cooperating with investigators. "I feel the whole issue has been a witch-hunt from day one, as part of a broader Republican political agenda."

Kojo Annan went to work for Cotecna fresh out of a British university in 1995. He and the firm insist his job was limited to the firm's activities in West Africa, working in the Nigeria office for four years. Kojo Annan says he was never involved in the firm's activities in Iraq, saying, "I have never participated directly or indirectly in any business related to the United Nations."

But even after Kojo Annan resigned from Cotecna, the firm kept him on its payroll until this February, in a non-compete agreement, preventing him from disclosing any confidential company information or working for the competition. For this, Cotecna paid him a total of $125,000 over four years.

The elder Annan has said he was unaware of the continuing payments and is disappointed they create a perception of conflict of interest.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: He is a grown man and I don't get involved with his activities and he doesn't get involved in mine.

KOINANGE: Kofi Annan says he's been in touch with his son and that Kojo is cooperating with investigators.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not aware that anything Kojo Annan did for Cotecna was illegal or improper. That's our perception.

KOINANGE: Meanwhile, Kojo Annan says the investigations, especially in Washington, aren't about him, but a deliberate attempt to bring down his father. "The rest of the world has shown their unwavering support for my father. What will the U.S. senators have to say if there is, as many over here in the rest of the world suspect, no substance to the allegations against my father and me?"

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KOINANGE: And, Carol, I've spoken to Kojo several times since the report surfaced and the one thing that he's coming up is he feels sorry for all the distress that all this has caused not only on his father, but the rest of his family. Regarding the ongoing investigation, he says he's already gone through what he calls countless hours of questioning. But he feels that in the end, he will be cleared of any wrongdoing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So why didn't he agree to appear on camera and say these things -- Jeff.

KOINANGE: That's a good question, and the answer is twofold, Carol.

Number one, the Volcker report. This is the one, the main report headed by former Reserve Bank Chairman Paul Volcker. That report is not due out until January. He doesn't want to jeopardize that or jump the gun, so to speak, on that report. And then he says at the end of the day he wants this thing to kind of blow over. He feels it's blowing over for now and he feels that by -- whenever the report comes out, some time in January, he will be able to either defend himself or he'll just walk away clean -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll see.

Jeff Koinange, reporting live from Nigeria this morning.

We're going to take a short break.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is that time of the morning when we know you need to smile and laugh a little bit. So it's time for "Late Night Laughs" right now. This time it's skeletons in homeland security Bernard Kerik's closet and Scott Peterson's demons. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, COURTESY CBS/WORLDWIDE PANTS) DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: To everybody in the Ed Sullivan theory audience, balcony up there, you're here on a special night. The entire balcony in the Ed Sullivan Theater is filled with skeletons from Bernard Kerik's closet. There it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO," COURTESY NBC)

JAY LENO, HOST: Nothing is going to happen to Scott Peterson for a long time. I mean, you know, California has 637 prisoners on death row, more than any other state. Most of them have been there more than a quarter of a century. California is the only death row where you not only get a last meal, you get a gold watch, too. There you go. Thanks. Twenty-five years. Scott can do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: it is amazing to me how Americans feel about the death penalty. I'm just making an observation. You know, Jay Leno was joking about it. Outside of the Peterson courthouse, a huge cheer went up from the crowd when Scott Peterson received the death penalty. Was it the right verdict? We're asking you that question this morning. Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

And we'll be right back.

(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 December 14, 2004 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHELLE NICE, PETERSON TRIAL JUROR: No anything. That's a thousand words. That was loud and clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A life in the balance -- hard-edged talk from the jurors in the Scott Peterson trial.

Plus, battling malaria in Africa, not with drugs, but with nets. We'll hear about it from a Red Cross official.

And connecting his loved ones in the war zone. A mother and son talk about how they have built a bridge to the battlefield.

It is Tuesday, December 14.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello.

Now in the news, for the second day in a row, Iraqi insurgents strike at a checkpoint in Baghdad's green zone. So far some casualties, but no deaths. It comes as the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff arrives in the Iraqi capital.

In Baghdad Province, two U.S. Marines with the 1st Expeditionary Force are killed in action. Since Sunday, nine Marines have died in action in Iraq, two Monday and seven in Al Anbar Province.

Two passenger trains collide today in northern India, killing more than 20 people. A railway official says fog could have played a role.

And in Redwood City, California, one of the most highly anticipated sentences in years. The Scott Peterson jury comes back with a death sentence.

To the forecast center now and Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers -- good morning.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: They have spent the past six months in silence. Now Scott Peterson's jurors are finally speaking out. They say their decision to recommend the death penalty in his murder trial was a tough one.

But as our Frank Buckley reports, they also say it was the right decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The entire panel appeared in a show of solidarity. Three jurors talked -- Greg Beratlis, a youth coach; Richelle Nice, an unemployed mother of four; and Steve Cardosi, a firefighter paramedic, the foreman.

Over the course of six months, they said, there were sleepless nights.

GREG BERATLIS, PETERSON TRIAL JUROR: You know, and it's a man's life and you want to make sure you make the right decision.

BUCKLEY: They said the totality of the circumstantial evidence against this man, Scott Peterson, and his actions following the disappearance and death of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son, spoke to his guilt.

STEVE CARDOSI, PETERSON TRIAL JUROR: He lost his wife and his child and it didn't seem to faze him. And while that was going on, they're looking for his wife and his child, he's romancing a girlfriend. That doesn't make sense to me.

BUCKLEY: The death penalty, they said, was appropriate given the personal nature of the crime.

NICE: Scott Peterson was Laci's husband, Conner's daddy. Someone should have -- the one person that should have protected them. And for him to have done that.

BUCKLEY: The jurors said they followed the judge's instructions not to talk about the case with anyone, not to be influenced by the media. But they said they couldn't avoid this -- the public reaction to their guilty verdicts. Beratlis said for him, that was the hardest day of a tough six month ordeal.

BERATLIS: People running around and clapping and screaming and all that, that was not a happy event for anybody.

BUCKLEY: The jurors said in some cases they were personally changed by their service or emotionally drained. But all expressed confidence that they made the right decisions about guilt and death.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE) COSTELLO: And that leads us to today's e-mail question. Here it is. Did the Scott Peterson jury return the correct verdict? Did they make the right decision? We want to hear from you this morning. E- mail us at daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

In other news across America this morning, it starts with another high profile California legal case. Attorneys for Michael Jackson call the government's conduct outrageous and want the child molestation trial either delayed or thrown out altogether. The trial is scheduled to begin on January 31.

Jackson's lawyers, by the way, are also asking that a DNA sample collected from Jackson earlier this month be suppressed.

Pro-immigrant activists are calling for a weekly boycott of gas stations in California. The groups are trying to pressure lawmakers to allow illegal immigrants to apply for drivers licenses. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed an immigrant license bill back in September. Motorists are being encouraged to avoid filling up their tanks every Monday.

Nearly 3,000 sailors from the carrier USS John F. Kennedy returned home to a huge welcome after a six month stint in the Persian Gulf. The crew provided close air support for Marines during the fighting in Falluja. While they were gone, 70 of the sailors, 70 of them, became fathers.

On to politics and what is left of the Bush cabinet, at least the old one. The president has picked his new Health and Human Services secretary and you can bet he was vetted right down to his socks, especially after the Kerik stumble.

Our John King has a look at the cabinet shuffle going on at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A big job shift in the Bush cabinet, but still a vacancy in one critical security post after an embarrassing episode for a White House that prides itself on order and discipline.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When confirmed by the Senate, Mike Leavitt will be charged with a broad agenda for the health and safety of the American people.

KING: Leavitt is the president's choice to take over the $500 billion a year Department of Health and Human Services, where the challenges include medical research, Medicare overhaul and the debate over re-importation of prescription drugs, not to mention outgoing Secretary Tommy Thompson's warning that the nation's food supply is vulnerable to terrorist attack.

BUSH: We will not relent in our efforts to particular the American people from disease and the use of disease as a weapon against us. KING: Other challenges awaiting Leavitt include overseeing the president's opposition to human cloning and limits on embryonic stem cell research.

MIKE LEAVITT, HHS SECRETARY NOMINEE: I am persuaded that we can use technology and innovation to meet our most noble aspirations and not compromise our other values that we hold so dear.

KING: Leavitt now runs the Environmental Protection Agency and was governor of Utah for 11 years. Mr. Bush's biggest remaining second term personnel challenge is to find a new secretary of homeland security. Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik was Mr. Bush's choice, but he backed out Friday after acknowledging he failed to pay taxes for a nanny who was in the United States illegally.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: This issue came to the attention of Commissioner Kerik and he brought it to our attention and he indicated that he should have brought it to our attention sooner.

KING: The White House dismissed critics who blamed a faulty vetting process, saying Kerik's background was researched for several weeks and that the information about the nanny came to light because White House lawyers continued asking for information, even after Mr. Bush tapped Kerik for the homeland security post.

(on camera): White House officials say the focus now is on finding a new candidate for the homeland security post. And while they expect a decision from the president relatively soon, they also promise to be a little extra careful with the vetting process.

John King, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And I think that would be an understatement.

Straight ahead this hour on DAYBREAK, he is the son of the U.N. chief, Kofi Annan, but Kojo Annan is not being very diplomatic. Some tough talk at 14 minutes past.

Also, keeping in touch from a war zone. We'll talk to a mother and son about how they did it. That's at 45 minutes past.

And author Tom Wolfe wins an award, but he won't be putting it on his mantel. Why? Well, it's kind of erotic. We'll tell you at 26 minutes past.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning, December 14.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Emotion -- Scott Peterson did not show much of it during his murder trial and jurors say that influenced their decision to recommend the death penalty.

This morning, we take you beyond the sound bite and back into the courtroom to the jurors' own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICE: No emotion. No anything. That spoke a thousand words. That was loud and clear. Today, the giggles at the table. Loud and clear. I heard enough from him.

BERATLIS: I would have liked to have heard something out of his mouth, yes, anything. A plea for his life or just his opinion on everything that went on in the last, you know, two years. But I never got that and I couldn't use that for any decision-making. I didn't see much emotion at all. When I looked over there, I -- it was a blank stare. And I don't know why. I can't -- I couldn't read into that, but I didn't -- we'd see him laugh at certain situations and then sit there and shake his head, as if in disbelief at what was going on. That's what I saw.

CARDOSI: I did see emotions in him, most of which were anger. I mean, you could tell he didn't get upset and cry very often at all, until the penalty phase. You saw a couple of tears coming down his face. I still would have liked to see, I don't know if remorse is the right way, but a little more expression of caring about his loss. I mean if he was innocent, he lost his wife and his child. And he didn't seem to faze him. And while that was going on, they're looking for his wife and his child, he's romancing a girlfriend. That's -- that doesn't make sense to me at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Ted Rowlands, our correspondent out in California, was inside the courtroom when the verdict was read, when the sentencing came down, I should say. We're going to hear from him in the 6:00 Eastern hour of DAYBREAK. We will also talk to Amanda Grove from Court TV. So be sure to stick around for that.

Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:14 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Richard Myers is in Iraq. Myers arrived at Camp Victory near Baghdad for meetings with Iraqi officials. He'll also be the emcee when Robin Williams and John Elway speak to the troops.

For the second day in a row, a car bomb has exploded near the green zone in Baghdad. There are reports of several casualties, but no Americans are among the wounded.

In money news, listen to this. Mistakes cost Medicare about $20 billion this year. A government report says the improper payments were partly due to unnecessary procedures. A portion of the payment errors may also have been due to fraud.

In culture, Regis Philbin will help ring in the new year. He's replacing Dick Clark on Clark's traditional new year Rocking Eve broadcast. Clark, as you know, lie in state recovering from a minor stroke he suffered last week.

In sports, it looks like pitcher Pedro Martinez is leaving the world champion Red Sox. Reports say Martinez will join the New York Mets once contract terms are worked out. The deal is expected to be worth more than $50 million for four years. $50 million -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Well, Carol, that's about what it's going to cost for his security brigade in order to keep him safe from the Yankee fans.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding.

MARCIANO: Anyway, good luck to him in Queens.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Let's head to Africa now. An international effort there aimed at malaria prevention is in full swing in the small West African nation of Togo. Interestingly enough, it involves tents, nets.

Here to explain how that's going is Gerry Jones, vice president of the American Red Cross.

He joins us from Togo.

Good morning, Gerry.

GERRY JONES, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAN RED CROSS INTERNATIONAL SERVICES: Good morning, Carol.

How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm fine.

You know...

JONES: This bustling, joyous scene you see behind me...

COSTELLO: Take it away, Gerry.

Describe it for us.

JONES: Carol, this bustling, joyous scene you see behind me is being repeated all over Togo today and for the following week. What you see is a steady stream of mothers and their children moving toward health centers all over the country. And when they get there, what they'll find is a health worker ready to administer to them, along with community volunteers, an insecticide treated bed net. And that will protect their child from the number one killer in this country.

Along with that, they'll be getting a measles vaccination, a polio vaccination and protection against parasites.

This is the result of an enormous collaboration with a large number of international health groups and community groups throughout the country. It has the potential to be the biggest life saver for under 5-year-old kids ever attempted in this country. It's going to be replicated, too, throughout Africa over the next year. We'll be doing three more countries in 2005 and probably another half dozen in the year after that.

So it's really an enormous step forward.

COSTELLO: Gerry, let's back up for just a second and talk about the disease itself, malaria, and just how many children it kills in Africa every single year.

JONES: Well, the death toll from malaria in Africa is enormous, Carol, well over half a million. And what's tragic about this is that we have the solution in hand. The use of insecticide treated bed nets is a very cheap, achievable goal in every household. And that provides a child with the protection he or she needs in those early years from age one to five, when they are most vulnerable to this killer.

COSTELLO: So, just so people understand, you're giving each family a net to put over the child's bed at night and that's as simple as the solution is?

JONES: That's right. It's an amazingly simple solution. It involves an enormous amount of coordination with community groups. It involves an enormous amount of mobilization. It involves volunteers going from house to house, explaining to mothers that this is the solution and that it is available to them at their health clinic or at the health station that's being set up this week, where they can get that insecticide treated bed net.

But, no, that's it. The solution is in our hands. It's involved an enormous amount of collaboration and community mobilizing. But this week I think we're going to get there. We're going to reach every child in Togo.

COSTELLO: That's fantastic. And we're talking about malaria as it's spread through mosquitoes.

Did you get donations for these nets? Is that how you were able to do this?

JONES: Yes, that's right. There's a wonderful combination of many organizations; international health organizations; community organizations; various Red Cross organizations, American Red Cross, of course; our good friends, the Canadians; UNICEF; WHO; many private individuals who have been touched by this plight of African children and have been motivated by the fact that a solution is at hand.

And that's been an enormously wonderful thing to see.

COSTELLO: Gerry Jones joining us from Togo this morning from the Red Cross. He's the vice president there. And that's wonderful work you're doing there.

Thank you very much for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

Let's stay in Africa.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is under fire from some U.S. senators for the alleged mismanagement of Iraq's Oil For Food Program. Among those under investigation are Annan's son Kojo, who is said to have illegally profited from the program. Until now, Kojo Annan has not commented on the probe. That is until now, as I've said.

Jeff Koinange has this exclusive report from Lagos, Nigeria.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kojo Annan is the 31-year-old son of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, from Annan's first marriage. The younger Annan lives in a townhouse here in Lagos, the bustling commercial capital of Nigeria. He is a businessman and a bachelor, who enjoys traveling and whose financial interests stretch from Lagos to London.

But it's Kojo Annan's work for the Swiss multinational Cotecna that's haunting him. Cotecna profited from the Oil For Food Program, hired in 1998 to authenticate approved humanitarian goods shipments to Iraq. U.N. critics suspect the firm might have won the contract because of Kojo's U.N. connections.

Cotecna says that was not a factor and that it had been originally chosen to work for the U.N. in 1992.

CNN has tried repeatedly to get Kojo Annan to speak to us on camera, but he has refused, instead, issuing this statement to CNN saying he is cooperating with investigators. "I feel the whole issue has been a witch-hunt from day one, as part of a broader Republican political agenda."

Kojo Annan went to work for Cotecna fresh out of a British university in 1995. He and the firm insist his job was limited to the firm's activities in West Africa, working in the Nigeria office for four years. Kojo Annan says he was never involved in the firm's activities in Iraq, saying, "I have never participated directly or indirectly in any business related to the United Nations."

But even after Kojo Annan resigned from Cotecna, the firm kept him on its payroll until this February, in a non-compete agreement, preventing him from disclosing any confidential company information or working for the competition. For this, Cotecna paid him a total of $125,000 over four years.

The elder Annan has said he was unaware of the continuing payments and is disappointed they create a perception of conflict of interest.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: He is a grown man and I don't get involved with his activities and he doesn't get involved in mine.

KOINANGE: Kofi Annan says he's been in touch with his son and that Kojo is cooperating with investigators.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not aware that anything Kojo Annan did for Cotecna was illegal or improper. That's our perception.

KOINANGE: Meanwhile, Kojo Annan says the investigations, especially in Washington, aren't about him, but a deliberate attempt to bring down his father. "The rest of the world has shown their unwavering support for my father. What will the U.S. senators have to say if there is, as many over here in the rest of the world suspect, no substance to the allegations against my father and me?"

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KOINANGE: And, Carol, I've spoken to Kojo several times since the report surfaced and the one thing that he's coming up is he feels sorry for all the distress that all this has caused not only on his father, but the rest of his family. Regarding the ongoing investigation, he says he's already gone through what he calls countless hours of questioning. But he feels that in the end, he will be cleared of any wrongdoing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So why didn't he agree to appear on camera and say these things -- Jeff.

KOINANGE: That's a good question, and the answer is twofold, Carol.

Number one, the Volcker report. This is the one, the main report headed by former Reserve Bank Chairman Paul Volcker. That report is not due out until January. He doesn't want to jeopardize that or jump the gun, so to speak, on that report. And then he says at the end of the day he wants this thing to kind of blow over. He feels it's blowing over for now and he feels that by -- whenever the report comes out, some time in January, he will be able to either defend himself or he'll just walk away clean -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll see.

Jeff Koinange, reporting live from Nigeria this morning.

We're going to take a short break.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is that time of the morning when we know you need to smile and laugh a little bit. So it's time for "Late Night Laughs" right now. This time it's skeletons in homeland security Bernard Kerik's closet and Scott Peterson's demons. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, COURTESY CBS/WORLDWIDE PANTS) DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: To everybody in the Ed Sullivan theory audience, balcony up there, you're here on a special night. The entire balcony in the Ed Sullivan Theater is filled with skeletons from Bernard Kerik's closet. There it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO," COURTESY NBC)

JAY LENO, HOST: Nothing is going to happen to Scott Peterson for a long time. I mean, you know, California has 637 prisoners on death row, more than any other state. Most of them have been there more than a quarter of a century. California is the only death row where you not only get a last meal, you get a gold watch, too. There you go. Thanks. Twenty-five years. Scott can do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: it is amazing to me how Americans feel about the death penalty. I'm just making an observation. You know, Jay Leno was joking about it. Outside of the Peterson courthouse, a huge cheer went up from the crowd when Scott Peterson received the death penalty. Was it the right verdict? We're asking you that question this morning. Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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