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CNN Live At Daybreak
State of the Union; Reaction in Britain; Iraq Reacts; No Iraqi Timetable; The Pope's Health
Aired February 03, 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: 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."
Georgia's prime minister and a deputy in his government have died of apparent gas poisoning in Tbilisi. It's believed a gas leak in the deputy's home killed the two men.
The top investigator of the U.N.'s Oil-For-Food program for Iraq says the program was tainted from top to bottom. Paul Volker issues his interim report today on the Oil-For-Food corruption case.
General Electric will not accept any new business in Iran. GE says the moratorium is due to uncertain conditions in Iran, including concerns about meeting customer commitments.
Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin have signed up and Alicia Keys and Sting will also perform. It's a special MTV concert for tsunami relief and it's being held in Bangkok, Thailand.
And we're going to bring you there live, Chad, in the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm ready. And, Carol, I have the best news of all today.
COSTELLO: What?
MYERS: Do you know what, at 7:37 tonight,...
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: ... that is the middle of winter. It gets better from here. Do you know next week at this time the day will be 19 minutes longer?
COSTELLO: And 19 degrees warmer?
MYERS: Well, not really, but you can think so if you stay inside. At least we're on the bottom here. We're starting to go back up here.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Some semis were actually tipped over because of that wind as they were driving down the I-5 yesterday -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Wow!
MYERS: Careful with all of that Santa Ana stuff out there.
COSTELLO: I know, how can you be careful, though, if a big wind comes along and blows your truck over? It's hard to avoid that.
MYERS: Stay on the parking lot.
COSTELLO: That's the way you can avoid it.
Thank you -- Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: President Bush used last night's State of the Union Address to offer some specifics about his plan to overhaul Social Security.
CNN's Kareen Wynter joins us now live from Washington with more.
Good morning.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
And this was a speech that was interrupted a reported 61 times by applause, some controversial moments last night, also some heartfelt ones. The president definitely tackled some tough issues on Social Security, laying out his plan there to restructure it. The president also stood his ground by not offering an exit timetable on Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER (voice-over): After the introduction,...
WILSON LIVINGOOD, HOUSE SERGEANT AT ARMS: Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States.
WYNTER: ... the applause came an inside look at President Bush's second-term agenda. What was just a mere mention during his last State of the Union Address was clearly the chief domestic priority Wednesday night, restructuring Social Security, a system, Mr. Bush says, is headed toward bankruptcy.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Social Security system has serious problems that will grow worse with time.
WYNTER: His proposal, establishing personal investment accounts for younger workers, but the plan drew partisan response.
One issue that did unite both parties was the president's touching tribute to the mother of a fallen Marine, one of the many invited guests. Janet Norwood was tearfully embraced by an Iraqi woman voter whose father was assassinated by Saddam Hussein's regime.
President Bush praised Sunday's election in Iraq, but offered no specifics on a U.S. withdrawal.
BUSH: We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq.
WYNTER: Following the speech, Democrats offered a prewritten rebuttal on Iraq.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: We have never heard a clear plan from this administration for ending our presence in Iraq.
WYNTER: On Social Security.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MINORITY LEADER: The Bush plan isn't really Social Security reform, it's more like Social Security roulette.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER: This debate on Social Security is really just beginning. In fact, Carol, many Democrats were heard booing the president, that's right, booing, in his address last night on this very issue. The president clearly leaving the door open here to Democrats as a way to perhaps get the ball rolling here on this issue, saying these are just ideas and he's open to more suggestions.
Now the president also touched on other issues. For example, restarting that stalled Middle East peace process. He said he plans on asking Congress for some $350 million here in a reform in the area of political economics and security -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter, reporting live from Washington this morning, thank you.
Certainly Britons who are learning about the president's State of the Union speech are focused on Iraq. So let's get some reaction from London now.
Robin Oakley, our European political editor, is there.
Good morning -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.
Well, of course, George Bush's speech was delivered at 2:00 in the morning London time, so we haven't had too many reactions from politicians here as yet. They'll be digesting it through the day as they comb back through what the president had to say.
I don't think they'll be surprised by anything that came out in the State of the Union Address. Having studied his inaugural speech very carefully, they will note that he is repeating those pledges to take on tyranny across the world, and particularly, to foster democracy in the Middle East, the likely areas attention which may be explored when Condoleezza Rice arrives in Europe. Late tonight she's due here in London.
Really, what the president had to say, firstly, about Iraq and the question of no timetable for taking out the U.S. troops, which the French, for example, would like to have seen, but I think particularly what he had to say about Syria and Iran. The European Union has been doing a preferential trade deal with Syria. There is the president saying that it is a harbor of terrorism and urging the Syrians to change their ways. Much more belligerent language than you'd get from European Union leaders.
On Iran, of course, again, European Union foreign ministers from Germany, France, the U.K., have been trying to persuade the Iranians not to engage in a nuclear weapons program and to enrich uranium. They're trying to do it by persuasion, by trade deals, by total engagement with Iran.
Condoleezza Rice and the U.S. administration have welcomed that as far as it goes, but they're clearly skeptical. And people will have noted that President Bush described Iran as the biggest harbor of terrorists in the world and invited the people of Iran to say that if they stood up for their liberty, America would be with them. I think Condoleezza Rice will be asked to cross Europe. What exactly does that mean? Does that mean some kind of military action? Does it mean economic support or what -- Carol?
COSTELLO: Robin Oakley, live in London this morning, thank you.
Also in his State of the Union Address, President Bush said Sunday's Iraqi election sets the stage for a change in emphasis for U.S. troops in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country. At the recommendation of our commanders on the ground and in consultation with the Iraqi government, we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces. Forces with skilled officers and an effective command structure.
As those forces become more self-reliant and take on greater security responsibilities, America and its coalition partners will increasingly be in a supporting role. In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country, and we will help that proud, new nation secure its liberty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Those security forces suffered a setback when insurgents ambushed Iraqi army recruits south of Kirkuk. A dozen Iraqi troops were killed.
Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson reports on that and on Baghdad's reaction to the State of the Union.
Hello -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol. Well those recruits were on their way home at the end of a day's work. They were on a bus. All of them were quite young, we're told between 20 and 25. The insurgents stopped their bus at the roadside, pulled them all off one by one and shot them as they came off. We're told all those young men were unarmed at the time.
Now there were just a few people in Iraq, it seems, that stayed up to listen to President Bush's State of the Union Address. It did occur at about 5:00 a.m. Iraqi time. About one-third of the people we talked to this morning said they had listened. They were all very keen to hear what he had said. There was broad agreement with President Bush's idea of a new phase for the U.S. troops here, that of training Iraqi security forces. Everyone we talked to said that was a good idea.
Where the division comes in is on the issue of the withdrawal of U.S. troops. President Bush not putting forward a timetable for that withdrawal. About one-third of the people we talked to supported that. They said that if President Bush gives a timetable for withdrawal, the insurgents could potentially know when they can wait to attack.
This man, one particular man, said that we don't know what's going to happen in the next few years, so really the U.S. troops should stay here. But that did create an argument among the people we've talked to. The people saying that no, the U.S. troops here give a legitimacy to the insurgency who say they are an occupying force, therefore, the troubles continue.
Another man said that as long as U.S. troops are here, the Sunnis won't partake fully in the political structures inside Iraq and that will create divisions between the Sunni Muslims and the Shi'a Muslims here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Nic Robertson reporting live from Baghdad.
Still, despite what Nic said, some Democrats in Congress have been demanding that President Bush set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. In his State of the Union Address, let's listen specifically what the president had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result, a country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors and able to defend itself. And when that result is achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they have earned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: More on this now from our senior international editor David Clinch. He's live in Atlanta this morning.
Are the Democrats wrong to insist on an exit strategy -- David?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, that's in the political arena, Carol, I'm not quite sure whether anybody is right or wrong, strictly speaking, here. It's certainly a very important argument in Washington.
And Nic, pointing out from Baghdad there, that Iraqis, some at least, were watching the Bush speech last night. You can guarantee that the U.S. military, the troops there on the ground, if they weren't watching it last night, will certainly be hearing it today.
Not a surprise that there is no indication of a specific timetable. But something that's coming in to play here very much increasingly right now and over the next few months, no timetable for withdrawal, maintaining the level of U.S. troops at the level that it is now. You might see some changes over the next few months, but no specific timetable for a major change in that level. That's tens of thousands of U.S. troops there and still a very dangerous place.
The president talking about moving to a support role. But we've already had three Americans killed this month three days into the month. We had more than a hundred killed last month. Iraq is a very dangerous place and that is not going to change in the immediate future. So U.S. troops there on the ground watching that very closely.
And something that we begin to reporting on, something we're beginning to see hints of that there may be the beginnings of a recruiting problem for the U.S. military, not in terms of maintaining the numbers in Iraq, but overall. In the last few days and weeks, we've begun to hear that the National Guard is having trouble maintaining its recruiting levels.
Also beginning to hear that the Marines might be beginning to miss their targets for the first time in a long time. And the Marines are the people that attract the real gung-ho people, the people that want to go and fight. If they're beginning to see problems in recruiting, it's possible that the long term idea that if you go into the military you're going to be in Iraq, and the fact that there might be recruiting problems, those two things are an issue for the U.S. military going forward.
COSTELLO: David Clinch, live in Atlanta this morning, thank you.
CLINCH: All right -- Carol.
COSTELLO: The pope remains hospitalized in Rome and is going to be there longer. A look at his complex condition ahead in about 10 minutes.
And later, what's hot on the Web? Stranded for more than a month, now the world knows their harrowing story.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Democrats say President Bush should have set a timetable for getting U.S. troops out of Iraq. But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says the Democrats are wrong on that.
The U.N. official who headed the Oil-For-Food program in Iraq is being criticized. A new report from a committee looking into the program says it was poorly managed.
In money news, Blockbuster is upping the ante in its hostile takeover bid for Hollywood Video. The cash and stock offer now stands at more than a billion dollars. The movie rental giant is trying to derail Hollywood's pending sale to Movie Gallery.
In culture, the ballots are in the mail. Oscar ballots were sent out to more than 5,800 voting members of the Academy of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The ballots must be returned by February 22. That's five days before the Academy Awards.
And in sports, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons survive a late rally by the Duke Blue Devils for a 92-89 win. Chris Paul led the Demons with 23 points -- Chad.
MYERS: That's always a noisy place in there when that game happens.
Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
He seems to be able to manage a smile no matter what. Straight- ahead, how Parkinson's complicates the pope's health situation. The Vatican continues to reassure the faithful that his condition is stable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In "Heath Headlines" for you this morning, listen to this, because it's sobering, a leading expert says obesity will cause a drop in life expectancy over the next 50 years. University of Illinois Professor Jay O'Shanski (ph) says the obesity epidemic in the United States will creep through all age groups like a human tsunami. Nearly 60 million Americans are classified as obese.
New guidelines say doctors need to do a better job of catching diabetes early. Experts at the American College of Endocrinology say people at high risk of getting diabetes should be screened starting at age 30. They're also calling on doctors to begin more aggressive treatment at an earlier stage of the disease.
Artificial turf burns are being blamed for an illness that spread among St. Louis Rams players last season. A report in the "New England Journal of Medicine" says bacteria from untreated burns could have spread through skin-to-skin contact and through whirlpool use. At least five Rams players developed large wounds as a result of this bacteria.
The Vatican is spending a second day reassuring the faithful that Pope John Paul II is OK. They say his second night in the hospital was quiet.
Romilly Weeks with Britain's ITV News has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMILLY WEEKS, ITV NEWS REPORTER (voice-over): Beset by Parkinson's, arthritis and his advancing years, the pope's frail health has long been obvious in his every movement and his every word. A bout of flu in one so old is potentially serious. In the pope's case, doctors say his Parkinson's has made him very vulnerable indeed.
DR. JOHN MOORE-GILLON, LUNG SPECIALIST: Obviously one hopes and anticipates the pope will make a recovery from this. But anybody in this age group, particularly with Parkinson's Disease, is really at significant risk from any sort of condition of this kind affecting the respiratory tract and the lungs.
WEEKS: In his recent public appearances, the pope's breathing has been labored. The flu exacerbated that, leading to what's known as a laringo spasm.
The larynx, or voice box, is an organ in the neck that plays a crucial role in speech and breathing. It's the point where the throat splits into two separate pathways. Air goes down the windpipe to the lungs, while food travels down the esophagus to the stomach.
A laringo spasm is a reflex action, which happens when the muscles around the larynx close, making breathing very difficult.
MOORE-GILLON: Parkinson's Disease can increase the risk of a lack of coordination of the muscles in the throat. So people with Parkinson's are at slightly greater risk of inhaling secretions from the mouth. And as they go through the voice box, they can cause this laringo spasm.
WEEKS: The pope's determination has kept him fulfilling his public duties despite his bodily frailty. This combination of illnesses will prove a tough test, even for one so indomitable.
Romilly Weeks, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: A Vatican spokesman says he expects the pontiff to stay in the hospital for the next week. New in the next hour, MTV puts on a show for victims of the December tsunami. The music channel switches gears from annual regional award shows to tsunami relief concerts. We'll have a live report from Thailand ahead for you.
And Donovan McNabb's biggest fan, meet his mom; but don't call him a mama's boy, because she's there for the whole team.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time to check out our "Web Clicks" this morning, Chad, what stories are getting your attention on our Web site, CNN.com.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Let's head there now.
First up is corporate jet accident that skidded off the runway at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport. And I know you know a lot about this -- Chad.
MYERS: Yes, we were all over this on "AMERICAN MORNING" yesterday, Carol. Plane tried to take off, couldn't get any lift for some reason, and TSB doesn't know why yet, but they obviously slid right across the runway, right across Route 46 and actually into a building.
The most intense injury was actually in that car right there. The wing of the plane hit that car with some head injuries to that person there. He's still in critical condition there. But everybody else, believe it or not, walked away, basically, from this plane. Some are still in the hospital, but that's unbelievable.
COSTELLO: You know that is unbelievable to me, -- Chad,...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... because there was fire inside the cabin. You could see the flames through one of the plane's windows.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I guess the pilot was hurt, too, badly.
MYERS: Yes, he did...
COSTELLO: He actually crawled out of the cockpit like a baby they said.
MYERS: Yes, he had a broken leg. But I'll tell you what, just to see this plane in this kind of shape and everybody getting out at all is pretty amazing.
COSTELLO: It is.
MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: OK, the second most clicked on story on CNN.com are these nine people saved 38 days after the tsunami. Can you believe this?
MYERS: Yes. But you know what, the word saved is kind of is bizarre. It's not like they were washed out to sea and somebody found them. They were on their island, the tsunami came in, they saw it coming in, they ran up the hill and now somebody found them 38 days later. It's not like, I don't know, they weren't floating on some boat somewhere.
COSTELLO: No, but they got lost in the forest and couldn't find their way out and they were surviving like on wild boar and plants. So they were very emaciated when they were finally found by rescuer workers.
MYERS: Yes. Right.
COSTELLO: But they're safe and sound this morning.
MYERS: Good.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Following President Bush's State of the Union appeal to fix Social Security, that leads us to our e-mail question this morning, Social Security: leave it alone or time for a change? Did the president change your mind?
Boy, we've received a lot of e-mails on this topic this morning.
MYERS: Yes, they're coming in.
Kevin (ph) from Virginia says by the time I'm old enough to get Social Security, I'm going to get 70 cents on the dollar. Maybe I should just pay taxes on 70 cents on the dollar.
COSTELLO: This is from Sue (ph) from Peoria, Illinois, leave it alone. The president is doing nothing to help the lower and middle classes of this country. Nothing is wrong with Social Security. He should concentrate on finding a solution to the health care crisis.
MYERS: Well, and Kim (ph) thinks we already have these things, they're called 401(k)s. However, all of these things are based on the fact that one has a job with income. No job, no money, no health care, no retirement.
COSTELLO: And this is from Dwayne (ph) from Harrisburg, Virginia, all major financial analysts have warned that Social Security is due to go bankrupt in a few years. People who think otherwise are not living in the real world.
A lot of people would argue with that argument, though, Dwayne.
MYERS: Well that's the one that I picked, too, so that was my last one -- Carol. COSTELLO: That was your last one. Let's see, this is from Jennifer (ph). She says I was excited about President Bush's changes to the Social Security system. The thrift savings plan he mentioned is what government employees have. It's a terrific idea to add to the current system. I'm relieved to know my son would have a better retirement than those of us in the current system.
We're going to be talking a lot about this in the next hour of DAYBREAK. We're going to have two Congress people on, one a Democrat, one a Republican, and it should be an interesting discussion.
MYERS: As always.
COSTELLO: The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.
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 February 3, 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: 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."
Georgia's prime minister and a deputy in his government have died of apparent gas poisoning in Tbilisi. It's believed a gas leak in the deputy's home killed the two men.
The top investigator of the U.N.'s Oil-For-Food program for Iraq says the program was tainted from top to bottom. Paul Volker issues his interim report today on the Oil-For-Food corruption case.
General Electric will not accept any new business in Iran. GE says the moratorium is due to uncertain conditions in Iran, including concerns about meeting customer commitments.
Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin have signed up and Alicia Keys and Sting will also perform. It's a special MTV concert for tsunami relief and it's being held in Bangkok, Thailand.
And we're going to bring you there live, Chad, in the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm ready. And, Carol, I have the best news of all today.
COSTELLO: What?
MYERS: Do you know what, at 7:37 tonight,...
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: ... that is the middle of winter. It gets better from here. Do you know next week at this time the day will be 19 minutes longer?
COSTELLO: And 19 degrees warmer?
MYERS: Well, not really, but you can think so if you stay inside. At least we're on the bottom here. We're starting to go back up here.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Some semis were actually tipped over because of that wind as they were driving down the I-5 yesterday -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Wow!
MYERS: Careful with all of that Santa Ana stuff out there.
COSTELLO: I know, how can you be careful, though, if a big wind comes along and blows your truck over? It's hard to avoid that.
MYERS: Stay on the parking lot.
COSTELLO: That's the way you can avoid it.
Thank you -- Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: President Bush used last night's State of the Union Address to offer some specifics about his plan to overhaul Social Security.
CNN's Kareen Wynter joins us now live from Washington with more.
Good morning.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
And this was a speech that was interrupted a reported 61 times by applause, some controversial moments last night, also some heartfelt ones. The president definitely tackled some tough issues on Social Security, laying out his plan there to restructure it. The president also stood his ground by not offering an exit timetable on Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER (voice-over): After the introduction,...
WILSON LIVINGOOD, HOUSE SERGEANT AT ARMS: Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States.
WYNTER: ... the applause came an inside look at President Bush's second-term agenda. What was just a mere mention during his last State of the Union Address was clearly the chief domestic priority Wednesday night, restructuring Social Security, a system, Mr. Bush says, is headed toward bankruptcy.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Social Security system has serious problems that will grow worse with time.
WYNTER: His proposal, establishing personal investment accounts for younger workers, but the plan drew partisan response.
One issue that did unite both parties was the president's touching tribute to the mother of a fallen Marine, one of the many invited guests. Janet Norwood was tearfully embraced by an Iraqi woman voter whose father was assassinated by Saddam Hussein's regime.
President Bush praised Sunday's election in Iraq, but offered no specifics on a U.S. withdrawal.
BUSH: We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq.
WYNTER: Following the speech, Democrats offered a prewritten rebuttal on Iraq.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: We have never heard a clear plan from this administration for ending our presence in Iraq.
WYNTER: On Social Security.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MINORITY LEADER: The Bush plan isn't really Social Security reform, it's more like Social Security roulette.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER: This debate on Social Security is really just beginning. In fact, Carol, many Democrats were heard booing the president, that's right, booing, in his address last night on this very issue. The president clearly leaving the door open here to Democrats as a way to perhaps get the ball rolling here on this issue, saying these are just ideas and he's open to more suggestions.
Now the president also touched on other issues. For example, restarting that stalled Middle East peace process. He said he plans on asking Congress for some $350 million here in a reform in the area of political economics and security -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter, reporting live from Washington this morning, thank you.
Certainly Britons who are learning about the president's State of the Union speech are focused on Iraq. So let's get some reaction from London now.
Robin Oakley, our European political editor, is there.
Good morning -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.
Well, of course, George Bush's speech was delivered at 2:00 in the morning London time, so we haven't had too many reactions from politicians here as yet. They'll be digesting it through the day as they comb back through what the president had to say.
I don't think they'll be surprised by anything that came out in the State of the Union Address. Having studied his inaugural speech very carefully, they will note that he is repeating those pledges to take on tyranny across the world, and particularly, to foster democracy in the Middle East, the likely areas attention which may be explored when Condoleezza Rice arrives in Europe. Late tonight she's due here in London.
Really, what the president had to say, firstly, about Iraq and the question of no timetable for taking out the U.S. troops, which the French, for example, would like to have seen, but I think particularly what he had to say about Syria and Iran. The European Union has been doing a preferential trade deal with Syria. There is the president saying that it is a harbor of terrorism and urging the Syrians to change their ways. Much more belligerent language than you'd get from European Union leaders.
On Iran, of course, again, European Union foreign ministers from Germany, France, the U.K., have been trying to persuade the Iranians not to engage in a nuclear weapons program and to enrich uranium. They're trying to do it by persuasion, by trade deals, by total engagement with Iran.
Condoleezza Rice and the U.S. administration have welcomed that as far as it goes, but they're clearly skeptical. And people will have noted that President Bush described Iran as the biggest harbor of terrorists in the world and invited the people of Iran to say that if they stood up for their liberty, America would be with them. I think Condoleezza Rice will be asked to cross Europe. What exactly does that mean? Does that mean some kind of military action? Does it mean economic support or what -- Carol?
COSTELLO: Robin Oakley, live in London this morning, thank you.
Also in his State of the Union Address, President Bush said Sunday's Iraqi election sets the stage for a change in emphasis for U.S. troops in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country. At the recommendation of our commanders on the ground and in consultation with the Iraqi government, we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces. Forces with skilled officers and an effective command structure.
As those forces become more self-reliant and take on greater security responsibilities, America and its coalition partners will increasingly be in a supporting role. In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country, and we will help that proud, new nation secure its liberty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Those security forces suffered a setback when insurgents ambushed Iraqi army recruits south of Kirkuk. A dozen Iraqi troops were killed.
Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson reports on that and on Baghdad's reaction to the State of the Union.
Hello -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol. Well those recruits were on their way home at the end of a day's work. They were on a bus. All of them were quite young, we're told between 20 and 25. The insurgents stopped their bus at the roadside, pulled them all off one by one and shot them as they came off. We're told all those young men were unarmed at the time.
Now there were just a few people in Iraq, it seems, that stayed up to listen to President Bush's State of the Union Address. It did occur at about 5:00 a.m. Iraqi time. About one-third of the people we talked to this morning said they had listened. They were all very keen to hear what he had said. There was broad agreement with President Bush's idea of a new phase for the U.S. troops here, that of training Iraqi security forces. Everyone we talked to said that was a good idea.
Where the division comes in is on the issue of the withdrawal of U.S. troops. President Bush not putting forward a timetable for that withdrawal. About one-third of the people we talked to supported that. They said that if President Bush gives a timetable for withdrawal, the insurgents could potentially know when they can wait to attack.
This man, one particular man, said that we don't know what's going to happen in the next few years, so really the U.S. troops should stay here. But that did create an argument among the people we've talked to. The people saying that no, the U.S. troops here give a legitimacy to the insurgency who say they are an occupying force, therefore, the troubles continue.
Another man said that as long as U.S. troops are here, the Sunnis won't partake fully in the political structures inside Iraq and that will create divisions between the Sunni Muslims and the Shi'a Muslims here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Nic Robertson reporting live from Baghdad.
Still, despite what Nic said, some Democrats in Congress have been demanding that President Bush set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. In his State of the Union Address, let's listen specifically what the president had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result, a country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors and able to defend itself. And when that result is achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they have earned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: More on this now from our senior international editor David Clinch. He's live in Atlanta this morning.
Are the Democrats wrong to insist on an exit strategy -- David?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, that's in the political arena, Carol, I'm not quite sure whether anybody is right or wrong, strictly speaking, here. It's certainly a very important argument in Washington.
And Nic, pointing out from Baghdad there, that Iraqis, some at least, were watching the Bush speech last night. You can guarantee that the U.S. military, the troops there on the ground, if they weren't watching it last night, will certainly be hearing it today.
Not a surprise that there is no indication of a specific timetable. But something that's coming in to play here very much increasingly right now and over the next few months, no timetable for withdrawal, maintaining the level of U.S. troops at the level that it is now. You might see some changes over the next few months, but no specific timetable for a major change in that level. That's tens of thousands of U.S. troops there and still a very dangerous place.
The president talking about moving to a support role. But we've already had three Americans killed this month three days into the month. We had more than a hundred killed last month. Iraq is a very dangerous place and that is not going to change in the immediate future. So U.S. troops there on the ground watching that very closely.
And something that we begin to reporting on, something we're beginning to see hints of that there may be the beginnings of a recruiting problem for the U.S. military, not in terms of maintaining the numbers in Iraq, but overall. In the last few days and weeks, we've begun to hear that the National Guard is having trouble maintaining its recruiting levels.
Also beginning to hear that the Marines might be beginning to miss their targets for the first time in a long time. And the Marines are the people that attract the real gung-ho people, the people that want to go and fight. If they're beginning to see problems in recruiting, it's possible that the long term idea that if you go into the military you're going to be in Iraq, and the fact that there might be recruiting problems, those two things are an issue for the U.S. military going forward.
COSTELLO: David Clinch, live in Atlanta this morning, thank you.
CLINCH: All right -- Carol.
COSTELLO: The pope remains hospitalized in Rome and is going to be there longer. A look at his complex condition ahead in about 10 minutes.
And later, what's hot on the Web? Stranded for more than a month, now the world knows their harrowing story.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Democrats say President Bush should have set a timetable for getting U.S. troops out of Iraq. But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says the Democrats are wrong on that.
The U.N. official who headed the Oil-For-Food program in Iraq is being criticized. A new report from a committee looking into the program says it was poorly managed.
In money news, Blockbuster is upping the ante in its hostile takeover bid for Hollywood Video. The cash and stock offer now stands at more than a billion dollars. The movie rental giant is trying to derail Hollywood's pending sale to Movie Gallery.
In culture, the ballots are in the mail. Oscar ballots were sent out to more than 5,800 voting members of the Academy of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The ballots must be returned by February 22. That's five days before the Academy Awards.
And in sports, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons survive a late rally by the Duke Blue Devils for a 92-89 win. Chris Paul led the Demons with 23 points -- Chad.
MYERS: That's always a noisy place in there when that game happens.
Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.
He seems to be able to manage a smile no matter what. Straight- ahead, how Parkinson's complicates the pope's health situation. The Vatican continues to reassure the faithful that his condition is stable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In "Heath Headlines" for you this morning, listen to this, because it's sobering, a leading expert says obesity will cause a drop in life expectancy over the next 50 years. University of Illinois Professor Jay O'Shanski (ph) says the obesity epidemic in the United States will creep through all age groups like a human tsunami. Nearly 60 million Americans are classified as obese.
New guidelines say doctors need to do a better job of catching diabetes early. Experts at the American College of Endocrinology say people at high risk of getting diabetes should be screened starting at age 30. They're also calling on doctors to begin more aggressive treatment at an earlier stage of the disease.
Artificial turf burns are being blamed for an illness that spread among St. Louis Rams players last season. A report in the "New England Journal of Medicine" says bacteria from untreated burns could have spread through skin-to-skin contact and through whirlpool use. At least five Rams players developed large wounds as a result of this bacteria.
The Vatican is spending a second day reassuring the faithful that Pope John Paul II is OK. They say his second night in the hospital was quiet.
Romilly Weeks with Britain's ITV News has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMILLY WEEKS, ITV NEWS REPORTER (voice-over): Beset by Parkinson's, arthritis and his advancing years, the pope's frail health has long been obvious in his every movement and his every word. A bout of flu in one so old is potentially serious. In the pope's case, doctors say his Parkinson's has made him very vulnerable indeed.
DR. JOHN MOORE-GILLON, LUNG SPECIALIST: Obviously one hopes and anticipates the pope will make a recovery from this. But anybody in this age group, particularly with Parkinson's Disease, is really at significant risk from any sort of condition of this kind affecting the respiratory tract and the lungs.
WEEKS: In his recent public appearances, the pope's breathing has been labored. The flu exacerbated that, leading to what's known as a laringo spasm.
The larynx, or voice box, is an organ in the neck that plays a crucial role in speech and breathing. It's the point where the throat splits into two separate pathways. Air goes down the windpipe to the lungs, while food travels down the esophagus to the stomach.
A laringo spasm is a reflex action, which happens when the muscles around the larynx close, making breathing very difficult.
MOORE-GILLON: Parkinson's Disease can increase the risk of a lack of coordination of the muscles in the throat. So people with Parkinson's are at slightly greater risk of inhaling secretions from the mouth. And as they go through the voice box, they can cause this laringo spasm.
WEEKS: The pope's determination has kept him fulfilling his public duties despite his bodily frailty. This combination of illnesses will prove a tough test, even for one so indomitable.
Romilly Weeks, ITV News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: A Vatican spokesman says he expects the pontiff to stay in the hospital for the next week. New in the next hour, MTV puts on a show for victims of the December tsunami. The music channel switches gears from annual regional award shows to tsunami relief concerts. We'll have a live report from Thailand ahead for you.
And Donovan McNabb's biggest fan, meet his mom; but don't call him a mama's boy, because she's there for the whole team.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time to check out our "Web Clicks" this morning, Chad, what stories are getting your attention on our Web site, CNN.com.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Let's head there now.
First up is corporate jet accident that skidded off the runway at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport. And I know you know a lot about this -- Chad.
MYERS: Yes, we were all over this on "AMERICAN MORNING" yesterday, Carol. Plane tried to take off, couldn't get any lift for some reason, and TSB doesn't know why yet, but they obviously slid right across the runway, right across Route 46 and actually into a building.
The most intense injury was actually in that car right there. The wing of the plane hit that car with some head injuries to that person there. He's still in critical condition there. But everybody else, believe it or not, walked away, basically, from this plane. Some are still in the hospital, but that's unbelievable.
COSTELLO: You know that is unbelievable to me, -- Chad,...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... because there was fire inside the cabin. You could see the flames through one of the plane's windows.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: I guess the pilot was hurt, too, badly.
MYERS: Yes, he did...
COSTELLO: He actually crawled out of the cockpit like a baby they said.
MYERS: Yes, he had a broken leg. But I'll tell you what, just to see this plane in this kind of shape and everybody getting out at all is pretty amazing.
COSTELLO: It is.
MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: OK, the second most clicked on story on CNN.com are these nine people saved 38 days after the tsunami. Can you believe this?
MYERS: Yes. But you know what, the word saved is kind of is bizarre. It's not like they were washed out to sea and somebody found them. They were on their island, the tsunami came in, they saw it coming in, they ran up the hill and now somebody found them 38 days later. It's not like, I don't know, they weren't floating on some boat somewhere.
COSTELLO: No, but they got lost in the forest and couldn't find their way out and they were surviving like on wild boar and plants. So they were very emaciated when they were finally found by rescuer workers.
MYERS: Yes. Right.
COSTELLO: But they're safe and sound this morning.
MYERS: Good.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Following President Bush's State of the Union appeal to fix Social Security, that leads us to our e-mail question this morning, Social Security: leave it alone or time for a change? Did the president change your mind?
Boy, we've received a lot of e-mails on this topic this morning.
MYERS: Yes, they're coming in.
Kevin (ph) from Virginia says by the time I'm old enough to get Social Security, I'm going to get 70 cents on the dollar. Maybe I should just pay taxes on 70 cents on the dollar.
COSTELLO: This is from Sue (ph) from Peoria, Illinois, leave it alone. The president is doing nothing to help the lower and middle classes of this country. Nothing is wrong with Social Security. He should concentrate on finding a solution to the health care crisis.
MYERS: Well, and Kim (ph) thinks we already have these things, they're called 401(k)s. However, all of these things are based on the fact that one has a job with income. No job, no money, no health care, no retirement.
COSTELLO: And this is from Dwayne (ph) from Harrisburg, Virginia, all major financial analysts have warned that Social Security is due to go bankrupt in a few years. People who think otherwise are not living in the real world.
A lot of people would argue with that argument, though, Dwayne.
MYERS: Well that's the one that I picked, too, so that was my last one -- Carol. COSTELLO: That was your last one. Let's see, this is from Jennifer (ph). She says I was excited about President Bush's changes to the Social Security system. The thrift savings plan he mentioned is what government employees have. It's a terrific idea to add to the current system. I'm relieved to know my son would have a better retirement than those of us in the current system.
We're going to be talking a lot about this in the next hour of DAYBREAK. We're going to have two Congress people on, one a Democrat, one a Republican, and it should be an interesting discussion.
MYERS: As always.
COSTELLO: The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.
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