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CNN Live At Daybreak

Britain's Tony Blair Tries to Kickstart Middle East Peace Process; When Does National Security Trump Personal Freedom?

Aired December 22, 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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, building bridges -- Britain's Tony Blair tries to kickstart the Middle East peace process. A live report for you from the region in just minutes.
Plus, when does national security trump personal freedom? Here's a hint. It does when you get a boarding pass.

And two pounds, 10 ounces sounds good to mom, especially considering this newborn weighs less than a can of soda.

It is Wednesday, December 22.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

Thank you for waking up with us.

Live from New York and the Time Warner Center, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, it's the day after one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. soldiers since the Iraq war started. A rocket attack on an Army chow hall in Mosul killed at least 14 soldiers, along with four U.S. civilians working for an American contractor.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been meeting with his Israeli counterpart. He and Ariel Sharon held a news conference within the last hour. Mr. Blair says Britain will host a conference on the Middle East in London next year.

These pictures just in to CNN. Police say a tanker truck has crashed and exploded near the Pentagon, shooting flames right up into the air. You can see them there. The accident is on Interstate 395. That's in Arlington, Virginia. Both lanes of that route now shut down.

And a Texas jury deliberating the fate of two men accused in a deadly smuggling incident returned to work this morning. Nineteen illegal immigrants died of heat stroke when the trailer they were in was abandoned near Houston.

To the forecast center and -- Chad.

Still tracking that big storm?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, some major, major cities and interstates going to be affected today, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: We begin this hour with the fight for Iraq. A somber scene playing out overnight at a military base in Kuwait. The bodies of U.S. soldiers killed in that rocket attack on a mess hall in Mosul are now in Kuwait, the first stop on their final journey home.

Barbara Starr was there.

She filed this report on those who gave the last full measure.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a cold, clear, very quiet morning here in the Kuwaiti desert. We have come to an airfield and seen quite a remarkable sight -- a C130 aircraft landing from Iraq here in Kuwait. The back half of the airplane opening and approximately 20 soldiers here lining up in a double line at the back. A quiet salute and then they began to bring off the human remains from the attack in Mosul. A very dignified ceremony. There was no one really to observe it except a CNN crew, and yet it had all the dignity of any grand military ceremony.

Very quietly, very deliberately, the remains, in body bags at this point, were brought off by the soldiers, who saluted their fallen comrades. They were placed very reverently in some vehicles and then driven off to mortuary affairs specialists here at the Air Force facility in Kuwait.

They will then begin their final journey home to the United States. Then the c130 will return and, as one soldier told us, there are human remains flights from Iraq almost every day into this air base in Kuwait.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Kuwait.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: Just a couple of days before Christmas and most of the soldiers wounded in that attack are being flown to Landstuhl, Germany for treatment at a U.S. military hospital there.

Let's get more on that part of the story.

Matthew Chance live in Landstuhl.

He joins us now -- hello, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, as well, Carol.

We're actually outside the Ramstein Air Force Base, the U.S. Air Force base here in Germany, where we're awaiting the arrival of a transport plane coming in from Iraq, we're told, carrying 35 survivors, 35 of the injured from that devastating attack in Mosul. According to medical officials here in Germany, U.S. medical officials, some of them have sustained extremely serious injuries, indeed, as a result of the blast or series of blasts and are in critical condition. Of course, the blast killing at least 22 people and injuring another 72.

From this air base here in Ramstein, they'll be taken just a few miles down the road to the medical facility at Landstuhl, a U.S. Army medical facility which is the biggest outside of the U.S., where they'll receive intensive care treatment until they're stable enough to be put on a plane back home to the United States.

Now, it's interesting because it is, of course, an unexpected influx of casualties. There were no major battles under way in Iraq when this attack took place. And because it's Christmas, many of the medical staff, many of the other support staff in the Landstuhl medical facility have been given time off over the holiday period. So there's now a frantic rush under way to try and get those staff back, to try and get the right teams in place to give these soldiers the kind of treatment they need when they arrive.

They'll be arriving in about an hour or two from now on that aircraft from Iraq. We're told it's the first of what could be a number of aircraft coming from Iraq, bringing, ferrying the injured from that scene in Mosul via Kuwait, via other areas in Iraq to here, this medical facility, where we're awaiting their arrival -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Matthew Chance live in Germany this morning.

Thank you.

Back here at home, U.S. families are grieving this morning and trying to support one another. The Mosul attack has cast an especially dark cloud over one base.

Our Kimberly Osias has the story from Fort Lewis, Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Melissa Doss got an early-morning e-mail from her husband, a battalion personnel officer serving in Mosul, saying he was alive and uninjured. But she's still feeling the loss of life there.

MELISSA DOSS, SOLDIER'S WIFE: I'm happy that I know, but I feel guilty. I have that guilt that I know that my husband's OK and I know there's other families that know that their soldier's OK, but there's a lot that don't. And I feel guilty that I know and they don't.

OSIAS: Doss is a support group leader, talking to families of other soldiers at the base.

DOSS: Right now it's just consoling, you know, giving them, letting them know that there's somebody here to talk to if they need anything. OSIAS: Raw nerves at the headquarters of the 276th Engineering Battalion in Virginia, where she lives. In the hometown paper, conflicting images -- a ray of sunlight streaming in through the blown out mess hall tent, soldier helping soldier, brothers in arms trying to escape to safety. Serving there, 4,500 of Fort Lewis' Striker Brigade in Washington State. Since operation Iraqi freedom broke out, this bridge has worn yellow ribbons and hosted the base's most ardent supporters.

GEORGE GARCIA, FORT LEWIS SOLDIER: I feel kind of crying and weeping. And I said I have to pray for the people that got injured and killed, and their relatives, too.

OSIAS: Young's Barbershop is less than a click -- that's military talk for about a half mile -- away from base. Hair cuts are still $6, unless soldiers are getting a buzz, which is most of the business here. Soldiers come to relax, especially today.

DANIEL VILLANUEVA, TROOP SUPPORTER: It's a real tragedy, you know, especially right before Christmas.

CESAR CONTHERAS, FORT LEWIS SOLDIER: And I'm waiting for e- mails. I'm waiting for something to let me know that they're all right.

OSIAS: Cesar Contheras was one of the lucky ones. He just got back from Mosul a month ago. For him and many like him, there's a pall over Fort Lewis and other bases this Christmas, as everyone watches and waits.

Kimberly Osias, CNN, Fort Lewis, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: We want to know what you are thinking in the wake of this tragedy. Our DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Morning, how does the Mosul attack affect your opinion of the war? Does is solidify it? Do you have a different opinion now or do you just want to vent? Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

The attack on Mosul came on the heels of Tony Blair's surprise visit to Baghdad. The British prime minister left Iraq to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

CNN's John Vause joins us live from Jerusalem fortunately for the latest on Blair's peacemaking efforts in the Middle East -- good morning.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

A short time ago, the two prime ministers, Ariel Sharon and Tony Blair, held a press conference and at that press conference Tony Blair said that there would be this Mideast summit held in London next year. But both prime ministers going to great lengths to say that this peace summit, held in London, would focus on Palestinian reform. Why? Because Tony Blair says that he wants to focus on reforming the Palestinian institutions -- the democratic institutions, the economy and also the security services, so once the Israelis withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank they are in a viable position to take over and form some kind of partner for peace. And Tony Blair was emphatic that this summit in London next year will not be a substitute for the U.S.-backed road map peace plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And I hope in that way, in that limited way I set out, the London meeting next year can be of some assistance. This is not, let me say right at the very beginning, it is not and cannot be a substitute for the conferences under the road map or what then happens in any negotiation that takes place at a later stage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Now, of course, amongst the Palestinians there is a great deal of concern that Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip, the withdrawal, is an end to itself. Now, Ariel Sharon made it perfectly clear at this press conference that providing there is an elimination of terror, not word and not promises, said Sharon, but an actual elimination of terror, then this disengagement will just be the beginning, not the end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I never saw that the disengagement plan is a substitute to the road map. The reason that I initiated the disengagement plan is for our reasons. I did not have a partner then and but once Yasser Arafat left us, I believe that there is a window of opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Now, from here, Tony Blair will travel to the West Bank and Ramallah. He will meet with the new Palestinian leaders, among them, the man widely seen as the replacement for Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas. He'll also meet with the Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia.

And for the Palestinians, Tony Blair is seen as a very important player in all of this. He's seen, in some ways, as a back door to the White House because he has a very close relationship with the U.S. president, George W. Bush -- Carol.

COSTELLO: John Vause live in Jerusalem this morning.

Thank you.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, more on that deadly attack in Mosul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY REDMON, "RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH": It was really just sort of a sea of wounded and dead. There were people crying. There were folks that were numb, that collapsed in grief. It really was unreal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We'll take you beyond the sound bite with a reporter who saw the carnage firsthand.

Also, some travelers say they're facing a new enemy in the war on terror -- secrecy. We'll reveal more later on.

And Tom Cruise is the top gun in one Virginia community. We'll tell you why.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 5:16 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

The Polish prime minister is the second world leader to pay a surprise visit to Iraq in the last two days. The prime minister and his defense minister met with Iraqi leaders before heading to southern Iraq to visit Polish troops.

Mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae has forced out Chairman and CEO Franklin Raines over an accounting scandal. The company will have to restate its earnings, which may now include $9 billion in losses.

In money news, cereal stocks and blue chip technology helped power the Dow to its highest closing in three and a half years. Some analysts say the upswing was boosted by what they call the year end Santa Claus trend.

In culture, comic magicians Penn and Teller are reviving their Dreaming of a Red Christmas blood drive. They're donating two tickets to their Las Vegas show for anyone donating blood through the end of the year. Last year's drive cost them $400,000 in free tickets. Good for them.

In sports, Jacksonville Jaguars safety Donovan Darius was fined $75,000 for this vicious hit -- oh, it was vicious -- on the Packers' Robert Ferguson. Ferguson, who suffered a sprained neck, was finally released from the hospital two days after the incident.

And, Chad, he was temporarily paralyzed by that hit.

MYERS: Yes. Yes, $75,000 seems a little low to me, if that's all he got.

COSTELLO: It does to me, too. MYERS: It seems like he should have been out for a couple of games or maybe a season, for that matter.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Bright rays of sunlight illuminate death and destruction. That was the scene in Mosul after that deadly rocket attack at a U.S. military base.

Reporter Jeremy Redmon from Virginia's "Richmond Times-Dispatch" is embedded with the troops. He was there. He takes us beyond the sound bite now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REDMON: This cavernous tent, there were hundreds of soldiers in there having lunch at the time. I remember it was a bright blue sky, very few clouds. People were cheery. They were having lunch, enjoying themselves when it happened. And as soon as the explosion and the fireball occurred, scores of soldiers ran out of the tents and crammed into these concrete blast barriers. And then I ran out and was observing what was going on and I started seeing the wounded come out one at a time, soldiers that were very quick thinking and turned their dining room tables upside down and placed the wounded on top of them.

I counted one and then two and then four and then six and eight wounded coming out. There were folks that were in shock. There was blood all over the floor, food, trays. It tore a pretty large hole in the roof of the tent.

Outside, they had set up -- several medics had showed up and set up an area where they were working on the soldiers in the parking lot. It was really just sort of a sea of wounded and dead. There were people crying. There were folks that were numb, that collapsed in grief. It really was unreal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In the next half hour of DAYBREAK, what the latest attack means for the war effort. Our military analyst, Retired Brigadier General David Grange, will join us live. That's in our 6:00 a.m. Eastern hour.

And coming up on DAYBREAK, the holiday season is a time for giving and even megastar Tom Cruise is jumping on the bandwagon. You'll be amazed at how much cash he carries and how he spends it.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're going to throw it right to the Weather Center in Atlanta because Chad has so many cities that are going to be affected by a big dumping of snow later today.

So go for it -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes, already being affected in a lot of spots. My mother-in-law called from Cincinnati, my brother-in-law, trying to get from Chicago to Cincinnati overnight last night. He probably made it. That's good news because if you're leaving now, you are in trouble. Already snow coming down in a lot of those areas.

This storm is going to stretch all the way from Ontario right on back down into Arkansas. Many interstates are going to be affected. I'll list them for you, because if you're driving on any of these white roads here, the 80-90, I75, 74, I71, I65, I64, I57, I24 and I55 all will be a mess here with this forecast. You can see the snow is already into southern Indiana.

There's also another thing to worry about, an ice storm right along the line between the snow and the rain. It is going to be raining in Louisville, raining in southern Cincinnati, Covington area, raining into parts of Evansville, maybe a little bit south of there, Owensboro. That is going to be raining and 28 degrees for a while.

And in spots like Louisville, we're talking about rain and 28 for hours and hours and hours on end. So a major ice storm in the making.

Severe weather for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, eight to 12 inches. Many areas could get more than that. In fact, even for Cincinnati, I have 12. And for Dayton I have 18. It does get to be an ice storm for Columbus, Ohio. You may only see six inches of snow on the ground, but another inch of ice mixed in there. And then right on up toward Sandusky, Cleveland gets it. And I'll tell you what, Carol, this is going to be one major disaster for people trying to get anywhere today. It does end tomorrow, getting much colder, but at least it ends.

Are you trying to get to Ohio this weekend?

COSTELLO: Yes, I am.

MYERS: Yes. Take some...

COSTELLO: So I'm going to leave -- I'm going to leave Friday morning.

Is that bad?

MYERS: Usually I say take your patience. I'll just say take some power bars in case you have to sit there in the airport.

COSTELLO: Oh, no.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: You know, though? The weather here has been so strange. It was frigidly cold yesterday.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: I went outside this morning and it seemed warm in comparison.

MYERS: It'll be 55 there today.

COSTELLO: It's just crazy.

MYERS: I95 no problem. I95 rain. No problem whatsoever. But right back here where the cold air is, this is where that ugly air is going to be. Some spots -- I'm not kidding you -- some spots will issue winter storm warnings and there will be 20 inches of snow in a few spots there in the Ohio Valley.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable.

We should get your brother-in-law on the phone and ask him about the weather.

MYERS: See how he's doing. See where he is.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: All right.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

Big things often come in small packages. And for one Chicago family, their bundle of joy is nothing short of a miracle. We'll explain.

Plus, flying the unfriendly skies. Two totally different people share a common cause and a common complaint.

And our E-Mail Question of the Morning. How does the Mosul attack affect your opinion of the war? Come vent with us. Daybreak@cnn.com.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, a day after an insurgent rocket attack in northern Iraq, the bodies of fallen U.S. soldiers are starting their journey home. Fourteen U.S. soldiers are among the 22 people who were killed.

Britain moves forward with Mideast peace efforts. Just about an hour ago, on a trip to Israel, Prime Minister Tony Blair said London plans to host an international meeting next year. The topic? Palestinian reforms.

To count or not to count, that is the question before Washington State's Supreme Court today. It considers whether some 730 disputed ballots should be counted in the state's still unsettled governor's race.

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 22, 2004 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, building bridges -- Britain's Tony Blair tries to kickstart the Middle East peace process. A live report for you from the region in just minutes.
Plus, when does national security trump personal freedom? Here's a hint. It does when you get a boarding pass.

And two pounds, 10 ounces sounds good to mom, especially considering this newborn weighs less than a can of soda.

It is Wednesday, December 22.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

Thank you for waking up with us.

Live from New York and the Time Warner Center, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, it's the day after one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. soldiers since the Iraq war started. A rocket attack on an Army chow hall in Mosul killed at least 14 soldiers, along with four U.S. civilians working for an American contractor.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been meeting with his Israeli counterpart. He and Ariel Sharon held a news conference within the last hour. Mr. Blair says Britain will host a conference on the Middle East in London next year.

These pictures just in to CNN. Police say a tanker truck has crashed and exploded near the Pentagon, shooting flames right up into the air. You can see them there. The accident is on Interstate 395. That's in Arlington, Virginia. Both lanes of that route now shut down.

And a Texas jury deliberating the fate of two men accused in a deadly smuggling incident returned to work this morning. Nineteen illegal immigrants died of heat stroke when the trailer they were in was abandoned near Houston.

To the forecast center and -- Chad.

Still tracking that big storm?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, some major, major cities and interstates going to be affected today, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: We begin this hour with the fight for Iraq. A somber scene playing out overnight at a military base in Kuwait. The bodies of U.S. soldiers killed in that rocket attack on a mess hall in Mosul are now in Kuwait, the first stop on their final journey home.

Barbara Starr was there.

She filed this report on those who gave the last full measure.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a cold, clear, very quiet morning here in the Kuwaiti desert. We have come to an airfield and seen quite a remarkable sight -- a C130 aircraft landing from Iraq here in Kuwait. The back half of the airplane opening and approximately 20 soldiers here lining up in a double line at the back. A quiet salute and then they began to bring off the human remains from the attack in Mosul. A very dignified ceremony. There was no one really to observe it except a CNN crew, and yet it had all the dignity of any grand military ceremony.

Very quietly, very deliberately, the remains, in body bags at this point, were brought off by the soldiers, who saluted their fallen comrades. They were placed very reverently in some vehicles and then driven off to mortuary affairs specialists here at the Air Force facility in Kuwait.

They will then begin their final journey home to the United States. Then the c130 will return and, as one soldier told us, there are human remains flights from Iraq almost every day into this air base in Kuwait.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Kuwait.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: Just a couple of days before Christmas and most of the soldiers wounded in that attack are being flown to Landstuhl, Germany for treatment at a U.S. military hospital there.

Let's get more on that part of the story.

Matthew Chance live in Landstuhl.

He joins us now -- hello, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, as well, Carol.

We're actually outside the Ramstein Air Force Base, the U.S. Air Force base here in Germany, where we're awaiting the arrival of a transport plane coming in from Iraq, we're told, carrying 35 survivors, 35 of the injured from that devastating attack in Mosul. According to medical officials here in Germany, U.S. medical officials, some of them have sustained extremely serious injuries, indeed, as a result of the blast or series of blasts and are in critical condition. Of course, the blast killing at least 22 people and injuring another 72.

From this air base here in Ramstein, they'll be taken just a few miles down the road to the medical facility at Landstuhl, a U.S. Army medical facility which is the biggest outside of the U.S., where they'll receive intensive care treatment until they're stable enough to be put on a plane back home to the United States.

Now, it's interesting because it is, of course, an unexpected influx of casualties. There were no major battles under way in Iraq when this attack took place. And because it's Christmas, many of the medical staff, many of the other support staff in the Landstuhl medical facility have been given time off over the holiday period. So there's now a frantic rush under way to try and get those staff back, to try and get the right teams in place to give these soldiers the kind of treatment they need when they arrive.

They'll be arriving in about an hour or two from now on that aircraft from Iraq. We're told it's the first of what could be a number of aircraft coming from Iraq, bringing, ferrying the injured from that scene in Mosul via Kuwait, via other areas in Iraq to here, this medical facility, where we're awaiting their arrival -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Matthew Chance live in Germany this morning.

Thank you.

Back here at home, U.S. families are grieving this morning and trying to support one another. The Mosul attack has cast an especially dark cloud over one base.

Our Kimberly Osias has the story from Fort Lewis, Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Melissa Doss got an early-morning e-mail from her husband, a battalion personnel officer serving in Mosul, saying he was alive and uninjured. But she's still feeling the loss of life there.

MELISSA DOSS, SOLDIER'S WIFE: I'm happy that I know, but I feel guilty. I have that guilt that I know that my husband's OK and I know there's other families that know that their soldier's OK, but there's a lot that don't. And I feel guilty that I know and they don't.

OSIAS: Doss is a support group leader, talking to families of other soldiers at the base.

DOSS: Right now it's just consoling, you know, giving them, letting them know that there's somebody here to talk to if they need anything. OSIAS: Raw nerves at the headquarters of the 276th Engineering Battalion in Virginia, where she lives. In the hometown paper, conflicting images -- a ray of sunlight streaming in through the blown out mess hall tent, soldier helping soldier, brothers in arms trying to escape to safety. Serving there, 4,500 of Fort Lewis' Striker Brigade in Washington State. Since operation Iraqi freedom broke out, this bridge has worn yellow ribbons and hosted the base's most ardent supporters.

GEORGE GARCIA, FORT LEWIS SOLDIER: I feel kind of crying and weeping. And I said I have to pray for the people that got injured and killed, and their relatives, too.

OSIAS: Young's Barbershop is less than a click -- that's military talk for about a half mile -- away from base. Hair cuts are still $6, unless soldiers are getting a buzz, which is most of the business here. Soldiers come to relax, especially today.

DANIEL VILLANUEVA, TROOP SUPPORTER: It's a real tragedy, you know, especially right before Christmas.

CESAR CONTHERAS, FORT LEWIS SOLDIER: And I'm waiting for e- mails. I'm waiting for something to let me know that they're all right.

OSIAS: Cesar Contheras was one of the lucky ones. He just got back from Mosul a month ago. For him and many like him, there's a pall over Fort Lewis and other bases this Christmas, as everyone watches and waits.

Kimberly Osias, CNN, Fort Lewis, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: We want to know what you are thinking in the wake of this tragedy. Our DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Morning, how does the Mosul attack affect your opinion of the war? Does is solidify it? Do you have a different opinion now or do you just want to vent? Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

The attack on Mosul came on the heels of Tony Blair's surprise visit to Baghdad. The British prime minister left Iraq to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

CNN's John Vause joins us live from Jerusalem fortunately for the latest on Blair's peacemaking efforts in the Middle East -- good morning.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

A short time ago, the two prime ministers, Ariel Sharon and Tony Blair, held a press conference and at that press conference Tony Blair said that there would be this Mideast summit held in London next year. But both prime ministers going to great lengths to say that this peace summit, held in London, would focus on Palestinian reform. Why? Because Tony Blair says that he wants to focus on reforming the Palestinian institutions -- the democratic institutions, the economy and also the security services, so once the Israelis withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank they are in a viable position to take over and form some kind of partner for peace. And Tony Blair was emphatic that this summit in London next year will not be a substitute for the U.S.-backed road map peace plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And I hope in that way, in that limited way I set out, the London meeting next year can be of some assistance. This is not, let me say right at the very beginning, it is not and cannot be a substitute for the conferences under the road map or what then happens in any negotiation that takes place at a later stage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Now, of course, amongst the Palestinians there is a great deal of concern that Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip, the withdrawal, is an end to itself. Now, Ariel Sharon made it perfectly clear at this press conference that providing there is an elimination of terror, not word and not promises, said Sharon, but an actual elimination of terror, then this disengagement will just be the beginning, not the end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I never saw that the disengagement plan is a substitute to the road map. The reason that I initiated the disengagement plan is for our reasons. I did not have a partner then and but once Yasser Arafat left us, I believe that there is a window of opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Now, from here, Tony Blair will travel to the West Bank and Ramallah. He will meet with the new Palestinian leaders, among them, the man widely seen as the replacement for Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas. He'll also meet with the Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia.

And for the Palestinians, Tony Blair is seen as a very important player in all of this. He's seen, in some ways, as a back door to the White House because he has a very close relationship with the U.S. president, George W. Bush -- Carol.

COSTELLO: John Vause live in Jerusalem this morning.

Thank you.

Coming up on DAYBREAK, more on that deadly attack in Mosul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY REDMON, "RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH": It was really just sort of a sea of wounded and dead. There were people crying. There were folks that were numb, that collapsed in grief. It really was unreal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We'll take you beyond the sound bite with a reporter who saw the carnage firsthand.

Also, some travelers say they're facing a new enemy in the war on terror -- secrecy. We'll reveal more later on.

And Tom Cruise is the top gun in one Virginia community. We'll tell you why.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 5:16 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

The Polish prime minister is the second world leader to pay a surprise visit to Iraq in the last two days. The prime minister and his defense minister met with Iraqi leaders before heading to southern Iraq to visit Polish troops.

Mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae has forced out Chairman and CEO Franklin Raines over an accounting scandal. The company will have to restate its earnings, which may now include $9 billion in losses.

In money news, cereal stocks and blue chip technology helped power the Dow to its highest closing in three and a half years. Some analysts say the upswing was boosted by what they call the year end Santa Claus trend.

In culture, comic magicians Penn and Teller are reviving their Dreaming of a Red Christmas blood drive. They're donating two tickets to their Las Vegas show for anyone donating blood through the end of the year. Last year's drive cost them $400,000 in free tickets. Good for them.

In sports, Jacksonville Jaguars safety Donovan Darius was fined $75,000 for this vicious hit -- oh, it was vicious -- on the Packers' Robert Ferguson. Ferguson, who suffered a sprained neck, was finally released from the hospital two days after the incident.

And, Chad, he was temporarily paralyzed by that hit.

MYERS: Yes. Yes, $75,000 seems a little low to me, if that's all he got.

COSTELLO: It does to me, too. MYERS: It seems like he should have been out for a couple of games or maybe a season, for that matter.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Bright rays of sunlight illuminate death and destruction. That was the scene in Mosul after that deadly rocket attack at a U.S. military base.

Reporter Jeremy Redmon from Virginia's "Richmond Times-Dispatch" is embedded with the troops. He was there. He takes us beyond the sound bite now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REDMON: This cavernous tent, there were hundreds of soldiers in there having lunch at the time. I remember it was a bright blue sky, very few clouds. People were cheery. They were having lunch, enjoying themselves when it happened. And as soon as the explosion and the fireball occurred, scores of soldiers ran out of the tents and crammed into these concrete blast barriers. And then I ran out and was observing what was going on and I started seeing the wounded come out one at a time, soldiers that were very quick thinking and turned their dining room tables upside down and placed the wounded on top of them.

I counted one and then two and then four and then six and eight wounded coming out. There were folks that were in shock. There was blood all over the floor, food, trays. It tore a pretty large hole in the roof of the tent.

Outside, they had set up -- several medics had showed up and set up an area where they were working on the soldiers in the parking lot. It was really just sort of a sea of wounded and dead. There were people crying. There were folks that were numb, that collapsed in grief. It really was unreal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In the next half hour of DAYBREAK, what the latest attack means for the war effort. Our military analyst, Retired Brigadier General David Grange, will join us live. That's in our 6:00 a.m. Eastern hour.

And coming up on DAYBREAK, the holiday season is a time for giving and even megastar Tom Cruise is jumping on the bandwagon. You'll be amazed at how much cash he carries and how he spends it.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're going to throw it right to the Weather Center in Atlanta because Chad has so many cities that are going to be affected by a big dumping of snow later today.

So go for it -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes, already being affected in a lot of spots. My mother-in-law called from Cincinnati, my brother-in-law, trying to get from Chicago to Cincinnati overnight last night. He probably made it. That's good news because if you're leaving now, you are in trouble. Already snow coming down in a lot of those areas.

This storm is going to stretch all the way from Ontario right on back down into Arkansas. Many interstates are going to be affected. I'll list them for you, because if you're driving on any of these white roads here, the 80-90, I75, 74, I71, I65, I64, I57, I24 and I55 all will be a mess here with this forecast. You can see the snow is already into southern Indiana.

There's also another thing to worry about, an ice storm right along the line between the snow and the rain. It is going to be raining in Louisville, raining in southern Cincinnati, Covington area, raining into parts of Evansville, maybe a little bit south of there, Owensboro. That is going to be raining and 28 degrees for a while.

And in spots like Louisville, we're talking about rain and 28 for hours and hours and hours on end. So a major ice storm in the making.

Severe weather for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, eight to 12 inches. Many areas could get more than that. In fact, even for Cincinnati, I have 12. And for Dayton I have 18. It does get to be an ice storm for Columbus, Ohio. You may only see six inches of snow on the ground, but another inch of ice mixed in there. And then right on up toward Sandusky, Cleveland gets it. And I'll tell you what, Carol, this is going to be one major disaster for people trying to get anywhere today. It does end tomorrow, getting much colder, but at least it ends.

Are you trying to get to Ohio this weekend?

COSTELLO: Yes, I am.

MYERS: Yes. Take some...

COSTELLO: So I'm going to leave -- I'm going to leave Friday morning.

Is that bad?

MYERS: Usually I say take your patience. I'll just say take some power bars in case you have to sit there in the airport.

COSTELLO: Oh, no.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: You know, though? The weather here has been so strange. It was frigidly cold yesterday.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: I went outside this morning and it seemed warm in comparison.

MYERS: It'll be 55 there today.

COSTELLO: It's just crazy.

MYERS: I95 no problem. I95 rain. No problem whatsoever. But right back here where the cold air is, this is where that ugly air is going to be. Some spots -- I'm not kidding you -- some spots will issue winter storm warnings and there will be 20 inches of snow in a few spots there in the Ohio Valley.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable.

We should get your brother-in-law on the phone and ask him about the weather.

MYERS: See how he's doing. See where he is.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: All right.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

Big things often come in small packages. And for one Chicago family, their bundle of joy is nothing short of a miracle. We'll explain.

Plus, flying the unfriendly skies. Two totally different people share a common cause and a common complaint.

And our E-Mail Question of the Morning. How does the Mosul attack affect your opinion of the war? Come vent with us. Daybreak@cnn.com.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, a day after an insurgent rocket attack in northern Iraq, the bodies of fallen U.S. soldiers are starting their journey home. Fourteen U.S. soldiers are among the 22 people who were killed.

Britain moves forward with Mideast peace efforts. Just about an hour ago, on a trip to Israel, Prime Minister Tony Blair said London plans to host an international meeting next year. The topic? Palestinian reforms.

To count or not to count, that is the question before Washington State's Supreme Court today. It considers whether some 730 disputed ballots should be counted in the state's still unsettled governor's race.

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