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CNN Live At Daybreak
Bush to Sign Intelligence Reform Bill Into Law; National ID Card?; Playing Hardball?
Aired December 17, 2004 - 06:28 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: In just about four hours from now, President Bush signs into law sweeping changes in the nation's intelligence-gathering. The overhaul is aimed at improving the spy network that failed to prevent the September terrorist attacks.
CNN Radio's Dick Uliano joins us now live from Washington with more on the changes ahead.
Good morning -- Dick.
DICK ULIANO, CNN RADIO: Good morning to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, tell us about the bill. Tell us about some changes that will affect our everyday lives.
ULIANO: Well, this is clearly the biggest overhaul to the nation's intelligence community in more than 50 years. As you know, it embodies the main recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. That is, creating a national intelligence director and a national counterterrorism center.
And, Carol, the White House is emphasizing the importance of this bill by its choice of locations for this morning's bill-signing. The president is going to motorcade two blocks from the White House to Andrew Mellon Auditorium to sign the bill. This auditorium is the government's largest auditorium for such ceremonies. And presumably the chief sponsors in Congress of the bill and their supporters, and also 9/11 families, will be in that auditorium for the occasion.
COSTELLO: Wow! That is something else. Thank you, Dick Uliano, reporting live from Washington this morning.
And, by the way, we'll have live coverage of President Bush signing that new intelligence reform bill into law. That is scheduled for 9:55 Eastern, and that would be 6:55 Pacific Time.
Now, after the president signs his John Hancock to the bill, there will be a big push to homogenize your driver's license. That is, make all driver's licenses from California to Florida look the same. It sounds benign, doesn't it? Congress feels it could stop terrorists, though. But civil rights groups say it amounts to a national ID card that will keep track of everything you do.
So, what is true? And what's not true?
Let's head live to Atlanta and our security expert, Mike Brooks. Mike, what do you know about this?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Carol, we're living in a post-9/11 world. They're talking about changes in driver's licenses.
If we go and look at Minnesota, they're using that as kind of the hallmark, if you will, because apparently the new license in Minnesota is going to have some kind of new hologram, some certain lines that are only visible under certain kinds of light, which is not a bad thing.
I can tell you, after 26 years in law enforcement, I've seen every type of ID you can have out there and the way that people have tried to change them. You know, people, young kids, go to a bar, they try to get in and they try to change their driver's licenses. This will make it a little bit difficult. And people say, well, they might have a smart chip in it. They'll know too much about us.
The civil libertarians, they've been saying this for a long time. But, you know, I don't think it's that bad of an idea.
COSTELLO: Yes. But, Mike, it's not just civil libertarians. The gun owners of America are concerned about this, too. It's joining forces with the ACLU, which is kind of strange if you think about it.
BROOKS: Very strange bedfellows. But everyplace you go, Carol, you have to have some kind of ID now. You go to the airport, you fly. You go to get a six-pack of beer, they ask for ID.
You know, there's a book that's put out every year by an association dealing with identification. Of all of the different driver's licenses and all kinds of other government IDs, these are counterfeited on a regular basis. But hopefully, something like this, you know, I don't think it's that bad.
My mother, she's never had a driver's license, but she had to have some form of ID to fly to get around. She had to go to the DMV, wait in line with everybody else, and get a non-driver's ID.
So, you know, is it such a bad thing?
COSTELLO: Well, you know, but, I'm thinking of the terrorists on September 11. They had legal driver's licenses, didn't they?
BROOKS: They said they had legal driver's licenses that they got through legal documents. But what were legal documents? We've never heard exactly what kind of documentation they had to try to get their driver's license.
And, you know, that goes back to a whole other debate, you know, in immigrants and driver's licenses. In California, that's just a whole other debate.
But this whole idea of a national ID card, we're living in a post-9/11 world now, Carol. I think it's something that people may have to get used to.
COSTELLO: I guess they have to if the Homeland Security Department and Congress demand it.
BROOKS: We'll see what happens.
COSTELLO: All right, Mike Brooks live from Atlanta, thanks so much.
BROOKS: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge is powwowing with Canada's deputy prime minister to talk border security. The two are meeting in Detroit to review the so-called Smart Border Action Plan.
A Senate report this week sharply criticized Canada's border security, saying it's so lax, security badges and uniforms recently turned up for sale on eBay.
"AMERICAN MORNING's" Soledad O'Brien now joins us from her office at the "AMERICAN MORNING" studios with a look at what's...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm at the office, that's right. Good morning.
COSTELLO: I want to see your whole office some morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: You know what, Carol? You sure don't actually, because beyond this it's a complete wreck. That's because, of course, we're flying through all of the stories we're working on this morning. We're talking, of course, about the 9/11 legislation that's going to be signed by the president in just a few hours, as you've been mentioning all morning.
This morning, we talk with Tim Roemer. He was one of the 9/11 commissioners who pushed very hard for the legislation. And also pushed very hard for one critical component, which is the establishment of that national intelligence director.
This morning, we ask him, who would he like to see in that top spot? And how do you fill a spot like that? Someone has a very tough job ahead bringing all of these different areas in government together.
Also, his name has been bandied about as maybe the guy who is going to lead the DNC. We'll ask him about that as well.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Soledad O'Brien, thanks so much. We'll see you in about, oh, 25 minutes or so.
Shopping, cooking, partying. The holidays can be really stressful, can't they? We'll tell you about the latest stress-release invention that could come in really handy over the next couple of weeks. You can feel the music in that chair. We're serious. And "Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events" at the box office. We'll preview Jim Carrey's latest character flick.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's time now for a little buzz. Elvis fans may be all shook up this morning to learn that some of Elvis' estate has been sold.
Carrie Lee is live at the Nasdaq Marketsite with more on this story.
Good morning -- Carrie.
CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Lisa Marie Presley, of course, Elvis' only daughter, is selling a controlling stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises to Robert Sillerman for $100 million. Sillerman is sort of a showbiz wheeler and dealer. He's been around for a while.
And the deal now gives Sillerman the right to use Elvis' name, likeness and also get royalties from music and films. He's also going to operate the tours of Graceland, which gets about 650,000 visitors a year.
Now, Lisa Marie is still the actual owner of Graceland and of her father's personal items. But the estate has racked up about $38 million in revenue so far this year, in the first nine months of this year, and about 9 million in profit.
So, Sillerman believes he can expand upon the Elvis brand name. We will see, Carol, if he is successful.
COSTELLO: Well, I guess it's surprising that Lisa Marie Presley would sell.
LEE: Well, I'm sure it's a lot of work to run. And so, maybe she feels that somebody who has a lot of expertise will come in and do a better job of it. Reportedly, he has some ideas to expand the brand into the Far East, Germany, Las Vegas. So, maybe they feel that two heads are better than one in order to, you know, get a lot of mileage out of the whole idea.
COSTELLO: Yes.
LEE: But she's still the owner, of course.
And there's also a statement here. She says: "None of us at EPE would have done this if it weren't in the best interest of my father and his legacy. No stone was left unturned in making sure the business will be run as it historically has been, with integrity always preserving and protecting my father." That's from Lisa Marie Presley.
COSTELLO: Well, that makes me feel a little better.
LEE: There you go.
COSTELLO: A quick look at the futures.
LEE: Yes. Things are looking a little bit bullish for today's open. We could see some buying. One look at inflation will come out today, the Consumer Price Index, measuring inflation at the whole other retail level, things like shoes and food and energy. So, we'll see if that affects markets.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq Marketsite, thank you.
The Washington Nationals, that new baseball team in Washington, stop the excitement. The deal is close to dead. The Montreal Expos were to move to D.C. if taxpayers doled out more than $400 million for a stadium.
Well, the city council balked, passing legislation forcing the city to look for some private funding. Major League Baseball is not happy. In fact, the league has stopped promoting the team. It has even shot down the stadium store that sells Washington Nationals merchandise.
The planned unveiling of the team's new uniforms has also been postponed. But as you know, other cities have been more than eager to accommodate professional sports. Example: the Dallas Cowboys scored big time as Arlington voters approved a $325 million proposition to help build the team a new stadium.
So, what's a couple of hundred million dollars, right? To talk about that side of the issue, Charlie Brotman, a longtime proponent of bringing baseball back to D.C. and the boys of the old Washington Senators.
Good morning.
CHARLIE BROTMAN, INAUGURAL PARADE ANNOUNCER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: This is just...
BROTMAN: There's a little bit of confusion and a slight bit of disappointment. But there is also some optimism here on baseball fans in Washington.
COSTELLO: Optimism? How so? Baseball has given a deadline of December 31, and it's very angry at the Washington City Council.
BROTMAN: Well, the optimism comes from baseball fans who have not had baseball in the nation's capital in 33 years. This is the closest we've ever come. And right now, it appears that it's raining on our parade. But we've had 16,000 season tickets, all 81 games, already purchased. And when the announcement came out that, hey, if you want your money back, you know, no problem. Only 100 people went back and got their money back. There is still optimism.
COSTELLO: Yes, but, Charlie...
BROTMAN: I know the mayor and city council are going to make it happen.
COSTELLO: But, Charlie, I don't know. I was just going to ask you about that. Linda Crop (ph), the city council chair, who kind of pushed this legislation through, and the mayor, as I understand it, they're not even speaking.
BROTMAN: At the moment, you're probably right. But I met with the mayor yesterday, and he said that he is going to leave, literally, no stone unturned. He's going to get together with Linda and the rest of the city council, and they are going to make it happen. It has to happen. They can't let this get away from the nation's capital.
COSTELLO: But, Charlie...
BROTMAN: It's too important.
COSTELLO: Charlie, I want to ask you this question, because we've been soliciting e-mail from our viewers this morning on who really should pay for a stadium. And most people say taxpayers should not foot the whole bill. Maybe it should be Major League Baseball.
BROTMAN: Oh, I'm sure that's the way that any taxpayer would think. Major League Baseball thinks differently.
What is happening is that it's not actually coming out of the individual's pocket. I know that locally they're saying we want more libraries and more hospitals and all of the things that the community needs. But that $500 million they're talking about is not over there where you can grab the money and bring it back and put it into something else. It's an ongoing situation, where it will pay for itself in the long run. It's one of these...
COSTELLO: But...
BROTMAN: ... you know, no rest, no reward. We've got to do it.
COSTELLO: All right. We'll see what happens. Charlie Brotman, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
BROTMAN: You're welcome, Carol.
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:43 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
A security guard says he's not responsible for a series of fires at a Maryland housing development. Aaron Speed (ph) is scheduled to appear in court today on arson charges. Federal investigators are still looking for others who may have been involved in destroying those homes.
The Austrian government has issued a death sentence for an endangered 15-foot-long great white shark. The order comes a day after an 18-year-old surfer died in a suspected shark attack.
In money news, all of those Salvation Army bell-ringing volunteers are getting some help. Retail giant Wal-Mart says it will match up to $1 million in donations to the Salvation Army.
In culture, it's a hip-hop Christmas. For more than 1,000 children in Atlanta, performer Nelly and his producer, Jermaine Dupri, hosted Atlanta's biggest Christmas party. The rap artist said they spent about $10,000 to hand out over 3,000 toys.
In sports, Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom were hot last night, leading the L.A. Lakers to a 115-99 win over the Sacramento Kings. It was just the third loss in 17 games for the Kings.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Chad, I know you're a little stressed with the new baby. I'm going to tell you about a new trend in stress management. It's called Batar (ph) therapy. Let me explain.
It uses an acoustic machine. You lie back, and then you hear a series of 15 different musical tones. The idea is you don't just hear the music; you feel the music.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB LEMAY, COMPLEMENTARY HEALTHCARE INST.: It picks up where the stress areas are in your body through a computerized system here. And the body feels the sensation and finds points on where the body is stressed or the challenges that they're going through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It's stressful for an anchor when this happens. Anyway, a Batar (ph) de-stress session lasts about 45 minutes, and it costs $1 per minute. It's a deal if you're feeling a little slammed.
Some say laughter is the best medicine, and that's what you can usually count on when Adam Sandler is on the screen. We'll get a critic's take on his new movie, "Spanglish." That's coming your way next on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: How's that for a holiday movie? Three young orphans encounter a Greek count, played by Jim Carrey, who tries to steal their inheritance. And everyone lives unhappily ever after. Or maybe you'd prefer to see the latest Adam Sandler flick, "Spanglish," about a Mexican immigrant working for a famous chef.
Tom O'Neil with "In-Touch Weekly" has details and opinions about both of these films. This Jim Carrey film, it just looks scary.
TOM O'NEIL, EDITOR, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": It is scary.
COSTELLO: Scary.
O'NEIL: And that's what is so much fun, Carol, is that it's a comedy, but yet it's scary. And come on, where are we allowed to channel our loathing in this world anymore, in this politically- correct world, where Count Olaf deserves...
COSTELLO: Deserves to die.
O'NEIL: He deserves to die.
COSTELLO: It's a children's movie.
O'NEIL: Yes. And these children are smarter than the villain, and they're outfoxing him and outwitting him at every turn. I saw this last Saturday with about 300 kids in a theater not far from here. They loved it. They were cheering on the other children. It is very well-done.
But it's very controversial, because it's based on a series of children's books, which have sold 27 million copies worldwide. And they say, well, Jim Carrey is not like the Count Olaf in the book. He's been two-hand fisted and heavy-handed here. I don't know the books, but I'll tell you the movie works.
COSTELLO: Oh, you mean, Lemony Snicket is nicer in the books and meaner on screen? Because usually it's the opposite.
O'NEIL: I don't know. Maybe he's not comic. I don't know the answer to that.
COSTELLO: Oh, gotcha. Gotcha. Well, you're going to have to go read those Lemony Snicket books.
O'NEIL: The movie works. I don't know about the books. But the movie is fantastic.
COSTELLO: Well, Jim Carrey looks scary. Let's talk about "Spanglish." And before we do, let's show a clip of the movie.
O'NEIL: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He (UNINTELLIGIBLE) me everyday.
CLORIS LEACHMAN, ACTRESS: No, no, no, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.
LEACHMAN: No, no. No, wait! Do you know you can't trust one thought in your brain? (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now, why would they send us a clip like that?
O'NEIL: The whole movie is like that.
COSTELLO: Oh!
O'NEIL: This is the guy who gave us "As Good as it Gets" with writer/director James L. Brooks, who normally really produces "As Good as it Gets" TV shows, like the "Mary Tyler Moore" show, "Taxi"...
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
O'NEIL: "The Simpsons" are all Brooks' things. His movies are "Broadcast News," Terms of Endearment" that swept the Oscars. For seven years, he's been making this film, which everybody assumed was a masterpiece. How could it possibly fail? Well, it's awful.
COSTELLO: Well, why would you put Adam Sandler in the lead? Because he plays a rather dramatic role in this movie, doesn't he?
O'NEIL: He does. And he actually pulls it off to a limited extent here, because his role isn't very meaty. The problem is the setup. We were talking about this at break. It's almost racism. Give your theory. I thought that was really...
COSTELLO: Well, from what I understand, the movie is about this Mexican immigrant, who doesn't speak English. And through the movie, they somehow make fun of this.
O'NEIL: They make fun of it, and they prey upon her inferior social status in romantic ways with Adam Sandler. The problem is that they have -- they don't do anything with this setup, and the jokes aren't funny and the romance isn't fulfilled.
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'NEIL: And...
COSTELLO: So, don't go see "Spanglish." Go see "Lemony Snicket."
O'NEIL: Yes.
COSTELLO: All right.
O'NEIL: Take the kids.
COSTELLO: Tom O'Neil, thanks so much.
Today's mug question. Yes, the DAYBREAK mug quiz is back in two minutes. This is DAYBREAK for a Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: We have a sad update on a developing story for you. That church employee who had fired gunshots that was holed up in California's Crystal Cathedral has shot and killed himself. Police say after a long discussion with the man, they heard a gunshot. Officers forced their way into the room, and they found the man dead. Apparently, no one else was hurt in this incident. We'll have much more on this in the hours to come on CNN.
Looking through the headlines this morning, Chad, I found an interesting story in "The Wall Street Journal."
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: OK.
COSTELLO: Because, you know, waterfront properties are getting really expensive and quite scarce. So, the answer is...
MYERS: Make more land. Make more water.
COSTELLO: Well, almost. You can buy your own island. Because it turns out they're a better deal.
MYERS: Oh, right.
COSTELLO: Get this: Big Trout Island, which is three and a half miles off the coast of DeTour, Michigan, 1.4 million bucks for 30 acres.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Right in the middle of the water.
MYERS: Yes. But the water is only moving about six months out of the year. See, you want to buy an island, where it's warm all of the time.
COSTELLO: OK. Let me find one in here. Here's one. Tom's Harbor Keys, which is 300 yards south of Duck Key, Florida.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: That's for $2.9 million. That's two islands totaling 46 acres.
MYERS: Very close to Marathon. Good fishing out there. Take the Marathon Lady out to the reef, and you can fish all day long or like 20 bucks.
COSTELLO: See, that's a deal.
MYERS: See, and if you've got to pay that much, you'd better go fishing cheap.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Exactly. Another interesting headline in the "New York Post" this morning, "Yankee Doodle Randy."
MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: Randy Johnson may be going to the Yankees. They're trying to work it out. They even have him in a New York Yankees uniform. So that's an interesting story.
MYERS: I don't what they have to pay him, but, boy, it would sure...
COSTELLO: A lot. A lot. Hey, and it's time for the return of our DAYBREAK coffee quiz.
MYERS: I hold it in my hand, Carol. Ready for the quiz?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Were you paying attention? Here you go. Here are your questions for today. What percentage of Elvis Presley's estate will be sold in a merger today? And what is the bonus for a National Guard member to re-enlist for six years? It's a much larger bonus than it was. This is, what's the new one is going to be, the new bonus for a National Guard member to re-enlist for six years?
COSTELLO: That's a lot of money, too.
MYERS: Daybreak@CNN.com. Well, it's all relative. But Daybreak@CNN.com. And you, too, could win the coveted CNN DAYBREAK coffee mug.
COSTELLO: You know, I had a DAYBREAK coffee mug here in New York, but someone stole it.
MYERS: Well, see, it's here in New York now.
COSTELLO: It's a hot item. Stop that! That's just wrong.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Monday on DAYBREAK, by the way, what will the world be like in 2005? See what citizens of earth have to fear and cheer about the year ahead.
And just in time, I'll talk with "TIME" magazine correspondent Vivikan Novak (ph). All of that coming your way on DAYBREAK on Monday.
And that does it for us. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
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Aired December 17, 2004 - 06:28 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In just about four hours from now, President Bush signs into law sweeping changes in the nation's intelligence-gathering. The overhaul is aimed at improving the spy network that failed to prevent the September terrorist attacks.
CNN Radio's Dick Uliano joins us now live from Washington with more on the changes ahead.
Good morning -- Dick.
DICK ULIANO, CNN RADIO: Good morning to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, tell us about the bill. Tell us about some changes that will affect our everyday lives.
ULIANO: Well, this is clearly the biggest overhaul to the nation's intelligence community in more than 50 years. As you know, it embodies the main recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. That is, creating a national intelligence director and a national counterterrorism center.
And, Carol, the White House is emphasizing the importance of this bill by its choice of locations for this morning's bill-signing. The president is going to motorcade two blocks from the White House to Andrew Mellon Auditorium to sign the bill. This auditorium is the government's largest auditorium for such ceremonies. And presumably the chief sponsors in Congress of the bill and their supporters, and also 9/11 families, will be in that auditorium for the occasion.
COSTELLO: Wow! That is something else. Thank you, Dick Uliano, reporting live from Washington this morning.
And, by the way, we'll have live coverage of President Bush signing that new intelligence reform bill into law. That is scheduled for 9:55 Eastern, and that would be 6:55 Pacific Time.
Now, after the president signs his John Hancock to the bill, there will be a big push to homogenize your driver's license. That is, make all driver's licenses from California to Florida look the same. It sounds benign, doesn't it? Congress feels it could stop terrorists, though. But civil rights groups say it amounts to a national ID card that will keep track of everything you do.
So, what is true? And what's not true?
Let's head live to Atlanta and our security expert, Mike Brooks. Mike, what do you know about this?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Carol, we're living in a post-9/11 world. They're talking about changes in driver's licenses.
If we go and look at Minnesota, they're using that as kind of the hallmark, if you will, because apparently the new license in Minnesota is going to have some kind of new hologram, some certain lines that are only visible under certain kinds of light, which is not a bad thing.
I can tell you, after 26 years in law enforcement, I've seen every type of ID you can have out there and the way that people have tried to change them. You know, people, young kids, go to a bar, they try to get in and they try to change their driver's licenses. This will make it a little bit difficult. And people say, well, they might have a smart chip in it. They'll know too much about us.
The civil libertarians, they've been saying this for a long time. But, you know, I don't think it's that bad of an idea.
COSTELLO: Yes. But, Mike, it's not just civil libertarians. The gun owners of America are concerned about this, too. It's joining forces with the ACLU, which is kind of strange if you think about it.
BROOKS: Very strange bedfellows. But everyplace you go, Carol, you have to have some kind of ID now. You go to the airport, you fly. You go to get a six-pack of beer, they ask for ID.
You know, there's a book that's put out every year by an association dealing with identification. Of all of the different driver's licenses and all kinds of other government IDs, these are counterfeited on a regular basis. But hopefully, something like this, you know, I don't think it's that bad.
My mother, she's never had a driver's license, but she had to have some form of ID to fly to get around. She had to go to the DMV, wait in line with everybody else, and get a non-driver's ID.
So, you know, is it such a bad thing?
COSTELLO: Well, you know, but, I'm thinking of the terrorists on September 11. They had legal driver's licenses, didn't they?
BROOKS: They said they had legal driver's licenses that they got through legal documents. But what were legal documents? We've never heard exactly what kind of documentation they had to try to get their driver's license.
And, you know, that goes back to a whole other debate, you know, in immigrants and driver's licenses. In California, that's just a whole other debate.
But this whole idea of a national ID card, we're living in a post-9/11 world now, Carol. I think it's something that people may have to get used to.
COSTELLO: I guess they have to if the Homeland Security Department and Congress demand it.
BROOKS: We'll see what happens.
COSTELLO: All right, Mike Brooks live from Atlanta, thanks so much.
BROOKS: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge is powwowing with Canada's deputy prime minister to talk border security. The two are meeting in Detroit to review the so-called Smart Border Action Plan.
A Senate report this week sharply criticized Canada's border security, saying it's so lax, security badges and uniforms recently turned up for sale on eBay.
"AMERICAN MORNING's" Soledad O'Brien now joins us from her office at the "AMERICAN MORNING" studios with a look at what's...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm at the office, that's right. Good morning.
COSTELLO: I want to see your whole office some morning, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: You know what, Carol? You sure don't actually, because beyond this it's a complete wreck. That's because, of course, we're flying through all of the stories we're working on this morning. We're talking, of course, about the 9/11 legislation that's going to be signed by the president in just a few hours, as you've been mentioning all morning.
This morning, we talk with Tim Roemer. He was one of the 9/11 commissioners who pushed very hard for the legislation. And also pushed very hard for one critical component, which is the establishment of that national intelligence director.
This morning, we ask him, who would he like to see in that top spot? And how do you fill a spot like that? Someone has a very tough job ahead bringing all of these different areas in government together.
Also, his name has been bandied about as maybe the guy who is going to lead the DNC. We'll ask him about that as well.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Interesting. Soledad O'Brien, thanks so much. We'll see you in about, oh, 25 minutes or so.
Shopping, cooking, partying. The holidays can be really stressful, can't they? We'll tell you about the latest stress-release invention that could come in really handy over the next couple of weeks. You can feel the music in that chair. We're serious. And "Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events" at the box office. We'll preview Jim Carrey's latest character flick.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's time now for a little buzz. Elvis fans may be all shook up this morning to learn that some of Elvis' estate has been sold.
Carrie Lee is live at the Nasdaq Marketsite with more on this story.
Good morning -- Carrie.
CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Lisa Marie Presley, of course, Elvis' only daughter, is selling a controlling stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises to Robert Sillerman for $100 million. Sillerman is sort of a showbiz wheeler and dealer. He's been around for a while.
And the deal now gives Sillerman the right to use Elvis' name, likeness and also get royalties from music and films. He's also going to operate the tours of Graceland, which gets about 650,000 visitors a year.
Now, Lisa Marie is still the actual owner of Graceland and of her father's personal items. But the estate has racked up about $38 million in revenue so far this year, in the first nine months of this year, and about 9 million in profit.
So, Sillerman believes he can expand upon the Elvis brand name. We will see, Carol, if he is successful.
COSTELLO: Well, I guess it's surprising that Lisa Marie Presley would sell.
LEE: Well, I'm sure it's a lot of work to run. And so, maybe she feels that somebody who has a lot of expertise will come in and do a better job of it. Reportedly, he has some ideas to expand the brand into the Far East, Germany, Las Vegas. So, maybe they feel that two heads are better than one in order to, you know, get a lot of mileage out of the whole idea.
COSTELLO: Yes.
LEE: But she's still the owner, of course.
And there's also a statement here. She says: "None of us at EPE would have done this if it weren't in the best interest of my father and his legacy. No stone was left unturned in making sure the business will be run as it historically has been, with integrity always preserving and protecting my father." That's from Lisa Marie Presley.
COSTELLO: Well, that makes me feel a little better.
LEE: There you go.
COSTELLO: A quick look at the futures.
LEE: Yes. Things are looking a little bit bullish for today's open. We could see some buying. One look at inflation will come out today, the Consumer Price Index, measuring inflation at the whole other retail level, things like shoes and food and energy. So, we'll see if that affects markets.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq Marketsite, thank you.
The Washington Nationals, that new baseball team in Washington, stop the excitement. The deal is close to dead. The Montreal Expos were to move to D.C. if taxpayers doled out more than $400 million for a stadium.
Well, the city council balked, passing legislation forcing the city to look for some private funding. Major League Baseball is not happy. In fact, the league has stopped promoting the team. It has even shot down the stadium store that sells Washington Nationals merchandise.
The planned unveiling of the team's new uniforms has also been postponed. But as you know, other cities have been more than eager to accommodate professional sports. Example: the Dallas Cowboys scored big time as Arlington voters approved a $325 million proposition to help build the team a new stadium.
So, what's a couple of hundred million dollars, right? To talk about that side of the issue, Charlie Brotman, a longtime proponent of bringing baseball back to D.C. and the boys of the old Washington Senators.
Good morning.
CHARLIE BROTMAN, INAUGURAL PARADE ANNOUNCER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: This is just...
BROTMAN: There's a little bit of confusion and a slight bit of disappointment. But there is also some optimism here on baseball fans in Washington.
COSTELLO: Optimism? How so? Baseball has given a deadline of December 31, and it's very angry at the Washington City Council.
BROTMAN: Well, the optimism comes from baseball fans who have not had baseball in the nation's capital in 33 years. This is the closest we've ever come. And right now, it appears that it's raining on our parade. But we've had 16,000 season tickets, all 81 games, already purchased. And when the announcement came out that, hey, if you want your money back, you know, no problem. Only 100 people went back and got their money back. There is still optimism.
COSTELLO: Yes, but, Charlie...
BROTMAN: I know the mayor and city council are going to make it happen.
COSTELLO: But, Charlie, I don't know. I was just going to ask you about that. Linda Crop (ph), the city council chair, who kind of pushed this legislation through, and the mayor, as I understand it, they're not even speaking.
BROTMAN: At the moment, you're probably right. But I met with the mayor yesterday, and he said that he is going to leave, literally, no stone unturned. He's going to get together with Linda and the rest of the city council, and they are going to make it happen. It has to happen. They can't let this get away from the nation's capital.
COSTELLO: But, Charlie...
BROTMAN: It's too important.
COSTELLO: Charlie, I want to ask you this question, because we've been soliciting e-mail from our viewers this morning on who really should pay for a stadium. And most people say taxpayers should not foot the whole bill. Maybe it should be Major League Baseball.
BROTMAN: Oh, I'm sure that's the way that any taxpayer would think. Major League Baseball thinks differently.
What is happening is that it's not actually coming out of the individual's pocket. I know that locally they're saying we want more libraries and more hospitals and all of the things that the community needs. But that $500 million they're talking about is not over there where you can grab the money and bring it back and put it into something else. It's an ongoing situation, where it will pay for itself in the long run. It's one of these...
COSTELLO: But...
BROTMAN: ... you know, no rest, no reward. We've got to do it.
COSTELLO: All right. We'll see what happens. Charlie Brotman, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
BROTMAN: You're welcome, Carol.
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:43 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
A security guard says he's not responsible for a series of fires at a Maryland housing development. Aaron Speed (ph) is scheduled to appear in court today on arson charges. Federal investigators are still looking for others who may have been involved in destroying those homes.
The Austrian government has issued a death sentence for an endangered 15-foot-long great white shark. The order comes a day after an 18-year-old surfer died in a suspected shark attack.
In money news, all of those Salvation Army bell-ringing volunteers are getting some help. Retail giant Wal-Mart says it will match up to $1 million in donations to the Salvation Army.
In culture, it's a hip-hop Christmas. For more than 1,000 children in Atlanta, performer Nelly and his producer, Jermaine Dupri, hosted Atlanta's biggest Christmas party. The rap artist said they spent about $10,000 to hand out over 3,000 toys.
In sports, Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom were hot last night, leading the L.A. Lakers to a 115-99 win over the Sacramento Kings. It was just the third loss in 17 games for the Kings.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Chad, I know you're a little stressed with the new baby. I'm going to tell you about a new trend in stress management. It's called Batar (ph) therapy. Let me explain.
It uses an acoustic machine. You lie back, and then you hear a series of 15 different musical tones. The idea is you don't just hear the music; you feel the music.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB LEMAY, COMPLEMENTARY HEALTHCARE INST.: It picks up where the stress areas are in your body through a computerized system here. And the body feels the sensation and finds points on where the body is stressed or the challenges that they're going through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It's stressful for an anchor when this happens. Anyway, a Batar (ph) de-stress session lasts about 45 minutes, and it costs $1 per minute. It's a deal if you're feeling a little slammed.
Some say laughter is the best medicine, and that's what you can usually count on when Adam Sandler is on the screen. We'll get a critic's take on his new movie, "Spanglish." That's coming your way next on DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: How's that for a holiday movie? Three young orphans encounter a Greek count, played by Jim Carrey, who tries to steal their inheritance. And everyone lives unhappily ever after. Or maybe you'd prefer to see the latest Adam Sandler flick, "Spanglish," about a Mexican immigrant working for a famous chef.
Tom O'Neil with "In-Touch Weekly" has details and opinions about both of these films. This Jim Carrey film, it just looks scary.
TOM O'NEIL, EDITOR, "IN-TOUCH WEEKLY": It is scary.
COSTELLO: Scary.
O'NEIL: And that's what is so much fun, Carol, is that it's a comedy, but yet it's scary. And come on, where are we allowed to channel our loathing in this world anymore, in this politically- correct world, where Count Olaf deserves...
COSTELLO: Deserves to die.
O'NEIL: He deserves to die.
COSTELLO: It's a children's movie.
O'NEIL: Yes. And these children are smarter than the villain, and they're outfoxing him and outwitting him at every turn. I saw this last Saturday with about 300 kids in a theater not far from here. They loved it. They were cheering on the other children. It is very well-done.
But it's very controversial, because it's based on a series of children's books, which have sold 27 million copies worldwide. And they say, well, Jim Carrey is not like the Count Olaf in the book. He's been two-hand fisted and heavy-handed here. I don't know the books, but I'll tell you the movie works.
COSTELLO: Oh, you mean, Lemony Snicket is nicer in the books and meaner on screen? Because usually it's the opposite.
O'NEIL: I don't know. Maybe he's not comic. I don't know the answer to that.
COSTELLO: Oh, gotcha. Gotcha. Well, you're going to have to go read those Lemony Snicket books.
O'NEIL: The movie works. I don't know about the books. But the movie is fantastic.
COSTELLO: Well, Jim Carrey looks scary. Let's talk about "Spanglish." And before we do, let's show a clip of the movie.
O'NEIL: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He (UNINTELLIGIBLE) me everyday.
CLORIS LEACHMAN, ACTRESS: No, no, no, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.
LEACHMAN: No, no. No, wait! Do you know you can't trust one thought in your brain? (END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now, why would they send us a clip like that?
O'NEIL: The whole movie is like that.
COSTELLO: Oh!
O'NEIL: This is the guy who gave us "As Good as it Gets" with writer/director James L. Brooks, who normally really produces "As Good as it Gets" TV shows, like the "Mary Tyler Moore" show, "Taxi"...
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
O'NEIL: "The Simpsons" are all Brooks' things. His movies are "Broadcast News," Terms of Endearment" that swept the Oscars. For seven years, he's been making this film, which everybody assumed was a masterpiece. How could it possibly fail? Well, it's awful.
COSTELLO: Well, why would you put Adam Sandler in the lead? Because he plays a rather dramatic role in this movie, doesn't he?
O'NEIL: He does. And he actually pulls it off to a limited extent here, because his role isn't very meaty. The problem is the setup. We were talking about this at break. It's almost racism. Give your theory. I thought that was really...
COSTELLO: Well, from what I understand, the movie is about this Mexican immigrant, who doesn't speak English. And through the movie, they somehow make fun of this.
O'NEIL: They make fun of it, and they prey upon her inferior social status in romantic ways with Adam Sandler. The problem is that they have -- they don't do anything with this setup, and the jokes aren't funny and the romance isn't fulfilled.
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'NEIL: And...
COSTELLO: So, don't go see "Spanglish." Go see "Lemony Snicket."
O'NEIL: Yes.
COSTELLO: All right.
O'NEIL: Take the kids.
COSTELLO: Tom O'Neil, thanks so much.
Today's mug question. Yes, the DAYBREAK mug quiz is back in two minutes. This is DAYBREAK for a Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: We have a sad update on a developing story for you. That church employee who had fired gunshots that was holed up in California's Crystal Cathedral has shot and killed himself. Police say after a long discussion with the man, they heard a gunshot. Officers forced their way into the room, and they found the man dead. Apparently, no one else was hurt in this incident. We'll have much more on this in the hours to come on CNN.
Looking through the headlines this morning, Chad, I found an interesting story in "The Wall Street Journal."
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: OK.
COSTELLO: Because, you know, waterfront properties are getting really expensive and quite scarce. So, the answer is...
MYERS: Make more land. Make more water.
COSTELLO: Well, almost. You can buy your own island. Because it turns out they're a better deal.
MYERS: Oh, right.
COSTELLO: Get this: Big Trout Island, which is three and a half miles off the coast of DeTour, Michigan, 1.4 million bucks for 30 acres.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Right in the middle of the water.
MYERS: Yes. But the water is only moving about six months out of the year. See, you want to buy an island, where it's warm all of the time.
COSTELLO: OK. Let me find one in here. Here's one. Tom's Harbor Keys, which is 300 yards south of Duck Key, Florida.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: That's for $2.9 million. That's two islands totaling 46 acres.
MYERS: Very close to Marathon. Good fishing out there. Take the Marathon Lady out to the reef, and you can fish all day long or like 20 bucks.
COSTELLO: See, that's a deal.
MYERS: See, and if you've got to pay that much, you'd better go fishing cheap.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Exactly. Another interesting headline in the "New York Post" this morning, "Yankee Doodle Randy."
MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: Randy Johnson may be going to the Yankees. They're trying to work it out. They even have him in a New York Yankees uniform. So that's an interesting story.
MYERS: I don't what they have to pay him, but, boy, it would sure...
COSTELLO: A lot. A lot. Hey, and it's time for the return of our DAYBREAK coffee quiz.
MYERS: I hold it in my hand, Carol. Ready for the quiz?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Were you paying attention? Here you go. Here are your questions for today. What percentage of Elvis Presley's estate will be sold in a merger today? And what is the bonus for a National Guard member to re-enlist for six years? It's a much larger bonus than it was. This is, what's the new one is going to be, the new bonus for a National Guard member to re-enlist for six years?
COSTELLO: That's a lot of money, too.
MYERS: Daybreak@CNN.com. Well, it's all relative. But Daybreak@CNN.com. And you, too, could win the coveted CNN DAYBREAK coffee mug.
COSTELLO: You know, I had a DAYBREAK coffee mug here in New York, but someone stole it.
MYERS: Well, see, it's here in New York now.
COSTELLO: It's a hot item. Stop that! That's just wrong.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Monday on DAYBREAK, by the way, what will the world be like in 2005? See what citizens of earth have to fear and cheer about the year ahead.
And just in time, I'll talk with "TIME" magazine correspondent Vivikan Novak (ph). All of that coming your way on DAYBREAK on Monday.
And that does it for us. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
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