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CNN Live At Daybreak

Battle Lines Over Home With Anti-War Displays; Philadelphia Adding Wireless Internet; Princess Diana Crash

Aired February 16, 2005 - 06:29   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.


9 CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to the news now. A young boy who claimed Zoloft made him kill his grandparents is looking at 30 years in prison. It took a Charleston, South Carolina, jury just six hours to convict Chris Pittman.
The 15-year-old's surviving family members tearfully begged the judge to show mercy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELLE FINCHUM, CHRISTOPHER PITTMAN'S SISTER: I honestly believe that if there was one person in the world that loved my grandparents more than I did, it was my brother. That's why this whole thing does not make sense to me.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: What about remorse? Is he showing -- when was the last time -- did you speak to him today, Danielle?

FINCHUM: Yes, sir. He's told all of us point-blank that he knows God has forgiven him, and he knows that the family has forgiven him. But he says he doesn't know if he can ever forgive himself. And he says, you know, I don't think I ever can forgive myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Danielle Fincham appeared on "LARRY KING LIVE." You heard Larry's voice there asking the question.

Pittman's attorneys argued the antidepressant Zoloft clouded the boy's mind and sent him spinning out of control. With good behavior, Pittman could possible get out of jail when he's 42 years old.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien will speak to one of the people who had a tough role in this trial.

Soledad -- tell us more about that.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

You're exactly right. We're going to talk with one of the jurors in this case. We're going to ask her why she did not buy into that Zoloft defense that you were just talking about. She says that actually at the start of deliberations, the jury was split. We'll find out what ultimately made them all reach a guilty verdict.

Carol -- that's coming up in just about 30 minutes. COSTELLO: We look forward to that. Thank you, Soledad.

Michael Jackson is recuperating at a hospital in Santa Maria, California, this morning. An emergency room doctor says the pop star has a flu-like illness. He's on IV fluids and is waiting for doctors to say he's well enough to go home. Jury selection in the singer's child molestation trial has now been postponed until next Tuesday.

A well-known figure of the Roman Catholic sex abuse scandal is starting his prison term. Paul Shanley will spend up to 15 years in prison for raping and molesting a young former parishioner. Shanley is 74 years old. The victim asked the judge not to go easy on the defrocked priest.

And in another case in the news lately, remember the couple accused of the horrible abuse in Florid and then later arrested in Utah? Remember they were accused of pulling their children's fingernails and toenails off? Well, that couple, John and Linda Dollar, have an older adopted daughter. On Tuesday, she went to court to ask for visitation rights with her siblings. Later, she gave no hint as to why the alleged abuse occurred.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANDA RAE SHELTON, DAUGHTER: I believe that John and Linda were overwhelmed that they took on more than they could handle. Like I said, that's no excuse. And I can't say why their actions turned to what they did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: She was not granted visitation rights, by the way. The daughter did add that her parents told the children they are accused of abusing came from families of small stature, and that's why they were so very thin. I believe the 16-year-old weighed something like 59 pounds.

Battle lines are being drawn around the home of a Sacramento, California, couple. Stephen and Virginia Pearcy hung up this provocative anti-war display from their rafters. It featured a soldier's uniform with a sign saying, "Bush lied, I died." Well, now the Pearcys are in the middle of a simmering debate.

Dan Adams from our Sacramento affiliate KXTV has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN ADAMS, CNN AFFILIATE KXTV REPORTER (voice over): On one side of the street, those who came out to protest the Pearcys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The effigy that they hung up was disrespectful of our troops. And my being a veteran, I was deeply offended by that. I know how we were treated when we came back from Vietnam, and I will not let that happen to our troops now. ADAMS: On the other side of the street...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you to Iraq and help our troops?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring them home! Bring them home!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring them home! Bring them home!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring them home! Bring them home!

ADAMS: Those here to support the Pearcys and their anti-war displays.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I support the Constitution, which the people across the street don't seem to do, and our president doesn't even seem to do much of supporting the Constitution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bush lied! Soldiers died!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bush lied! Soldiers died!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bush lied! Soldiers died!

ADAMS: Indeed, this has become more than a battle over the war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA!

ADAMS: It is a battle over freedom of speech. Protesters say in a time of war, the Pearcys don't have a right to display an image of a dead soldier on their home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't believe so. It's seditious and he's a traitor.

ADAMS: While police kept the two sides apart, at one point a representative of the Pearcys did go to the protesters with an offer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If there is anyone interested, two at a time, to go over and speak with them, they'd be happy to talk with them.

ADAMS: The invitation was declined.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is about supporting our troops. And so, we're not really interested in dialoguing with the Pearcys.

ADAMS: Later, in a one-on-one interview with News 10, the Pearcys said they would have told the protesters that their display was a sign in support of the troops. STEPHEN PEARCY, HOMEOWNER: It was meant to show that what we are disappointed with was what that scene depicted, which is that the president was leaving -- has been leaving the troops out to hang, that our tax dollars are being spent to put them into a foreign country where they're dying.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That was Dan Adams from our Sacramento affiliate KXTV. The Pearcys' display has been vandalized twice, people pulling it off the house. Police are investigating those incidents.

Chad, it is time for some entertainment now. Are you ready?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I am. Nicolas Cage.

COSTELLO: Nicolas Cage and his wife. They're expecting their first baby.

MYERS: Like 21 years old. He's 42.

COSTELLO: What's your rule? Didn't he violate the rule?

MYERS: Yes, half your age plus seven is the rule. So, 42 divided by 2 would be 21. The rule would mean she'd have to be 28.

COSTELLO: You should e-mail him.

MYERS: I don't think he cares.

COSTELLO: By the way, in case you're wondering, and I'm sure you are, they were married in July.

MYERS: You know, that only for your second wife, though. This is his third. So, maybe there are different rules that I don't know about.

COSTELLO: Well, you've got a point there.

MYERS: I haven't done the research, and I'm not going to.

COSTELLO: Well, you're right. He was previously married to Patricia Arquette and Lisa Marie Presley.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And he already has a 14-year-old son from his relationship with actress Christina Fulton, but he didn't marry her.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: There you go.

P. Diddy is being sued. Random House Publishers is suing Sean Combs over his non-existent autobiography. They paid him a $300,000 advance way back in 1998. He never did deliver a book. Random House says it wants its money back plus interest.

MYERS: How do I get an advance?

COSTELLO: Can you believe that? And then he just doesn't write the book.

Do we have time for e-mails? Or we'll do them later? We do have time for e-mails?

We've been asking this interesting question. Out in California, they're thinking of taxing a driver for every mile they drive, because so many people are buying hybrid cars and saving on gas that the state is not collecting enough in gas tax. So, they're going to drive -- they're going to tax drivers every mile they drive. And we've been getting interesting e-mails from our viewers.

MYERS: Ryan from Quebec City thinks it's really not a bad idea, but they do need to differentiate between a Hummer and a Honda Civic and make the gas tax, mileage tax different for each vehicle, not the same number, not the same penny or two pennies per mile for each of those two different obviously vehicles.

COSTELLO: Interesting. This is from Maryland. This is from Tom. He says, the California government's trail, nail and fail taxpayers' proposal will tax trucks, buses and Hummers at the same rate as hybrid and compact cars.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: I'm surprised at the government's unfair treatment of the little guy. Then, again, people tell me I should get out more often or stay tuned to CNN.

MYERS: Dave in Aurora, Oregon, thinks that Portland tried to do the same thing, not quite on the same scale, but they were going to put bar codes on the bottom of the cars. And when the cars drove over the sensor, it would be charged. But that's more like a toll road rather than a tax-per-mile.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Out in California, they're thinking of putting a device inside your car that would be somehow attacked to a GPS. And then the government could keep track of how many miles you drive and where you are. And that brings up a whole other can of worms.

MYERS: Big brother.

COSTELLO: Yes. From Bugs to Bud, we've got some extreme makeovers to tell you about as corporate giants cater to younger customers.

And the city of Brotherly Love is about to go wireless. We'll find out how they're doing it.

Here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time now for a little "Business Buzz." A couple of old favorites are getting a new look to help appeal to a younger audience.

Carrie Lee live at the Nasdaq Marketsite to explain.

What's up, doc?

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, interesting concept here, Carol. Warner Brothers, according to "The Wall Street Journal," is planning to launch a new cartoon series this fall based on re-imagined versions of old favorites, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, all of the popular names. Warner Brothers, like CNN, is a Time Warner unit.

And they're creating angular, slightly menacing-looking versions of the classic Looney Tunes characters for this series. It's called "Lunatics," and it's set in the year 2772.

Take a look at this, rather a different concept here. It almost looks a little bit scary. But what they're trying to do is not put the classic characters into retirement, but rather revamp them for the series, trying to appeal to the SpongeBob SquarePants generation.

So, that's what Warner Brothers is planning for the fall.

Switching gears, Anheuser-Busch has a new retro look coming out for its cans. Don't worry. The Budweiser beer is staying the same, but Busch is going after the 20s generation who likes the retro style. And here's a look at what the can is going to look like. The packaging looks like it's from the 1930s through the '50s. So, a lot of changes here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, how strange is that, Carrie, that Budweiser would be going back in time and Bugs Bunny has a new look?

LEE: You know, it's interesting, because you have these brands. They do very well. But you can't sit on your laurels for too long.

Now, in the case of Budweiser, of course, if they messed with the beer that would probably be a very bad idea. But, you know, you have to use the old favorites but kind of keep them up-to-date and revamp them in different ways to try to always give something new to customers.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

LEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: A quick look at the futures.

LEE: Yes. Things are looking a little bit weak for today's session. The Dow yesterday finishing at close to a three and a half year high. A lot of people are waiting for Fed chief Alan Greenspan to talk about the economy today. Coca-Cola is the only Dow component reporting. Wall Street is looking for 40 cents a share, a little bit below last year. So, we'll see how Coca-Cola shares do today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you. Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Compassionate conservative, remember those two words? CNN's Bill Hemmer is here to tell us why one insider thinks the White House is not living up to its promises.

Good morning -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

We'll look at that slogan, and some are wondering whether or not it's an empty slogan. A former White House official is now hitting the administration hard, saying the president has not delivered on a promise to help religious groups serve needy Americans. He also says the White House could do it if it wanted but hasn't tried hard enough. What does he think has to be done now?

That's one of our many topics coming up here on "AMERICAN MORNING." A busy Wednesday morning, too, by the way. And we're going to the dogs in our third hour -- Carol. Carlee is here.

COSTELLO: We're going to the dogs ourselves in about 10 minutes.

HEMMER: Yes. Well, we'll be watching then, too. OK? See you at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: Bye-bye.

COSTELLO: The city of Philadelphia is getting into the Internet business. By the summer of 2006, it hopes to provide wireless Internet access throughout the entire city, 135 square miles.

Philadelphia's information officer Dianah Neff joins us now with more details.

Good morning.

DIANAH NEFF, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, PHILADELPHIA: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, really? You want to, like -- so that means I can just take my laptop outside in a city park, open it up and get onto the Internet.

NEFF: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Why are you doing this?

NEFF: Well, we think it's important to be a digital city of the 21st century, to make sure that all of our population has the ability and access to the Internet to compete in the global economy.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. So, how is the city going to pay for this?

NEFF: Well, there will be a revenue-generation model that will be used. We are not using taxpayer dollars. And we'll use public- private partnerships.

COSTELLO: And the interesting thing is you're going to use the existing structures that the government owns to put the little transponders, are they called?

NEFF: Yes. That's one of the beauties of this technology today is that we're looking to use city-owned assets. We own our light poles and our light standards that these devices will be mounted on. And if certain units need to be mounted on city facilities, we have mounting rights, obviously. That helps keep the costs down and makes this a very affordable opportunity for broadband speeds at dial-up prices.

COSTELLO: Very interesting. So, does that mean in my home I can get wireless service courtesy of the city?

NEFF: Well, not necessarily the city. We are looking at a public-private partnership. But, yes, you would be able, then, to take the signal through a device that would be provided by the provider or an individual to bring the signal into their home.

COSTELLO: That's fantastic. OK, you said you've entered into a partnership, and I would assume that's one of, like, Verizon or somebody like that.

NEFF: Not necessarily. Now, we haven't signed the final agreements. We're waiting for the mayor, Mayor John F. Street, to make his announcement this month in February. And then we'll, you know, disclose the business model. We will be going out for requests for proposals to actually build the network, and we do expect companies like Verizon or Comcast that do support networks to bid on that. And we think we'll see some exciting combinations of companies come together in consortiums to design, build and maintain the network.

COSTELLO: Well, that's a fantastic idea. Dianah Neff from Philadelphia, the information officer there, joining DAYBREAK this morning. Thank you.

What happened that night in a Paris tunnel more than seven years ago? A new stage in the investigation of Princess Diana's death. They have new technology now that could help. We'll have a live report for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's 6:49 Eastern. Here's what will be making news today.

When he speaks, the world listens and the markets react. Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan visits Capitol Hill today. Senators are expected to grill him on the president's Social Security plan.

Vioxx, Celebrex and Ibuprofin are under the microscope today. The FDA kicks off three days of hearings on the safety of those drugs.

And the largest association of police chiefs plans to issue a national bulletin urging departments to take a look at their use of stun guns. The weapons have recently been connected with several deaths.

And investigators from Scotland Yard are revisiting the tunnel in Paris where Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997. British police say new 3D equipment that was not available at the time may help them find new clues into what caused that crash.

All right, for more on that investigation on Princess Diana, we want to go to Paris and CNN's Jim Bittermann. We have him on the phone.

Good morning -- Jim.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Tell us about this new technology they're using.

BITTERMANN: Well, in fact, what they are doing is going through the tunnel, the place where the accident happened, and they are very carefully using lasers and imaging technology. They are going to try to develop something that they couldn't have done seven years ago when the accident happened, and that is essentially a 3D version of the actual accident itself, using all of the exact parameters from inside the tunnel.

They want to generate a kind of a computer graphic that can be used in the formal inquest that's been going on in Great Britain, something that may help investigators finally determine what is exactly the cause of the crash.

COSTELLO: Interesting. And this is part of an ongoing inquiry, I guess we should call it.

BITTERMANN: Well, yes. I mean, what's happened here is that the French basically has said -- in fact, said seven years ago -- that as far as they were concerned, this is a simple traffic accident caused by the fact the chauffeur was high on drugs and alcohol at the time of the crash. And his blood tests revealed that.

However, some people haven't accepted that, including Dodi Fayed's father, Mohamed Fayed, who has persisted in a very obsessive sort of way in pursuing this in both French courts and in the British courts. And he's managed to get this coroner's inquiry started. It began last summer, and it's under the direction of London Police Commissioner Sir John Stephens (ph), who is very respected.

And I think the idea is, even though that this is costing millions of pounds or dollars, the fact is that it may finally put to rest the conspiracy theories, or perhaps raise more questions. But in any case, it will be one final attempt to sort of solve the accident once and for all.

COSTELLO: Yes. But I don't think the conspiracy theories will go away.

BITTERMANN: Probably not.

COSTELLO: Jim Bittermann reporting live from Paris.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Before we get to the travel forecast, Chad, Lance Armstrong will race again in the Tour de France. It will be his seventh race. Of course, he's won six. So, he's not retiring just yet.

Let's get to the travel forecast now.

MYERS: Of course, he was going to run -- race. No one ever thought he wouldn't. He's a champion. He has to come back.

COSTELLO: He's a competitor.

MYERS: Yes, well, exactly.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Hey, stick around, because we're talking dogs now.

MYERS: The dog show?

COSTELLO: Dog show.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: A German short-haired pointer stole the show in Westminster. The show drew more than 2,500 dogs, all vying for that best in show crown.

Joining us here to talk about the winners, Wendy Diamond of "Animal Fair" magazine. And Lucky came along for the ride as well.

WENDY DIAMOND, "ANIMAL FAIR" MAGAZINE: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, were you surprised that a German short-haired pointer won?

DIAMOND: Well, not really. I mean, I, of course, wanted the Norfolk terrier. It was so cute. Did you see the little thing running around? He's adorable. But, you know, a lot of the judges always tend to go towards the more exotic dogs. You know, you never see a golden retriever winning. Like, there has never been a golden retriever ever winning best in show.

COSTELLO: Really? DIAMOND: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, I have a golden -- or I had a golden retriever. But we won't talk about that. The thing that people loved about this dog...

DIAMOND: Right.

COSTELLO: ... was when he stood there and posed.

DIAMOND: Right.

COSTELLO: His handler didn't even need to touch him. He was just perfectly posed.

DIAMOND: Well, these dogs love to please. I mean, these are really friendly and intelligent dogs. And they love to please. And the handler actually won last year. She's like a famous handler, Michelle Ostermiller. She won. The dog, Josh, the Newfoundland, she handled that dog last year.

COSTELLO: Wow! OK. So, answer me this, because I've always wondered about this.

DIAMOND: Right.

COSTELLO: Because a German short-haired pointer won, will it suddenly become one of the most popular dogs for people to buy?

DIAMOND: Absolutely. I mean, that dog -- what happens is that once they win best in show, everyone now, like, hears about the dog. I mean, last year, everyone heard about then Newfoundland. So, that became the dog of the year. So, now this year with the German -- you know, German short-haired pointer, now everyone is going to hear about it.

And it's actually a great dog. I mean, it's very intelligent. It's friendly. It's always willing to please. It's, you know, an outdoors dog. It loves to play. It's a really good dog. So, this dog is actually suitable for anyone.

COSTELLO: OK. Tell us quickly, because this Westminster dog show has grown in popularity by leaps and bounds.

DIAMOND: It's sold out for tonight, the first time very. It's incredible!

COSTELLO: Movie stars, Glenn Close was there watching the dog show.

DIAMOND: Oh, my god, I sat next to Joan Allen. I was, like, I didn't know. But, you know, she loves dogs. Her daughter is getting a Boston terrier.

But what's great about this show, to be honest, is it's an educational experience. If you don't know anything about dogs, you learn the history of these dogs. You see how the dogs behave, what they look like. So, it's for everybody. I mean, dogs are -- I mean, there are 68 million dogs. So a lot of us have dogs...

COSTELLO: Yes.

DIAMOND: ... one out of two households. So, it's a great way for people who are looking to get a dog to see, you know, what's out there, what kinds of breeds are out there, how they behave, what they look like and how they trot around the ring.

COSTELLO: Oh, Lucky, thank you for bringing your mommy into our studios this morning.

DIAMOND: She's not up yet.

COSTELLO: Wendy Diamond, thank you so much.

DIAMOND: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: The winter thaw traditionally begins with the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue. The issue has just hit the newsstands. This one features several star athletes, including Venus Williams and Mark McGwire. You are looking at Mark McGwire and his wife, Stephanie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MCGWIRE, FORMER BASEBALL GREAT: It's probably a once-in-a- lifetime thing. And that's always been so good to me throughout my years as a baseball player. And I was lucky enough to marry a beautiful wife, and she has -- we both have 1 and 2-year-old boys at home. And it's pretty amazing how great shape she's in. So, I'm pretty proud of her.

STEPHANIE MCGWIRE, MARK MCGWIRE'S WIFE: I had to convince him, you know, a little bit, but I'm glad he went along with it. And we had so much fun with it and a wonderful experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, and she had two kids. Good for her.

If you haven't gotten your copy in the mail yet, be sure to log on to CNN.com for a preview.

A programming note for DAYBREAK diehards on Monday, the return of the morning "Coffee Quiz." Back by popular demand, Chad, it will return on Monday.

MYERS: I have the mug in my hand, Carol. This one will be given away on Monday.

COSTELLO: Well, guard it with your life.

"AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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Aired February 16, 2005 - 06:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
9 CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to the news now. A young boy who claimed Zoloft made him kill his grandparents is looking at 30 years in prison. It took a Charleston, South Carolina, jury just six hours to convict Chris Pittman.
The 15-year-old's surviving family members tearfully begged the judge to show mercy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELLE FINCHUM, CHRISTOPHER PITTMAN'S SISTER: I honestly believe that if there was one person in the world that loved my grandparents more than I did, it was my brother. That's why this whole thing does not make sense to me.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: What about remorse? Is he showing -- when was the last time -- did you speak to him today, Danielle?

FINCHUM: Yes, sir. He's told all of us point-blank that he knows God has forgiven him, and he knows that the family has forgiven him. But he says he doesn't know if he can ever forgive himself. And he says, you know, I don't think I ever can forgive myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Danielle Fincham appeared on "LARRY KING LIVE." You heard Larry's voice there asking the question.

Pittman's attorneys argued the antidepressant Zoloft clouded the boy's mind and sent him spinning out of control. With good behavior, Pittman could possible get out of jail when he's 42 years old.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien will speak to one of the people who had a tough role in this trial.

Soledad -- tell us more about that.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

You're exactly right. We're going to talk with one of the jurors in this case. We're going to ask her why she did not buy into that Zoloft defense that you were just talking about. She says that actually at the start of deliberations, the jury was split. We'll find out what ultimately made them all reach a guilty verdict.

Carol -- that's coming up in just about 30 minutes. COSTELLO: We look forward to that. Thank you, Soledad.

Michael Jackson is recuperating at a hospital in Santa Maria, California, this morning. An emergency room doctor says the pop star has a flu-like illness. He's on IV fluids and is waiting for doctors to say he's well enough to go home. Jury selection in the singer's child molestation trial has now been postponed until next Tuesday.

A well-known figure of the Roman Catholic sex abuse scandal is starting his prison term. Paul Shanley will spend up to 15 years in prison for raping and molesting a young former parishioner. Shanley is 74 years old. The victim asked the judge not to go easy on the defrocked priest.

And in another case in the news lately, remember the couple accused of the horrible abuse in Florid and then later arrested in Utah? Remember they were accused of pulling their children's fingernails and toenails off? Well, that couple, John and Linda Dollar, have an older adopted daughter. On Tuesday, she went to court to ask for visitation rights with her siblings. Later, she gave no hint as to why the alleged abuse occurred.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHANDA RAE SHELTON, DAUGHTER: I believe that John and Linda were overwhelmed that they took on more than they could handle. Like I said, that's no excuse. And I can't say why their actions turned to what they did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: She was not granted visitation rights, by the way. The daughter did add that her parents told the children they are accused of abusing came from families of small stature, and that's why they were so very thin. I believe the 16-year-old weighed something like 59 pounds.

Battle lines are being drawn around the home of a Sacramento, California, couple. Stephen and Virginia Pearcy hung up this provocative anti-war display from their rafters. It featured a soldier's uniform with a sign saying, "Bush lied, I died." Well, now the Pearcys are in the middle of a simmering debate.

Dan Adams from our Sacramento affiliate KXTV has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN ADAMS, CNN AFFILIATE KXTV REPORTER (voice over): On one side of the street, those who came out to protest the Pearcys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The effigy that they hung up was disrespectful of our troops. And my being a veteran, I was deeply offended by that. I know how we were treated when we came back from Vietnam, and I will not let that happen to our troops now. ADAMS: On the other side of the street...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you to Iraq and help our troops?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring them home! Bring them home!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring them home! Bring them home!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring them home! Bring them home!

ADAMS: Those here to support the Pearcys and their anti-war displays.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I support the Constitution, which the people across the street don't seem to do, and our president doesn't even seem to do much of supporting the Constitution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bush lied! Soldiers died!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bush lied! Soldiers died!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bush lied! Soldiers died!

ADAMS: Indeed, this has become more than a battle over the war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: USA! USA!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA! USA!

ADAMS: It is a battle over freedom of speech. Protesters say in a time of war, the Pearcys don't have a right to display an image of a dead soldier on their home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't believe so. It's seditious and he's a traitor.

ADAMS: While police kept the two sides apart, at one point a representative of the Pearcys did go to the protesters with an offer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If there is anyone interested, two at a time, to go over and speak with them, they'd be happy to talk with them.

ADAMS: The invitation was declined.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is about supporting our troops. And so, we're not really interested in dialoguing with the Pearcys.

ADAMS: Later, in a one-on-one interview with News 10, the Pearcys said they would have told the protesters that their display was a sign in support of the troops. STEPHEN PEARCY, HOMEOWNER: It was meant to show that what we are disappointed with was what that scene depicted, which is that the president was leaving -- has been leaving the troops out to hang, that our tax dollars are being spent to put them into a foreign country where they're dying.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That was Dan Adams from our Sacramento affiliate KXTV. The Pearcys' display has been vandalized twice, people pulling it off the house. Police are investigating those incidents.

Chad, it is time for some entertainment now. Are you ready?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I am. Nicolas Cage.

COSTELLO: Nicolas Cage and his wife. They're expecting their first baby.

MYERS: Like 21 years old. He's 42.

COSTELLO: What's your rule? Didn't he violate the rule?

MYERS: Yes, half your age plus seven is the rule. So, 42 divided by 2 would be 21. The rule would mean she'd have to be 28.

COSTELLO: You should e-mail him.

MYERS: I don't think he cares.

COSTELLO: By the way, in case you're wondering, and I'm sure you are, they were married in July.

MYERS: You know, that only for your second wife, though. This is his third. So, maybe there are different rules that I don't know about.

COSTELLO: Well, you've got a point there.

MYERS: I haven't done the research, and I'm not going to.

COSTELLO: Well, you're right. He was previously married to Patricia Arquette and Lisa Marie Presley.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And he already has a 14-year-old son from his relationship with actress Christina Fulton, but he didn't marry her.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: There you go.

P. Diddy is being sued. Random House Publishers is suing Sean Combs over his non-existent autobiography. They paid him a $300,000 advance way back in 1998. He never did deliver a book. Random House says it wants its money back plus interest.

MYERS: How do I get an advance?

COSTELLO: Can you believe that? And then he just doesn't write the book.

Do we have time for e-mails? Or we'll do them later? We do have time for e-mails?

We've been asking this interesting question. Out in California, they're thinking of taxing a driver for every mile they drive, because so many people are buying hybrid cars and saving on gas that the state is not collecting enough in gas tax. So, they're going to drive -- they're going to tax drivers every mile they drive. And we've been getting interesting e-mails from our viewers.

MYERS: Ryan from Quebec City thinks it's really not a bad idea, but they do need to differentiate between a Hummer and a Honda Civic and make the gas tax, mileage tax different for each vehicle, not the same number, not the same penny or two pennies per mile for each of those two different obviously vehicles.

COSTELLO: Interesting. This is from Maryland. This is from Tom. He says, the California government's trail, nail and fail taxpayers' proposal will tax trucks, buses and Hummers at the same rate as hybrid and compact cars.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: I'm surprised at the government's unfair treatment of the little guy. Then, again, people tell me I should get out more often or stay tuned to CNN.

MYERS: Dave in Aurora, Oregon, thinks that Portland tried to do the same thing, not quite on the same scale, but they were going to put bar codes on the bottom of the cars. And when the cars drove over the sensor, it would be charged. But that's more like a toll road rather than a tax-per-mile.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Out in California, they're thinking of putting a device inside your car that would be somehow attacked to a GPS. And then the government could keep track of how many miles you drive and where you are. And that brings up a whole other can of worms.

MYERS: Big brother.

COSTELLO: Yes. From Bugs to Bud, we've got some extreme makeovers to tell you about as corporate giants cater to younger customers.

And the city of Brotherly Love is about to go wireless. We'll find out how they're doing it.

Here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time now for a little "Business Buzz." A couple of old favorites are getting a new look to help appeal to a younger audience.

Carrie Lee live at the Nasdaq Marketsite to explain.

What's up, doc?

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, interesting concept here, Carol. Warner Brothers, according to "The Wall Street Journal," is planning to launch a new cartoon series this fall based on re-imagined versions of old favorites, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tasmanian Devil, all of the popular names. Warner Brothers, like CNN, is a Time Warner unit.

And they're creating angular, slightly menacing-looking versions of the classic Looney Tunes characters for this series. It's called "Lunatics," and it's set in the year 2772.

Take a look at this, rather a different concept here. It almost looks a little bit scary. But what they're trying to do is not put the classic characters into retirement, but rather revamp them for the series, trying to appeal to the SpongeBob SquarePants generation.

So, that's what Warner Brothers is planning for the fall.

Switching gears, Anheuser-Busch has a new retro look coming out for its cans. Don't worry. The Budweiser beer is staying the same, but Busch is going after the 20s generation who likes the retro style. And here's a look at what the can is going to look like. The packaging looks like it's from the 1930s through the '50s. So, a lot of changes here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, how strange is that, Carrie, that Budweiser would be going back in time and Bugs Bunny has a new look?

LEE: You know, it's interesting, because you have these brands. They do very well. But you can't sit on your laurels for too long.

Now, in the case of Budweiser, of course, if they messed with the beer that would probably be a very bad idea. But, you know, you have to use the old favorites but kind of keep them up-to-date and revamp them in different ways to try to always give something new to customers.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

LEE: Yes.

COSTELLO: A quick look at the futures.

LEE: Yes. Things are looking a little bit weak for today's session. The Dow yesterday finishing at close to a three and a half year high. A lot of people are waiting for Fed chief Alan Greenspan to talk about the economy today. Coca-Cola is the only Dow component reporting. Wall Street is looking for 40 cents a share, a little bit below last year. So, we'll see how Coca-Cola shares do today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you. Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.

Compassionate conservative, remember those two words? CNN's Bill Hemmer is here to tell us why one insider thinks the White House is not living up to its promises.

Good morning -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

We'll look at that slogan, and some are wondering whether or not it's an empty slogan. A former White House official is now hitting the administration hard, saying the president has not delivered on a promise to help religious groups serve needy Americans. He also says the White House could do it if it wanted but hasn't tried hard enough. What does he think has to be done now?

That's one of our many topics coming up here on "AMERICAN MORNING." A busy Wednesday morning, too, by the way. And we're going to the dogs in our third hour -- Carol. Carlee is here.

COSTELLO: We're going to the dogs ourselves in about 10 minutes.

HEMMER: Yes. Well, we'll be watching then, too. OK? See you at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: Bye-bye.

COSTELLO: The city of Philadelphia is getting into the Internet business. By the summer of 2006, it hopes to provide wireless Internet access throughout the entire city, 135 square miles.

Philadelphia's information officer Dianah Neff joins us now with more details.

Good morning.

DIANAH NEFF, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, PHILADELPHIA: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, really? You want to, like -- so that means I can just take my laptop outside in a city park, open it up and get onto the Internet.

NEFF: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Why are you doing this?

NEFF: Well, we think it's important to be a digital city of the 21st century, to make sure that all of our population has the ability and access to the Internet to compete in the global economy.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. So, how is the city going to pay for this?

NEFF: Well, there will be a revenue-generation model that will be used. We are not using taxpayer dollars. And we'll use public- private partnerships.

COSTELLO: And the interesting thing is you're going to use the existing structures that the government owns to put the little transponders, are they called?

NEFF: Yes. That's one of the beauties of this technology today is that we're looking to use city-owned assets. We own our light poles and our light standards that these devices will be mounted on. And if certain units need to be mounted on city facilities, we have mounting rights, obviously. That helps keep the costs down and makes this a very affordable opportunity for broadband speeds at dial-up prices.

COSTELLO: Very interesting. So, does that mean in my home I can get wireless service courtesy of the city?

NEFF: Well, not necessarily the city. We are looking at a public-private partnership. But, yes, you would be able, then, to take the signal through a device that would be provided by the provider or an individual to bring the signal into their home.

COSTELLO: That's fantastic. OK, you said you've entered into a partnership, and I would assume that's one of, like, Verizon or somebody like that.

NEFF: Not necessarily. Now, we haven't signed the final agreements. We're waiting for the mayor, Mayor John F. Street, to make his announcement this month in February. And then we'll, you know, disclose the business model. We will be going out for requests for proposals to actually build the network, and we do expect companies like Verizon or Comcast that do support networks to bid on that. And we think we'll see some exciting combinations of companies come together in consortiums to design, build and maintain the network.

COSTELLO: Well, that's a fantastic idea. Dianah Neff from Philadelphia, the information officer there, joining DAYBREAK this morning. Thank you.

What happened that night in a Paris tunnel more than seven years ago? A new stage in the investigation of Princess Diana's death. They have new technology now that could help. We'll have a live report for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's 6:49 Eastern. Here's what will be making news today.

When he speaks, the world listens and the markets react. Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan visits Capitol Hill today. Senators are expected to grill him on the president's Social Security plan.

Vioxx, Celebrex and Ibuprofin are under the microscope today. The FDA kicks off three days of hearings on the safety of those drugs.

And the largest association of police chiefs plans to issue a national bulletin urging departments to take a look at their use of stun guns. The weapons have recently been connected with several deaths.

And investigators from Scotland Yard are revisiting the tunnel in Paris where Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997. British police say new 3D equipment that was not available at the time may help them find new clues into what caused that crash.

All right, for more on that investigation on Princess Diana, we want to go to Paris and CNN's Jim Bittermann. We have him on the phone.

Good morning -- Jim.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Tell us about this new technology they're using.

BITTERMANN: Well, in fact, what they are doing is going through the tunnel, the place where the accident happened, and they are very carefully using lasers and imaging technology. They are going to try to develop something that they couldn't have done seven years ago when the accident happened, and that is essentially a 3D version of the actual accident itself, using all of the exact parameters from inside the tunnel.

They want to generate a kind of a computer graphic that can be used in the formal inquest that's been going on in Great Britain, something that may help investigators finally determine what is exactly the cause of the crash.

COSTELLO: Interesting. And this is part of an ongoing inquiry, I guess we should call it.

BITTERMANN: Well, yes. I mean, what's happened here is that the French basically has said -- in fact, said seven years ago -- that as far as they were concerned, this is a simple traffic accident caused by the fact the chauffeur was high on drugs and alcohol at the time of the crash. And his blood tests revealed that.

However, some people haven't accepted that, including Dodi Fayed's father, Mohamed Fayed, who has persisted in a very obsessive sort of way in pursuing this in both French courts and in the British courts. And he's managed to get this coroner's inquiry started. It began last summer, and it's under the direction of London Police Commissioner Sir John Stephens (ph), who is very respected.

And I think the idea is, even though that this is costing millions of pounds or dollars, the fact is that it may finally put to rest the conspiracy theories, or perhaps raise more questions. But in any case, it will be one final attempt to sort of solve the accident once and for all.

COSTELLO: Yes. But I don't think the conspiracy theories will go away.

BITTERMANN: Probably not.

COSTELLO: Jim Bittermann reporting live from Paris.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Before we get to the travel forecast, Chad, Lance Armstrong will race again in the Tour de France. It will be his seventh race. Of course, he's won six. So, he's not retiring just yet.

Let's get to the travel forecast now.

MYERS: Of course, he was going to run -- race. No one ever thought he wouldn't. He's a champion. He has to come back.

COSTELLO: He's a competitor.

MYERS: Yes, well, exactly.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Hey, stick around, because we're talking dogs now.

MYERS: The dog show?

COSTELLO: Dog show.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: A German short-haired pointer stole the show in Westminster. The show drew more than 2,500 dogs, all vying for that best in show crown.

Joining us here to talk about the winners, Wendy Diamond of "Animal Fair" magazine. And Lucky came along for the ride as well.

WENDY DIAMOND, "ANIMAL FAIR" MAGAZINE: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, were you surprised that a German short-haired pointer won?

DIAMOND: Well, not really. I mean, I, of course, wanted the Norfolk terrier. It was so cute. Did you see the little thing running around? He's adorable. But, you know, a lot of the judges always tend to go towards the more exotic dogs. You know, you never see a golden retriever winning. Like, there has never been a golden retriever ever winning best in show.

COSTELLO: Really? DIAMOND: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, I have a golden -- or I had a golden retriever. But we won't talk about that. The thing that people loved about this dog...

DIAMOND: Right.

COSTELLO: ... was when he stood there and posed.

DIAMOND: Right.

COSTELLO: His handler didn't even need to touch him. He was just perfectly posed.

DIAMOND: Well, these dogs love to please. I mean, these are really friendly and intelligent dogs. And they love to please. And the handler actually won last year. She's like a famous handler, Michelle Ostermiller. She won. The dog, Josh, the Newfoundland, she handled that dog last year.

COSTELLO: Wow! OK. So, answer me this, because I've always wondered about this.

DIAMOND: Right.

COSTELLO: Because a German short-haired pointer won, will it suddenly become one of the most popular dogs for people to buy?

DIAMOND: Absolutely. I mean, that dog -- what happens is that once they win best in show, everyone now, like, hears about the dog. I mean, last year, everyone heard about then Newfoundland. So, that became the dog of the year. So, now this year with the German -- you know, German short-haired pointer, now everyone is going to hear about it.

And it's actually a great dog. I mean, it's very intelligent. It's friendly. It's always willing to please. It's, you know, an outdoors dog. It loves to play. It's a really good dog. So, this dog is actually suitable for anyone.

COSTELLO: OK. Tell us quickly, because this Westminster dog show has grown in popularity by leaps and bounds.

DIAMOND: It's sold out for tonight, the first time very. It's incredible!

COSTELLO: Movie stars, Glenn Close was there watching the dog show.

DIAMOND: Oh, my god, I sat next to Joan Allen. I was, like, I didn't know. But, you know, she loves dogs. Her daughter is getting a Boston terrier.

But what's great about this show, to be honest, is it's an educational experience. If you don't know anything about dogs, you learn the history of these dogs. You see how the dogs behave, what they look like. So, it's for everybody. I mean, dogs are -- I mean, there are 68 million dogs. So a lot of us have dogs...

COSTELLO: Yes.

DIAMOND: ... one out of two households. So, it's a great way for people who are looking to get a dog to see, you know, what's out there, what kinds of breeds are out there, how they behave, what they look like and how they trot around the ring.

COSTELLO: Oh, Lucky, thank you for bringing your mommy into our studios this morning.

DIAMOND: She's not up yet.

COSTELLO: Wendy Diamond, thank you so much.

DIAMOND: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: The winter thaw traditionally begins with the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue. The issue has just hit the newsstands. This one features several star athletes, including Venus Williams and Mark McGwire. You are looking at Mark McGwire and his wife, Stephanie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MCGWIRE, FORMER BASEBALL GREAT: It's probably a once-in-a- lifetime thing. And that's always been so good to me throughout my years as a baseball player. And I was lucky enough to marry a beautiful wife, and she has -- we both have 1 and 2-year-old boys at home. And it's pretty amazing how great shape she's in. So, I'm pretty proud of her.

STEPHANIE MCGWIRE, MARK MCGWIRE'S WIFE: I had to convince him, you know, a little bit, but I'm glad he went along with it. And we had so much fun with it and a wonderful experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, and she had two kids. Good for her.

If you haven't gotten your copy in the mail yet, be sure to log on to CNN.com for a preview.

A programming note for DAYBREAK diehards on Monday, the return of the morning "Coffee Quiz." Back by popular demand, Chad, it will return on Monday.

MYERS: I have the mug in my hand, Carol. This one will be given away on Monday.

COSTELLO: Well, guard it with your life.

"AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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