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CNN Live At Daybreak

Leaving Guantanamo; 'The War Room'; Half the Man; Voting Outside Iraq

Aired January 25, 2005 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To the Forecast Center and -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol, not as cold up there today as it was yesterday. It's all relative.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: But still, 32 degrees will feel so good to me, so.

MYERS: Yes, people will be out there in shorts.

COSTELLO: Exactly, and sandals. That would be so attractive.

Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Four men are heading home to the U.K. for the first time in more than three years this morning. They were being held as terrorism suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And now that they've been released, there are no longer any British detainees at the base.

To Robin Oakley now live in London, good morning.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.

Well the four men will arrive here in Britain late afternoon or early this evening by a Royal Air Force flight. They will immediately be arrested by the British authorities and held for questioning at Paddington Green Police Station, a high-security police station in London. But it's unlikely that charges will follow, because five men were released from Guantanamo Bay last year, a similar procedure was followed and there were no charges in any of their cases.

Admittedly, last time, David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, the Interior Minister, said that the five men didn't represent any threat to British security. We've not had the same kind of assurances made by British ministers this time, but nobody really is expecting there to be any charges. And lawyers are saying that they shouldn't actually be held -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well what were they accused of?

OAKLEY: Basically of having contacts with al Qaeda. These men were all picked up in the Afghanistan war three years ago and accused of having links with al Qaeda. They've been held at Guantanamo Bay all this time without access to their lawyers. They've been visited there by MI5, the British Security Services. And, obviously, if there had been any evidence, if the British authorities had had any evidence against the men, that would have been passed on to the U.S. authorities. So that is why lawyers are so confident that nothing is likely to emerge, that we'll see these men charged.

It is, of course, something that's been a concern to many British parliamentarians and lawyers who have wanted these men back from Guantanamo Bay because they say it's quite wrong that they were held for so long without trial and without access to lawyers -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Robin Oakley, live in London this morning, thank you.

We continue with matters of money. Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are getting more expensive. Congressional sources say the White House will ask for another $80 billion for operations in both countries. Congressional aids say most of that money, about 75 percent of it, will go to the Army for operations in Iraq. Some of the money could go to build a new embassy in Baghdad. That could cost as much as $1.5 billion. And some of the funding could go to help Afghanistan fight drug trafficking there.

The ACLU is accusing the United States Army of failing to seriously investigate prisoner abuse charges in Iraq. The civil rights group says the widespread torture allegations include electric shocks, forced sodomy and severe physical beatings. And the group says the torture incidents extend well beyond the walls of Abu Ghraib. The American Civil Liberties Union obtained the Army abuse documents under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

The military is just now revealing that 10 of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, attempted suicide more than a year ago. Military officials call it part of a coordinated effort to disrupt camp operations. The suicide attempts took place on August 22, 2003.

Back to Iraq as we enter "The War Room." As Iraqi and U.S. officials look to the future, some big questions are looming, like what kind of Iraq will emerge from the upcoming election and how will the ongoing U.S. presence shape it?

Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us live for a look ahead.

Good morning -- David.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.

And they are big questions. This a big week, the elections in Iraq coming up this week. The big question, what kind of Iraq will emerge from these elections? We've heard stories that the Shiite parties are going to dominate the elections, Sunni parties may not even take part. What will that mean for the region, for Iraq itself? We'll be following that closely all over Iraq, north, south and central, for the next few days and beyond. But another couple of questions that I think are very important, particularly for our U.S. audience, the U.S. military. We've heard $80 billion more dollars being dedicated to the war, not only in Iraq, but Afghanistan and beyond. A lot of U.S. money being dedicated, commitments to thousands, tens of thousands of U.S. troops staying in Iraq for the next two years at least to help the Iraqis begin to take over control.

What kind of effect will that have on the U.S. military? Is it a strain or is it a positive thing? We've seen the U.S. military really reinvent itself over the last year or so in Iraq, learning that it's not just about guns, learning it's about reconstruction, politics, hearts and minds, all of those things. A new U.S. military emerging as we watch, basically.

COSTELLO: Well...

CLINCH: And finally this last question, will it be a safer world? After these elections, as Iraq tries to reinvent itself after these elections, the question that I think people forget about sometimes is will this lead to a safer world? Will we be safer here in the U.S.? That's a long-term question we'll be following, too.

COSTELLO: And you can't answer that question because I'm sure that's the question everybody wants to know the answer to.

CLINCH: Right. And in many ways, the remaining justification for war in Iraq, of course, with no weapons of mass destruction anymore, democracy of course is being sought, that's an effort that we see in real time here with the elections. But long term, a safer world, that's something that we really don't know and will be watching, not only in Iraq, but beyond. The violence has contained itself in Iraq, for the most part. Will that still be the case months and years from now?

COSTELLO: Well you know what people say, David, they say Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorists. If the Iraqis take over, I mean the big question out there is can they solve that problem?

CLINCH: Right. And we just heard -- actually we've been watching a press conference by the tough guy who's in charge of Iraq right now, the interim Prime Minister Allawi. And from his point of view, Iraq will be able to look after this, with U.S. help for the first few years, but eventually Iraq determined to maintain independence and determined to crack down.

But then of course we've also heard reports of the human rights watch report out just in the last couple of days saying that Iraqis are continuing to torture people in their own prisons right now almost as much as they did when Saddam Hussein was in power. So again this question of what kind of Iraq will it be and how will that affect the region and the world?

COSTELLO: David Clinch, live in Atlanta this morning, thank you.

On the subject of the Iraqi election is five days away now and there's only a couple of hours left for citizens living abroad to register to vote. Officials actually extended the deadline, but has it made any difference? We'll find out in a live interview at 40 minutes past.

And he walked into the hospital weighing more than 1,000 pounds. Now he's getting ready to leave a changed man. At 10 till, what Patrick Deuel hopes to do now.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:40 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

The cost of war, congressional sources say it's going up. They tell CNN the White House will ask Congress for an extra $80 billion to pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A developing story out of Texas this morning, federal agents have forced a small plane to land at a San Antonio airport. The A.P. and local news reports say officials suspect the plane was carrying illegal immigrants.

In money news, a campaign to vaccinate children in poor countries gets a real shot in the arm. Microsoft founder Bill Gates is pledging $750 million, while the government of Norway is pledging $290 million.

In culture, ABC stations that aired "Saving Private Ryan" won't have to pay a fine after all. The FCC is rejecting viewer complaints that the stations broke indecency rules when they aired the graphic war movie last November.

In sports, No. 4 seed Maria Sharapova advances in the Australian Open. Sharapova will now face Serena Williams in a semifinal match. Williams is seeded seventh -- Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: For the first time in history, the United Nations dedicated a special session to the Holocaust. It commemorated the 60- year anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps. Elie Wiesel, a concentration camp survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, told the General Assembly the U.N. must guard against the genocide of other groups.

We take you now "Beyond the Soundbite."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ELIE WIESEL, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: In spite of being the most documented tragedy in the annals of history, Auschwitz still defies language and understanding. How was such calculated addle (ph), such bottomless and pointless cruelty possible? Had creation gone mad? Had God covered his face? A religious person cannot conceive of Auschwitz either with or without God.

But what about man, how could intelligent, educated man was simply lower (ph) by the citizens, ordinary men, fired machine guns at hundreds of children every day and their parents and grandparents?

So for today, many of us are grateful to you for we see it a historic day, but grateful to you for listening, for being here and act. But the question, as a teacher I always believe in questions, the question is will the world ever learn?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Wiesel said if the world had listened, death in Darfur, Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda may have been prevented.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Reading some of your e-mails this morning and we'll read them to you later on, but quite good this morning. Thank you.

In "Health Headlines" for you this morning, an environmental group says something is fishy overseas. The World Wildlife Fund says fish in the Baltic Sea are absorbing big doses of cancer-causing chemicals because of pollution. It's now urging the European Union to toughen chemical testing standards.

More fallout over Vioxx, an FDA official says the painkiller may be linked to as many as 140,000 cases of serious heart disease in the United States, many of them fatal. Vioxx was recalled last September over safety concerns.

And here's another reason to quit smoking. California researchers say if you smoke in midlife you have a much higher risk of getting Alzheimer's disease later on. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

For more on these or any other health stories, head to our Web site, the address, CNN.com/health.

Are you trying to shed some extra pounds? You might get some inspiration from one Nebraska man. He used to weigh, get ready for this, more than half a ton, but now he's about half the man he used to be.

Tom Elser from our Omaha affiliate KETV has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TOM ELSER, KETV-TV REPORTER (voice-over): Just walking into this room is a big accomplishment for 42-year-old Patrick Deuel. For seven years, he was unable to leave his house in Valentine, Nebraska. Now his team of doctors say he's lost enough weight to return home.

PATRICK DEUEL, WEIGHED MORE THAN HALF A TON: I am thinking, yes. Seven-and-a-half months in here is quite a while. Just watch how close this comes.

ELSER: We first met Patrick back in August. Since then, he's undergone stomach-reducing surgery and lost an additional 100 pounds.

DEUEL: No pain no gain, you know what they say.

ELSER: He's had a lot of time to think and now wants to be a motivational speaker helping other desperate dieters.

DEUEL: If I can do it, anybody can, and that's the point that needs to come out.

ELSER (on camera): When Patrick was checked into this Sioux Falls Hospital, he weighed 1,072 pounds. Seven months later, he now weighs 610 pounds. His goal is to be at 240, which was his weight in the sixth grade.

DEUEL: I was stuck with my arms like this.

ELSER (voice-over): When he first arrived here, doctors told Patrick he was just weeks away from dying.

DEUEL: Well.

ELSER: He says he'll never let his weight get that out of control again.

DEUEL: Than I'd have to come back here and do this all over again and I'd have to do that schedule up in rehab again. You don't want to do that.

ELSER: From the beginning, Patrick's goal has been to take his wife on a walk on Valentine's Day in Valentine, Nebraska. It's a goal that's not too many days away.

DEUEL: We may walk out the door, walk three feet and I may have to sit down, but I'm going to make that walk.

It was nice meeting you all, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bye, Patrick.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That report from Tom Elser from our Omaha, Nebraska affiliate KETV.

All new in the next half-hour of DAYBREAK, al Qaeda, the new front. A team from PBS looks into it. You're going to be amazed at what they found out.

And a big controversy in Dallas, why some people in the Longhorn State don't take kindly to seeing Osama bin Laden on a billboard.

This is DAYBREAK for a Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time to check out our "Web Clicks" this morning, what stories are getting your attention on our Web site, CNN.com.

So, Chad, three very interesting stories people are clicking on to in droves.

MYERS: Go ahead.

COSTELLO: Go ahead, you want me to -- this is such a bizarre story.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: The State Senator John Ford in Tennessee, he's a Democrat, he's in court now because some of the women that he lives with or were married to wants him to pay extra child support. But he's trying to make use of this law that he authored that keeps court- ordered support lower when a father is financially responsible for other children.

Now, during testimony in court, he admitted that -- let me read, I have to read it -- in the hearing, Ford said he lives some days with his ex-wife, Tamara Mitchell-Ford, and the three children they had together. On others he said he stays with his long-time girlfriend, Connie Mathews, and their two children. And there's word he has another child with another woman out there.

MYERS: So there you go.

COSTELLO: You're not going to say anything about this story.

MYERS: You can make your own laws, I guess, if you're a congressman. I don't know.

COSTELLO: No wonder he authored that law.

MYERS: There you go.

COSTELLO: The second story, of course, the Razzies.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: People interested in the worst movies of this year.

MYERS: And, you know, I didn't see any of them anyway, so I couldn't tell you whether they're good or bad. But this one kind of getting some flack, "Catwoman" leading with seven nominations, Halle Berry. COSTELLO: Poor Halle Berry, she chooses so poorly when it comes to movies.

Yes, and also Sharon Stone...

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... and Lambert Wilson. They also get the worst supporting players nomination. In fact, the Razzies founder, John Wilson, said "Catwoman" is the cinematic equivalent of a clump in the cat liter box.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: That says it all.

OK, the third...

MYERS: The winners will be the day before the real Oscars.

COSTELLO: Got you.

The third most clicked on story, the trauma case over Elian Gonzalez. Remember him,...

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... the little boy...

MYERS: Of course.

COSTELLO: ... from Cuba? And remember how federal agents burst into the house. We're seeing video of that. Well apparently some people inside in the house say that has traumatized them to the point where they are now suffering health consequences because of it.

MYERS: There you go.

COSTELLO: They're suing for $3 million plus dollars. The opening witness -- are you going to read any of this -- Chad?

MYERS: I have nothing to say on this one.

COSTELLO: Why are you making me do all the work here?

MYERS: Because it's your show, I'm just here to be your sidekick.

COSTELLO: No, oh no, buddy.

MYERS: See, you're Johnny and I'm just the guy sitting next to you.

COSTELLO: No, no, that is not true.

If you want to know more, click on to CNN.com. We have many interesting stories on our Web site.

MYERS: Because I was doing e-mails -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, whatever.

MYERS: I got some good ones.

COSTELLO: Good, good, because we're going to go to our e-mail segment now. How many of you have seen those plastic grocery bags blowing around the street? Well today, San Francisco may decide to start charging shoppers 17 cents for each paper or plastic bag they pick up at the grocery store. And this is the question, so paying for grocery bags: environmental push or unfair tax?

So take it away -- Chad.

MYERS: Louise (ph) in Quebec City says if it was an incentive, they would discount you for not using them, but charging for a bag is simply adding a new tax that we don't need.

Rich (ph) in Detroit says great idea as long as the money goes for the Health Department to help out the salmonella outbreak that's going to be caused by people bringing in old dirty bags to the store.

COSTELLO: Come on!

MYERS: Gregory (ph) wants to know if they're going to make him rent the grocery cart as well.

And Bobbi (ph) says my concern is that these people are going to be bringing in germs and pests with those bags back into the store that I'm buying my food from.

COSTELLO: Well I have just one to read, because I liked it for its cynical nature. This is from Douglas (ph) from Connecticut. He says don't let anybody kid you, we're already paying for grocery bags. Do they really think all those bags we now use are actually free? I'm sure they're expensive store supplies.

A true American speaking there.

MYERS: I really don't know how much they are, but they can't be more than a couple of pennies.

COSTELLO: Well they want to tax some 17 cents, so we'll see what happens in San Francisco.

MYERS: Yes, all right.

COSTELLO: Iraq's national elections are Sunday. Security is tight in Iraq, as you would expect, but ex-patriots also will be voting. Voting centers are open in 14 other nations, including here in the United States.

But we want to check on the international scene this morning. Hanna Field is with us now. Good morning.

HANNA FIELD, DIR., IRAQI WELFARE ASSOCIATION: Good morning.

COSTELLO: How are the voting efforts going in London?

FIELD: Well the voting actually not in a great deal, because we were expecting much higher number to the last actually statistics number has come up to 14,700 something. And this is the latest. And we were hoping, you know, to have a much higher number.

I think there is quite a lot of difficulties reaching and contributing to the poll stations because there is only three stations in and in all U.K. And like London ones is Wales and all South London and all London is going to come to there. And is for them is two trips. It's going to be very difficult. But let us hope this is today is last day for registration again.

COSTELLO: Well let me interrupt you for just a...

FIELD: And let us hope maybe...

COSTELLO: Let me interrupt you for just a second, just to put this in perspective, 14 other countries trying to get ex-patriots, Iraqi ex-patriots to vote. Only about 237,000 have showed up to register. You were expecting one million. Why do you think so many ex-patriots are not registering to vote? What is the reason?

FIELD: Well, first of all, the agreement of to agree about the outside Iraq to vote, it came very late, as well as a short time. The other thing is not all the countries which got Iraqis is going to actually picked. There's only 14 of those countries and Iraqis all over the world, at the moment. The other things as well, as I said, is the poll stations is not available and convenient of the community reach, the Iraqi community reach as making (ph) so far. And to travel it twice for registration, for election, it's making it very difficult, especially for families who got young children, who got an income support as well, you know...

COSTELLO: Right, do you think...

FIELD: ... to travel distance and is...

COSTELLO: Do you think that psychology plays into this as well, because Iraqis really aren't used to voting in the first place?

FIELD: Well, yes, this is a new education for them and they

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 January 25, 2005 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To the Forecast Center and -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol, not as cold up there today as it was yesterday. It's all relative.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: But still, 32 degrees will feel so good to me, so.

MYERS: Yes, people will be out there in shorts.

COSTELLO: Exactly, and sandals. That would be so attractive.

Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Four men are heading home to the U.K. for the first time in more than three years this morning. They were being held as terrorism suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And now that they've been released, there are no longer any British detainees at the base.

To Robin Oakley now live in London, good morning.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.

Well the four men will arrive here in Britain late afternoon or early this evening by a Royal Air Force flight. They will immediately be arrested by the British authorities and held for questioning at Paddington Green Police Station, a high-security police station in London. But it's unlikely that charges will follow, because five men were released from Guantanamo Bay last year, a similar procedure was followed and there were no charges in any of their cases.

Admittedly, last time, David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, the Interior Minister, said that the five men didn't represent any threat to British security. We've not had the same kind of assurances made by British ministers this time, but nobody really is expecting there to be any charges. And lawyers are saying that they shouldn't actually be held -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well what were they accused of?

OAKLEY: Basically of having contacts with al Qaeda. These men were all picked up in the Afghanistan war three years ago and accused of having links with al Qaeda. They've been held at Guantanamo Bay all this time without access to their lawyers. They've been visited there by MI5, the British Security Services. And, obviously, if there had been any evidence, if the British authorities had had any evidence against the men, that would have been passed on to the U.S. authorities. So that is why lawyers are so confident that nothing is likely to emerge, that we'll see these men charged.

It is, of course, something that's been a concern to many British parliamentarians and lawyers who have wanted these men back from Guantanamo Bay because they say it's quite wrong that they were held for so long without trial and without access to lawyers -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Robin Oakley, live in London this morning, thank you.

We continue with matters of money. Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are getting more expensive. Congressional sources say the White House will ask for another $80 billion for operations in both countries. Congressional aids say most of that money, about 75 percent of it, will go to the Army for operations in Iraq. Some of the money could go to build a new embassy in Baghdad. That could cost as much as $1.5 billion. And some of the funding could go to help Afghanistan fight drug trafficking there.

The ACLU is accusing the United States Army of failing to seriously investigate prisoner abuse charges in Iraq. The civil rights group says the widespread torture allegations include electric shocks, forced sodomy and severe physical beatings. And the group says the torture incidents extend well beyond the walls of Abu Ghraib. The American Civil Liberties Union obtained the Army abuse documents under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

The military is just now revealing that 10 of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, attempted suicide more than a year ago. Military officials call it part of a coordinated effort to disrupt camp operations. The suicide attempts took place on August 22, 2003.

Back to Iraq as we enter "The War Room." As Iraqi and U.S. officials look to the future, some big questions are looming, like what kind of Iraq will emerge from the upcoming election and how will the ongoing U.S. presence shape it?

Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us live for a look ahead.

Good morning -- David.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.

And they are big questions. This a big week, the elections in Iraq coming up this week. The big question, what kind of Iraq will emerge from these elections? We've heard stories that the Shiite parties are going to dominate the elections, Sunni parties may not even take part. What will that mean for the region, for Iraq itself? We'll be following that closely all over Iraq, north, south and central, for the next few days and beyond. But another couple of questions that I think are very important, particularly for our U.S. audience, the U.S. military. We've heard $80 billion more dollars being dedicated to the war, not only in Iraq, but Afghanistan and beyond. A lot of U.S. money being dedicated, commitments to thousands, tens of thousands of U.S. troops staying in Iraq for the next two years at least to help the Iraqis begin to take over control.

What kind of effect will that have on the U.S. military? Is it a strain or is it a positive thing? We've seen the U.S. military really reinvent itself over the last year or so in Iraq, learning that it's not just about guns, learning it's about reconstruction, politics, hearts and minds, all of those things. A new U.S. military emerging as we watch, basically.

COSTELLO: Well...

CLINCH: And finally this last question, will it be a safer world? After these elections, as Iraq tries to reinvent itself after these elections, the question that I think people forget about sometimes is will this lead to a safer world? Will we be safer here in the U.S.? That's a long-term question we'll be following, too.

COSTELLO: And you can't answer that question because I'm sure that's the question everybody wants to know the answer to.

CLINCH: Right. And in many ways, the remaining justification for war in Iraq, of course, with no weapons of mass destruction anymore, democracy of course is being sought, that's an effort that we see in real time here with the elections. But long term, a safer world, that's something that we really don't know and will be watching, not only in Iraq, but beyond. The violence has contained itself in Iraq, for the most part. Will that still be the case months and years from now?

COSTELLO: Well you know what people say, David, they say Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorists. If the Iraqis take over, I mean the big question out there is can they solve that problem?

CLINCH: Right. And we just heard -- actually we've been watching a press conference by the tough guy who's in charge of Iraq right now, the interim Prime Minister Allawi. And from his point of view, Iraq will be able to look after this, with U.S. help for the first few years, but eventually Iraq determined to maintain independence and determined to crack down.

But then of course we've also heard reports of the human rights watch report out just in the last couple of days saying that Iraqis are continuing to torture people in their own prisons right now almost as much as they did when Saddam Hussein was in power. So again this question of what kind of Iraq will it be and how will that affect the region and the world?

COSTELLO: David Clinch, live in Atlanta this morning, thank you.

On the subject of the Iraqi election is five days away now and there's only a couple of hours left for citizens living abroad to register to vote. Officials actually extended the deadline, but has it made any difference? We'll find out in a live interview at 40 minutes past.

And he walked into the hospital weighing more than 1,000 pounds. Now he's getting ready to leave a changed man. At 10 till, what Patrick Deuel hopes to do now.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:40 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

The cost of war, congressional sources say it's going up. They tell CNN the White House will ask Congress for an extra $80 billion to pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A developing story out of Texas this morning, federal agents have forced a small plane to land at a San Antonio airport. The A.P. and local news reports say officials suspect the plane was carrying illegal immigrants.

In money news, a campaign to vaccinate children in poor countries gets a real shot in the arm. Microsoft founder Bill Gates is pledging $750 million, while the government of Norway is pledging $290 million.

In culture, ABC stations that aired "Saving Private Ryan" won't have to pay a fine after all. The FCC is rejecting viewer complaints that the stations broke indecency rules when they aired the graphic war movie last November.

In sports, No. 4 seed Maria Sharapova advances in the Australian Open. Sharapova will now face Serena Williams in a semifinal match. Williams is seeded seventh -- Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: For the first time in history, the United Nations dedicated a special session to the Holocaust. It commemorated the 60- year anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps. Elie Wiesel, a concentration camp survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, told the General Assembly the U.N. must guard against the genocide of other groups.

We take you now "Beyond the Soundbite."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ELIE WIESEL, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: In spite of being the most documented tragedy in the annals of history, Auschwitz still defies language and understanding. How was such calculated addle (ph), such bottomless and pointless cruelty possible? Had creation gone mad? Had God covered his face? A religious person cannot conceive of Auschwitz either with or without God.

But what about man, how could intelligent, educated man was simply lower (ph) by the citizens, ordinary men, fired machine guns at hundreds of children every day and their parents and grandparents?

So for today, many of us are grateful to you for we see it a historic day, but grateful to you for listening, for being here and act. But the question, as a teacher I always believe in questions, the question is will the world ever learn?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Wiesel said if the world had listened, death in Darfur, Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda may have been prevented.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Reading some of your e-mails this morning and we'll read them to you later on, but quite good this morning. Thank you.

In "Health Headlines" for you this morning, an environmental group says something is fishy overseas. The World Wildlife Fund says fish in the Baltic Sea are absorbing big doses of cancer-causing chemicals because of pollution. It's now urging the European Union to toughen chemical testing standards.

More fallout over Vioxx, an FDA official says the painkiller may be linked to as many as 140,000 cases of serious heart disease in the United States, many of them fatal. Vioxx was recalled last September over safety concerns.

And here's another reason to quit smoking. California researchers say if you smoke in midlife you have a much higher risk of getting Alzheimer's disease later on. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

For more on these or any other health stories, head to our Web site, the address, CNN.com/health.

Are you trying to shed some extra pounds? You might get some inspiration from one Nebraska man. He used to weigh, get ready for this, more than half a ton, but now he's about half the man he used to be.

Tom Elser from our Omaha affiliate KETV has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TOM ELSER, KETV-TV REPORTER (voice-over): Just walking into this room is a big accomplishment for 42-year-old Patrick Deuel. For seven years, he was unable to leave his house in Valentine, Nebraska. Now his team of doctors say he's lost enough weight to return home.

PATRICK DEUEL, WEIGHED MORE THAN HALF A TON: I am thinking, yes. Seven-and-a-half months in here is quite a while. Just watch how close this comes.

ELSER: We first met Patrick back in August. Since then, he's undergone stomach-reducing surgery and lost an additional 100 pounds.

DEUEL: No pain no gain, you know what they say.

ELSER: He's had a lot of time to think and now wants to be a motivational speaker helping other desperate dieters.

DEUEL: If I can do it, anybody can, and that's the point that needs to come out.

ELSER (on camera): When Patrick was checked into this Sioux Falls Hospital, he weighed 1,072 pounds. Seven months later, he now weighs 610 pounds. His goal is to be at 240, which was his weight in the sixth grade.

DEUEL: I was stuck with my arms like this.

ELSER (voice-over): When he first arrived here, doctors told Patrick he was just weeks away from dying.

DEUEL: Well.

ELSER: He says he'll never let his weight get that out of control again.

DEUEL: Than I'd have to come back here and do this all over again and I'd have to do that schedule up in rehab again. You don't want to do that.

ELSER: From the beginning, Patrick's goal has been to take his wife on a walk on Valentine's Day in Valentine, Nebraska. It's a goal that's not too many days away.

DEUEL: We may walk out the door, walk three feet and I may have to sit down, but I'm going to make that walk.

It was nice meeting you all, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bye, Patrick.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That report from Tom Elser from our Omaha, Nebraska affiliate KETV.

All new in the next half-hour of DAYBREAK, al Qaeda, the new front. A team from PBS looks into it. You're going to be amazed at what they found out.

And a big controversy in Dallas, why some people in the Longhorn State don't take kindly to seeing Osama bin Laden on a billboard.

This is DAYBREAK for a Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time to check out our "Web Clicks" this morning, what stories are getting your attention on our Web site, CNN.com.

So, Chad, three very interesting stories people are clicking on to in droves.

MYERS: Go ahead.

COSTELLO: Go ahead, you want me to -- this is such a bizarre story.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: The State Senator John Ford in Tennessee, he's a Democrat, he's in court now because some of the women that he lives with or were married to wants him to pay extra child support. But he's trying to make use of this law that he authored that keeps court- ordered support lower when a father is financially responsible for other children.

Now, during testimony in court, he admitted that -- let me read, I have to read it -- in the hearing, Ford said he lives some days with his ex-wife, Tamara Mitchell-Ford, and the three children they had together. On others he said he stays with his long-time girlfriend, Connie Mathews, and their two children. And there's word he has another child with another woman out there.

MYERS: So there you go.

COSTELLO: You're not going to say anything about this story.

MYERS: You can make your own laws, I guess, if you're a congressman. I don't know.

COSTELLO: No wonder he authored that law.

MYERS: There you go.

COSTELLO: The second story, of course, the Razzies.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: People interested in the worst movies of this year.

MYERS: And, you know, I didn't see any of them anyway, so I couldn't tell you whether they're good or bad. But this one kind of getting some flack, "Catwoman" leading with seven nominations, Halle Berry. COSTELLO: Poor Halle Berry, she chooses so poorly when it comes to movies.

Yes, and also Sharon Stone...

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... and Lambert Wilson. They also get the worst supporting players nomination. In fact, the Razzies founder, John Wilson, said "Catwoman" is the cinematic equivalent of a clump in the cat liter box.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: That says it all.

OK, the third...

MYERS: The winners will be the day before the real Oscars.

COSTELLO: Got you.

The third most clicked on story, the trauma case over Elian Gonzalez. Remember him,...

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... the little boy...

MYERS: Of course.

COSTELLO: ... from Cuba? And remember how federal agents burst into the house. We're seeing video of that. Well apparently some people inside in the house say that has traumatized them to the point where they are now suffering health consequences because of it.

MYERS: There you go.

COSTELLO: They're suing for $3 million plus dollars. The opening witness -- are you going to read any of this -- Chad?

MYERS: I have nothing to say on this one.

COSTELLO: Why are you making me do all the work here?

MYERS: Because it's your show, I'm just here to be your sidekick.

COSTELLO: No, oh no, buddy.

MYERS: See, you're Johnny and I'm just the guy sitting next to you.

COSTELLO: No, no, that is not true.

If you want to know more, click on to CNN.com. We have many interesting stories on our Web site.

MYERS: Because I was doing e-mails -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, whatever.

MYERS: I got some good ones.

COSTELLO: Good, good, because we're going to go to our e-mail segment now. How many of you have seen those plastic grocery bags blowing around the street? Well today, San Francisco may decide to start charging shoppers 17 cents for each paper or plastic bag they pick up at the grocery store. And this is the question, so paying for grocery bags: environmental push or unfair tax?

So take it away -- Chad.

MYERS: Louise (ph) in Quebec City says if it was an incentive, they would discount you for not using them, but charging for a bag is simply adding a new tax that we don't need.

Rich (ph) in Detroit says great idea as long as the money goes for the Health Department to help out the salmonella outbreak that's going to be caused by people bringing in old dirty bags to the store.

COSTELLO: Come on!

MYERS: Gregory (ph) wants to know if they're going to make him rent the grocery cart as well.

And Bobbi (ph) says my concern is that these people are going to be bringing in germs and pests with those bags back into the store that I'm buying my food from.

COSTELLO: Well I have just one to read, because I liked it for its cynical nature. This is from Douglas (ph) from Connecticut. He says don't let anybody kid you, we're already paying for grocery bags. Do they really think all those bags we now use are actually free? I'm sure they're expensive store supplies.

A true American speaking there.

MYERS: I really don't know how much they are, but they can't be more than a couple of pennies.

COSTELLO: Well they want to tax some 17 cents, so we'll see what happens in San Francisco.

MYERS: Yes, all right.

COSTELLO: Iraq's national elections are Sunday. Security is tight in Iraq, as you would expect, but ex-patriots also will be voting. Voting centers are open in 14 other nations, including here in the United States.

But we want to check on the international scene this morning. Hanna Field is with us now. Good morning.

HANNA FIELD, DIR., IRAQI WELFARE ASSOCIATION: Good morning.

COSTELLO: How are the voting efforts going in London?

FIELD: Well the voting actually not in a great deal, because we were expecting much higher number to the last actually statistics number has come up to 14,700 something. And this is the latest. And we were hoping, you know, to have a much higher number.

I think there is quite a lot of difficulties reaching and contributing to the poll stations because there is only three stations in and in all U.K. And like London ones is Wales and all South London and all London is going to come to there. And is for them is two trips. It's going to be very difficult. But let us hope this is today is last day for registration again.

COSTELLO: Well let me interrupt you for just a...

FIELD: And let us hope maybe...

COSTELLO: Let me interrupt you for just a second, just to put this in perspective, 14 other countries trying to get ex-patriots, Iraqi ex-patriots to vote. Only about 237,000 have showed up to register. You were expecting one million. Why do you think so many ex-patriots are not registering to vote? What is the reason?

FIELD: Well, first of all, the agreement of to agree about the outside Iraq to vote, it came very late, as well as a short time. The other thing is not all the countries which got Iraqis is going to actually picked. There's only 14 of those countries and Iraqis all over the world, at the moment. The other things as well, as I said, is the poll stations is not available and convenient of the community reach, the Iraqi community reach as making (ph) so far. And to travel it twice for registration, for election, it's making it very difficult, especially for families who got young children, who got an income support as well, you know...

COSTELLO: Right, do you think...

FIELD: ... to travel distance and is...

COSTELLO: Do you think that psychology plays into this as well, because Iraqis really aren't used to voting in the first place?

FIELD: Well, yes, this is a new education for them and they

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