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CNN Live At Daybreak

Breaking News: Iraqi Mosque Attack; 'Paradise Now'; Passenger Payments; Baby Heart

Aired February 18, 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.


KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: And this just in to CNN, some breaking news according to the Associated Press, which is reporting, according to an Iraqi National Guard officer, that about 30 people are reported dead at a mosque in Baghdad. This information, again, is attributed to the Associated Press, reports of about 30 people dead. We are told right now that CNN has just confirmed this.
Again, about 30 people reported dead at a mosque in Baghdad. We are trying to get hooked up with our colleagues, including Nic Robertson, on the ground in Baghdad. Of course, as we have more developments, we will bring them to you.

This coming just one day after the Iraqi Electoral Commission finalized election results for that election that took place on January 30, giving the religious Shiite Muslim group a majority, a slight majority, in that National Assembly.

So, one day after the election results were finalized, this report that CNN has confirmed, approximately 30 people dead at a mosque in Baghdad.

More information as we get it right here on CNN.

Turning now to a movie about two would-be suicide bombers. It is a contender for the Berlin Film Festival's highest honor.

CNN's Chris Burns reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a wrenching story of two Palestinians strapped with explosives as they agonize over whether to carry out the mission the militants chose them for: a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

Shot on location on both sides of the divide, it's a Palestinian, Israeli and European co-production seeking to give the audience a look inside the mind of a potential suicide bomber.

Though the two lead actors are Palestinians who live in Israel, they say they spent enough time on location in Nablus (ph) to appreciate the desperation under Israeli occupation.

"In every family, there is at least one dead because of the situation. And therefore, I think such a decision to make a suicide attack is just the result of having no other option." KAIS NASHEF, ACTOR, "PARADISE NOW": The first thing, I said, no, I don't do a suicide -- I don't bomb the people. I can't do it myself.

BURNS: Amir Harel, a Jewish-Israeli who co-produced the film, says he hopes to open some minds.

(on camera): Could this not be generating sympathy for suicide bombers?

AMIR HAREL, PRODUCER, "PARADISE NOW": I think that you can have sympathy for that phenomena. But you have to have a better understanding.

BURNS (voice over): The making of the film was a drama in itself, amid running street battles on the West Bank. The director says Palestinian militants confronted his crew, which finally relocated to his hometown of Nazareth, Israel, to finish filming.

HANY ABU-ASSAD, DIRECTOR, "PARADISE NOW": Every day we had a big explosion or fights or, you know, a gunfight.

BURNS: Years in the making, the film comes after some recent rays of hope for change.

ABU-ASSAD: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to Mahmoud Abbas' government, it's not my job. My job is to question things and to be able to look to the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from different points of views, and especially from the human point of view.

BURNS: "Paradise Now," a human dilemma that leaves you spellbound to the very end.

Chris Burns, CNN, at the Berlin Film Festival.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And back to our developing story, an explosion in Baghdad. CNN confirming 13 dead at this mosque. An explosion, again, at this mosque in Baghdad.

We are going to be hooking up with our Nic Robertson, who is on the ground in Baghdad.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Friday. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Good morning. And welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.

"Now in the News."

Word just coming in that there has been a suicide bomb attack on a Shiite mosque in Baghdad. Thirteen people are dead and 22 wounded. The explosion occurred in a southern Baghdad neighborhood. We'll bring you more information as we get it.

In the telecom merger game, it's not over until it's over. Qwest says it will make another offer to buy MCI. A previous bid by Qwest was rejected in favor of a whopping $7 billion offer from Verizon.

Prosecutors have investigated a Canadian woman's charge that comedian Bill Cosby drugged her and groped her. The prosecutors found insufficient evidence to file any charges against Cosby.

Former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton are beginning their tour of areas devastated by the December 26 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The ex-presidents led a drive to raise funds for survivors.

The International Olympic Committee is in London to asses that city's bid for the 2012 games. Queen Elizabeth is hosting a dinner for the committee, and Prime Minister Tony Blair hosts a reception. New York is also in the running. And the IOC visits the Big Apple on Monday.

It's time now to check the weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: Turning now to the developing news we are following out of Iraq, a suicide bombing at a mosque in Baghdad.

We turn now to CNN's chief international correspondent, Nic Robertson. He is following this.

Nic -- what can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, the details are only just beginning to emerge at the moment. What we know from the emergency police is that at least 15 people have been killed, at least 20 injured.

What we are being told that has happened is a suicide bomber approached a group of people on their way to the mosque. This group of people were celebrating the Ashura festival, a very important Shia religious festival that occurs on Saturday. They were on their way to the mosque at the time.

U.S. officials say that they can confirm that it was a suicide bomber. An eyewitness has said that the suicide bomber approached the people. As he got near to them, he detonated his explosive vest.

The local hospital is saying -- is reporting the casualties coming in them on what U.S. officials are guiding us at this time, they are telling us that they expect these numbers to climb. And that is often what we see in the cases of such attacks, that the numbers are very varied in the first few hours, and then perhaps by the end of the day we get a clearer assessment of what's happened.

But this was an attack very close to a Shia mosque on the southern outskirts of Baghdad, killing at least 15 people so far, wounding at least 20 -- Kelly.

WALLACE: And, Nic, put this into context for us, because we were just talking yesterday. This is coming just a day after those election results were finalized inside Iraq.

ROBERTSON: There really seems to be an effort with the insurgency to destabilize the country by attacking across the religious divide here. There have been attacks on a frequent and regular basis against Shia Muslims.

And perhaps this weekend is one of the most important festivals for the Shia community here. It celebrates the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad. It is the day last year when Shia Muslims were celebrating in the holy city of Karbala when a large explosion was detonated, killing hundreds of people.

And certainly security officials here are very concerned about similar attacks. This attack on the eve of the main day of the Ashura festival, now perhaps an indication that insurgents do plan wider- spread attacks on Shias.

This was as the celebrators were going towards the mosque. Part of their ritual, performance is marching, is beating themselves with whips in commemoration of the martyrdom of Hussein. This is a very normal thing that they do for them at this time of year. But it appears on this day, at least this particular mosque, they were targeted by a suicide bomber -- Kelly.

WALLACE: And leading up to this time, Nic, you know, we have talked a lot about how post-election fears of violence increasing. We have today's incident. Put this into context for us. What have we been seeing since the election? Have we seen more and more cases of increased violence?

ROBERTSON: Immediately after the election, there appeared to be a lull in the violence. Election Day itself, there were actually some 300 separate incidents reported on Election Day, which was quite a spike. But they were smaller incidents, because insurgents couldn't get around the country. It seemed the borders were closed. The roads were closed at that time.

There was a few days' lull in attacks, and then the attacks really stepped up. A number of suicide attacks, particularly against police recruitment stations, against the Shia community.

Then there's been a lull perhaps, if you will, over the last few days. There were lower-level attacks, shooting, the occasion assassination. This perhaps the first big attack in quite a few days now.

But that seems to be the cycle, an average of perhaps as many as 60 or so attacks across the country a day. And now we're seeing one very big attack on this particular day. Security forces are very concerned that this particular weekend, this festival weekend, there could be more such attacks -- Kelly.

WALLACE: All right, Nic, we will be checking in with you throughout DAYBREAK for more information as you get it.

Again, a suicide bombing attack, CNN confirming, on a mosque in southern Baghdad, 13 people killed. Again, more information as we get it here on DAYBREAK.

President Bush now is pressuring Syria to get its troops out of Lebanon and says he'll be asking European leaders next week for their support.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a congressional committee it is time for the Syrians to comply with a U.N. resolution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We believe that Damascus bears some responsibility for the overall conditions in Lebanon, and that it ought to respond to Resolution 1559, which calls for its withdrawal. The Syrians need to allow Lebanese elections to take place without foreign interference and to stop interfering in a way that is destabilizing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Neither Secretary Rice nor President Bush is accusing Syria of involvement in the Beirut bombing that killed Lebanon's former prime minister. Asked about that yesterday, the president said -- quote -- "I don't know yet, because the investigation is ongoing."

Well, coming up next here on DAYBREAK, ever been inconvenienced at the airport? Well, now the airlines are being forced to compensate you if you've been impacted by delays or overbooking. But not everyone gets to benefit.

And a mother who wouldn't give up on saving her little child's life and a surgeon willing to take a chance to save the tiny baby. Their story ahead.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning, February 18.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's about 45 minutes after the hour. And here is what is all new this morning.

Two Indonesian journalists are missing in Iraq. Indonesia's foreign ministry says the reporters may have been taken captive by uniformed gunmen in the city of Ramadi.

NASA is almost ready to resume shuttle flights. An expert advisory panel says the agency has completed more than half of the requirements to resume space flight and is on track for a May or June launch. NASA's fleet has been grounded since the shuttle Columbia disaster two years ago.

In money, book publisher Random House says it's bought into VOCEL, a company that provides premium-branded applications for cell phones. Don't expect the John Grisham novel on your cell phone. But Random could provide services such as language study programs.

In culture, a number of impressive instruments are on the block at a major jazz music auction in New York City. They include trumpets used by Dizzy Gillespie and Louie Armstrong and saxophones used by Charlie Parker and John Coltrane.

In sports, New England Patriots linebacker Teddy Bruschi could be released from the hospital as early as today after suffering a mild stroke. Bruschi was hospitalized Wednesday when he complained of headaches. The 31-year-old played in the Pro Bowl just five days ago.

We turn to Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers in the weather center. Rob, we talked about this yesterday, a mild stroke for Teddy Bruschi. We hope he's going to be OK.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we certainly hope for a full recovery after an awesome performance in the Super Bowl, and I'm sure he'll be back next year, hopefully full-strength. Good luck to you, Teddy.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: And those are the headlines.

A correction now: Yesterday, we reported that PBS President Pat Mitchell was stepping down because of an episode of the cartoon "Postcards From Buster," which featured a lesbian couple, and that the episode cost Mitchell her job. That is not accurate.

Mitchell says her decision to leave her post has, in her words, absolutely nothing to do with the cartoon episode. Mitchell actually announced that she will not renew her contract. She will remain on the job at PBS until her current contract runs out more than a year from now in June of next year. CNN, of course, regrets that error.

Paid to be grounded. If you're flying to certain European airports and your flights gets delayed, canceled or overbooked, you could be seeing some free money and lots of it. As you might imagine, passengers may like the new rules, but the airlines don't.

Let's go live now to London and Toby Nicol. He's from EasyJet, one of the airlines that's not happy about this.

Toby Nicol, thanks for being here.

TOBY NICOL, EASYJET SPOKESMAN: Thank you.

WALLACE: Your airline, I know, is very interested in improving service for your consumers. So, why do you think this is such a bad plan?

NICOL: Well, this is an exceptionally wide-ranging and a very complex piece of legislation. We've always wailed against this. We think the way in which it's done in the United States is a lot better where airlines have to publish certain lead tables of punctuality, lost bags, et cetera.

As ever, Brussels has gone slightly overboard. What they've created here is very unclear. It's unclear for airlines. It's unclear for passengers. It's a bit of a (UNINTELLIGIBLE), to be honest.

WALLACE: As we understand it, passengers could get money if they're bumped, if their flights are canceled, if they face a long delay. Consumer groups and European Union officials, Toby, say the reason for this, it will force airlines to improve service and make sure flights are taking off on time. What do you say to that?

NICOL: Well, I think the aim is very admirable. I mean, this piece of legislation began in order to stop airlines bumping off passengers for overbooking, because no one can quite understand when you get to the airport and suddenly the airlines are, sorry, we need 50 of you to step away. That's what the European Union was trying to get away from.

However, what they've done is by wrapping in things like cancellations and delays into it, it has suddenly become not at all clear what is within an airline's responsibility and what isn't.

So, for example, technical problems on an aircraft, we would say no, those aren't our fault. We spend a lot of money every year maintaining our aircraft. If we get in the first thing in the morning and we can't get the aircraft to go, we don't believe we should be paying compensation for that. The European Union, on the other hand, seems to take a rather different view. And I think this will end up in a lot of disputes between airlines and passengers.

WALLACE: What would be the implications, in talking to our American audience right now for Americans, traveling through Europe? What could happen to them?

NICOL: Basically, for any passenger traveling to Europe on a U.S. carrier, for example, Atlanta out of London, if the flight is overbooked or if it's canceled due to something which is within the airlines' responsibility, then U.S. passengers would be able to get around $600 of compensation out of the airline for that inconvenience.

If the flight is delayed by more than five hours, for whatever reason -- it could be snow on the Eastern seaboard, for example -- then the airlines would have to put passengers up in a hotel. It would have to provide Internet connections, phone cords, light refreshment and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so that people could be fed. And that's regardless of whose fault it is.

I don't know if you know much about the economics of the European aviation industry, but we all operate on very thin margins at best. It's only the lost-cost airlines who are making any money, and I think this is going to lead to financial difficulties for many airlines here.

WALLACE: All right, we'll be watching to see what happens. Toby Nicol from EasyJet, thanks for joining us from London this morning. We certainly appreciate it.

And this is DAYBREAK for Friday, February 18. Much more coming up. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back.

Now to news that's good for the heart. A tiny baby makes medical history, thanks to a mother's love and a doctor's determination. We get the details now from CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA LOURDES, BABY JERRICK'S MOTHER: What if I just pray hard that my baby reaches two pounds?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Baby Jerrick was born weighing around just a pound. And he also had a life-threatening heart defect. Doctors told his mother, Maria, who is also a pediatrician, to abandon hope.

LOURDES: I told them, you know, like, so you're not giving me any options here. You know, what is it that you want -- what's going to be the plan for the baby? It was very difficult. I was blocking a lot, and I was just saying, you know, like, I was just surrendering, whatever comes.

GUPTA: But there was one option left. And his name? Dr. Mohan Reddy, a pediatric heart surgeon at Stanford and the only one willing to do the operation. In a last-ditch effort, Jerrick was airlifted up the California coast. He was just a week old.

Jerrick suffered from what the surgeons call transposition of the great arteries. Simply, the large blood vessel that is supposed to take oxygenated blood to the body was switched with the blood vessel that takes blood to the lungs. And the body was literally starving for air. Fixing it would be risky, but the alternative was almost certain death.

DR. V. MOHAN REDDY, LUCILE PACKARD CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Just to give you an idea, we just took a picture of the baby with a finger next to the chest, and the whole baby's chest is pretty much the size of my finger. And the incision is probably the tip of my finger. That's how big the chest, whole chest is.

GUPTA: And the heart?

REDDY: I would say probably the size of, you know, a moderate- sized grape, maybe even smaller.

GUPTA: Still, after six hours, Dr. Reddy and his team completed a medical first. They switched the arteries back on what they believed is the smallest baby ever to survive this procedure. And at the same time, pushed back even further the boundaries of life and death. REDDY: When you do cardiac surgery in children, you're always living on the edge. And unless you take risks, you aren't going to advance the field in order to make progress.

GUPTA: In this case, progress is measured in a healthy baby and a happy mother.

REDDY: It's very joyous in the sense it's very satisfying that we can help this little, tiny baby.

LOURDES: I'm a mother. I think I was always looking for a good side of it.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: We thank Dr. Gupta for that story.

Naming sports arenas is big business. Next hour, find out what one person paid to rename Boston's FleetCenter for just one day. And, of course, we'll tell you the new temporary name.

And Keanu Reeve's new film opens today. Stay with us for a preview and see what our filmologist (ph) says about the exorcism film, "Constantine."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And time to read some e-mail. Our "Question of the Day": Should weight be included on school report cards?

Well, Marie is writing in. And she says, "Everyone seems focused on the overweight and their body image esteem issues rather than their medical health and well-being." She says: "I vote yes to weights on report cards. Who is looking out for children whose parents and family do not."

Bobby from Georgia says: "I think having the BMI" -- body mass index -- "on a child's report card will make them feel self-conscious about their weight. Teachers have to deal with enough psychological problems as it is."

Keep those e-mails coming.

Donna from Buffalo, New York, writes: "Good morning. Count me astounded. When I was attending school in the last century, our weight and height was always on the record card. It was just about character traits. I don't recall anyone being traumatized by it."

Keep those e-mails coming, Daybreak@CNN.com. The next hour of DAYBREAK begins 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 18, 2005 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: And this just in to CNN, some breaking news according to the Associated Press, which is reporting, according to an Iraqi National Guard officer, that about 30 people are reported dead at a mosque in Baghdad. This information, again, is attributed to the Associated Press, reports of about 30 people dead. We are told right now that CNN has just confirmed this.
Again, about 30 people reported dead at a mosque in Baghdad. We are trying to get hooked up with our colleagues, including Nic Robertson, on the ground in Baghdad. Of course, as we have more developments, we will bring them to you.

This coming just one day after the Iraqi Electoral Commission finalized election results for that election that took place on January 30, giving the religious Shiite Muslim group a majority, a slight majority, in that National Assembly.

So, one day after the election results were finalized, this report that CNN has confirmed, approximately 30 people dead at a mosque in Baghdad.

More information as we get it right here on CNN.

Turning now to a movie about two would-be suicide bombers. It is a contender for the Berlin Film Festival's highest honor.

CNN's Chris Burns reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a wrenching story of two Palestinians strapped with explosives as they agonize over whether to carry out the mission the militants chose them for: a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

Shot on location on both sides of the divide, it's a Palestinian, Israeli and European co-production seeking to give the audience a look inside the mind of a potential suicide bomber.

Though the two lead actors are Palestinians who live in Israel, they say they spent enough time on location in Nablus (ph) to appreciate the desperation under Israeli occupation.

"In every family, there is at least one dead because of the situation. And therefore, I think such a decision to make a suicide attack is just the result of having no other option." KAIS NASHEF, ACTOR, "PARADISE NOW": The first thing, I said, no, I don't do a suicide -- I don't bomb the people. I can't do it myself.

BURNS: Amir Harel, a Jewish-Israeli who co-produced the film, says he hopes to open some minds.

(on camera): Could this not be generating sympathy for suicide bombers?

AMIR HAREL, PRODUCER, "PARADISE NOW": I think that you can have sympathy for that phenomena. But you have to have a better understanding.

BURNS (voice over): The making of the film was a drama in itself, amid running street battles on the West Bank. The director says Palestinian militants confronted his crew, which finally relocated to his hometown of Nazareth, Israel, to finish filming.

HANY ABU-ASSAD, DIRECTOR, "PARADISE NOW": Every day we had a big explosion or fights or, you know, a gunfight.

BURNS: Years in the making, the film comes after some recent rays of hope for change.

ABU-ASSAD: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to Mahmoud Abbas' government, it's not my job. My job is to question things and to be able to look to the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from different points of views, and especially from the human point of view.

BURNS: "Paradise Now," a human dilemma that leaves you spellbound to the very end.

Chris Burns, CNN, at the Berlin Film Festival.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And back to our developing story, an explosion in Baghdad. CNN confirming 13 dead at this mosque. An explosion, again, at this mosque in Baghdad.

We are going to be hooking up with our Nic Robertson, who is on the ground in Baghdad.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Friday. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Good morning. And welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.

"Now in the News."

Word just coming in that there has been a suicide bomb attack on a Shiite mosque in Baghdad. Thirteen people are dead and 22 wounded. The explosion occurred in a southern Baghdad neighborhood. We'll bring you more information as we get it.

In the telecom merger game, it's not over until it's over. Qwest says it will make another offer to buy MCI. A previous bid by Qwest was rejected in favor of a whopping $7 billion offer from Verizon.

Prosecutors have investigated a Canadian woman's charge that comedian Bill Cosby drugged her and groped her. The prosecutors found insufficient evidence to file any charges against Cosby.

Former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton are beginning their tour of areas devastated by the December 26 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The ex-presidents led a drive to raise funds for survivors.

The International Olympic Committee is in London to asses that city's bid for the 2012 games. Queen Elizabeth is hosting a dinner for the committee, and Prime Minister Tony Blair hosts a reception. New York is also in the running. And the IOC visits the Big Apple on Monday.

It's time now to check the weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: Turning now to the developing news we are following out of Iraq, a suicide bombing at a mosque in Baghdad.

We turn now to CNN's chief international correspondent, Nic Robertson. He is following this.

Nic -- what can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kelly, the details are only just beginning to emerge at the moment. What we know from the emergency police is that at least 15 people have been killed, at least 20 injured.

What we are being told that has happened is a suicide bomber approached a group of people on their way to the mosque. This group of people were celebrating the Ashura festival, a very important Shia religious festival that occurs on Saturday. They were on their way to the mosque at the time.

U.S. officials say that they can confirm that it was a suicide bomber. An eyewitness has said that the suicide bomber approached the people. As he got near to them, he detonated his explosive vest.

The local hospital is saying -- is reporting the casualties coming in them on what U.S. officials are guiding us at this time, they are telling us that they expect these numbers to climb. And that is often what we see in the cases of such attacks, that the numbers are very varied in the first few hours, and then perhaps by the end of the day we get a clearer assessment of what's happened.

But this was an attack very close to a Shia mosque on the southern outskirts of Baghdad, killing at least 15 people so far, wounding at least 20 -- Kelly.

WALLACE: And, Nic, put this into context for us, because we were just talking yesterday. This is coming just a day after those election results were finalized inside Iraq.

ROBERTSON: There really seems to be an effort with the insurgency to destabilize the country by attacking across the religious divide here. There have been attacks on a frequent and regular basis against Shia Muslims.

And perhaps this weekend is one of the most important festivals for the Shia community here. It celebrates the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad. It is the day last year when Shia Muslims were celebrating in the holy city of Karbala when a large explosion was detonated, killing hundreds of people.

And certainly security officials here are very concerned about similar attacks. This attack on the eve of the main day of the Ashura festival, now perhaps an indication that insurgents do plan wider- spread attacks on Shias.

This was as the celebrators were going towards the mosque. Part of their ritual, performance is marching, is beating themselves with whips in commemoration of the martyrdom of Hussein. This is a very normal thing that they do for them at this time of year. But it appears on this day, at least this particular mosque, they were targeted by a suicide bomber -- Kelly.

WALLACE: And leading up to this time, Nic, you know, we have talked a lot about how post-election fears of violence increasing. We have today's incident. Put this into context for us. What have we been seeing since the election? Have we seen more and more cases of increased violence?

ROBERTSON: Immediately after the election, there appeared to be a lull in the violence. Election Day itself, there were actually some 300 separate incidents reported on Election Day, which was quite a spike. But they were smaller incidents, because insurgents couldn't get around the country. It seemed the borders were closed. The roads were closed at that time.

There was a few days' lull in attacks, and then the attacks really stepped up. A number of suicide attacks, particularly against police recruitment stations, against the Shia community.

Then there's been a lull perhaps, if you will, over the last few days. There were lower-level attacks, shooting, the occasion assassination. This perhaps the first big attack in quite a few days now.

But that seems to be the cycle, an average of perhaps as many as 60 or so attacks across the country a day. And now we're seeing one very big attack on this particular day. Security forces are very concerned that this particular weekend, this festival weekend, there could be more such attacks -- Kelly.

WALLACE: All right, Nic, we will be checking in with you throughout DAYBREAK for more information as you get it.

Again, a suicide bombing attack, CNN confirming, on a mosque in southern Baghdad, 13 people killed. Again, more information as we get it here on DAYBREAK.

President Bush now is pressuring Syria to get its troops out of Lebanon and says he'll be asking European leaders next week for their support.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a congressional committee it is time for the Syrians to comply with a U.N. resolution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We believe that Damascus bears some responsibility for the overall conditions in Lebanon, and that it ought to respond to Resolution 1559, which calls for its withdrawal. The Syrians need to allow Lebanese elections to take place without foreign interference and to stop interfering in a way that is destabilizing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Neither Secretary Rice nor President Bush is accusing Syria of involvement in the Beirut bombing that killed Lebanon's former prime minister. Asked about that yesterday, the president said -- quote -- "I don't know yet, because the investigation is ongoing."

Well, coming up next here on DAYBREAK, ever been inconvenienced at the airport? Well, now the airlines are being forced to compensate you if you've been impacted by delays or overbooking. But not everyone gets to benefit.

And a mother who wouldn't give up on saving her little child's life and a surgeon willing to take a chance to save the tiny baby. Their story ahead.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning, February 18.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's about 45 minutes after the hour. And here is what is all new this morning.

Two Indonesian journalists are missing in Iraq. Indonesia's foreign ministry says the reporters may have been taken captive by uniformed gunmen in the city of Ramadi.

NASA is almost ready to resume shuttle flights. An expert advisory panel says the agency has completed more than half of the requirements to resume space flight and is on track for a May or June launch. NASA's fleet has been grounded since the shuttle Columbia disaster two years ago.

In money, book publisher Random House says it's bought into VOCEL, a company that provides premium-branded applications for cell phones. Don't expect the John Grisham novel on your cell phone. But Random could provide services such as language study programs.

In culture, a number of impressive instruments are on the block at a major jazz music auction in New York City. They include trumpets used by Dizzy Gillespie and Louie Armstrong and saxophones used by Charlie Parker and John Coltrane.

In sports, New England Patriots linebacker Teddy Bruschi could be released from the hospital as early as today after suffering a mild stroke. Bruschi was hospitalized Wednesday when he complained of headaches. The 31-year-old played in the Pro Bowl just five days ago.

We turn to Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers in the weather center. Rob, we talked about this yesterday, a mild stroke for Teddy Bruschi. We hope he's going to be OK.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we certainly hope for a full recovery after an awesome performance in the Super Bowl, and I'm sure he'll be back next year, hopefully full-strength. Good luck to you, Teddy.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: And those are the headlines.

A correction now: Yesterday, we reported that PBS President Pat Mitchell was stepping down because of an episode of the cartoon "Postcards From Buster," which featured a lesbian couple, and that the episode cost Mitchell her job. That is not accurate.

Mitchell says her decision to leave her post has, in her words, absolutely nothing to do with the cartoon episode. Mitchell actually announced that she will not renew her contract. She will remain on the job at PBS until her current contract runs out more than a year from now in June of next year. CNN, of course, regrets that error.

Paid to be grounded. If you're flying to certain European airports and your flights gets delayed, canceled or overbooked, you could be seeing some free money and lots of it. As you might imagine, passengers may like the new rules, but the airlines don't.

Let's go live now to London and Toby Nicol. He's from EasyJet, one of the airlines that's not happy about this.

Toby Nicol, thanks for being here.

TOBY NICOL, EASYJET SPOKESMAN: Thank you.

WALLACE: Your airline, I know, is very interested in improving service for your consumers. So, why do you think this is such a bad plan?

NICOL: Well, this is an exceptionally wide-ranging and a very complex piece of legislation. We've always wailed against this. We think the way in which it's done in the United States is a lot better where airlines have to publish certain lead tables of punctuality, lost bags, et cetera.

As ever, Brussels has gone slightly overboard. What they've created here is very unclear. It's unclear for airlines. It's unclear for passengers. It's a bit of a (UNINTELLIGIBLE), to be honest.

WALLACE: As we understand it, passengers could get money if they're bumped, if their flights are canceled, if they face a long delay. Consumer groups and European Union officials, Toby, say the reason for this, it will force airlines to improve service and make sure flights are taking off on time. What do you say to that?

NICOL: Well, I think the aim is very admirable. I mean, this piece of legislation began in order to stop airlines bumping off passengers for overbooking, because no one can quite understand when you get to the airport and suddenly the airlines are, sorry, we need 50 of you to step away. That's what the European Union was trying to get away from.

However, what they've done is by wrapping in things like cancellations and delays into it, it has suddenly become not at all clear what is within an airline's responsibility and what isn't.

So, for example, technical problems on an aircraft, we would say no, those aren't our fault. We spend a lot of money every year maintaining our aircraft. If we get in the first thing in the morning and we can't get the aircraft to go, we don't believe we should be paying compensation for that. The European Union, on the other hand, seems to take a rather different view. And I think this will end up in a lot of disputes between airlines and passengers.

WALLACE: What would be the implications, in talking to our American audience right now for Americans, traveling through Europe? What could happen to them?

NICOL: Basically, for any passenger traveling to Europe on a U.S. carrier, for example, Atlanta out of London, if the flight is overbooked or if it's canceled due to something which is within the airlines' responsibility, then U.S. passengers would be able to get around $600 of compensation out of the airline for that inconvenience.

If the flight is delayed by more than five hours, for whatever reason -- it could be snow on the Eastern seaboard, for example -- then the airlines would have to put passengers up in a hotel. It would have to provide Internet connections, phone cords, light refreshment and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so that people could be fed. And that's regardless of whose fault it is.

I don't know if you know much about the economics of the European aviation industry, but we all operate on very thin margins at best. It's only the lost-cost airlines who are making any money, and I think this is going to lead to financial difficulties for many airlines here.

WALLACE: All right, we'll be watching to see what happens. Toby Nicol from EasyJet, thanks for joining us from London this morning. We certainly appreciate it.

And this is DAYBREAK for Friday, February 18. Much more coming up. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back.

Now to news that's good for the heart. A tiny baby makes medical history, thanks to a mother's love and a doctor's determination. We get the details now from CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA LOURDES, BABY JERRICK'S MOTHER: What if I just pray hard that my baby reaches two pounds?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Baby Jerrick was born weighing around just a pound. And he also had a life-threatening heart defect. Doctors told his mother, Maria, who is also a pediatrician, to abandon hope.

LOURDES: I told them, you know, like, so you're not giving me any options here. You know, what is it that you want -- what's going to be the plan for the baby? It was very difficult. I was blocking a lot, and I was just saying, you know, like, I was just surrendering, whatever comes.

GUPTA: But there was one option left. And his name? Dr. Mohan Reddy, a pediatric heart surgeon at Stanford and the only one willing to do the operation. In a last-ditch effort, Jerrick was airlifted up the California coast. He was just a week old.

Jerrick suffered from what the surgeons call transposition of the great arteries. Simply, the large blood vessel that is supposed to take oxygenated blood to the body was switched with the blood vessel that takes blood to the lungs. And the body was literally starving for air. Fixing it would be risky, but the alternative was almost certain death.

DR. V. MOHAN REDDY, LUCILE PACKARD CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Just to give you an idea, we just took a picture of the baby with a finger next to the chest, and the whole baby's chest is pretty much the size of my finger. And the incision is probably the tip of my finger. That's how big the chest, whole chest is.

GUPTA: And the heart?

REDDY: I would say probably the size of, you know, a moderate- sized grape, maybe even smaller.

GUPTA: Still, after six hours, Dr. Reddy and his team completed a medical first. They switched the arteries back on what they believed is the smallest baby ever to survive this procedure. And at the same time, pushed back even further the boundaries of life and death. REDDY: When you do cardiac surgery in children, you're always living on the edge. And unless you take risks, you aren't going to advance the field in order to make progress.

GUPTA: In this case, progress is measured in a healthy baby and a happy mother.

REDDY: It's very joyous in the sense it's very satisfying that we can help this little, tiny baby.

LOURDES: I'm a mother. I think I was always looking for a good side of it.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: We thank Dr. Gupta for that story.

Naming sports arenas is big business. Next hour, find out what one person paid to rename Boston's FleetCenter for just one day. And, of course, we'll tell you the new temporary name.

And Keanu Reeve's new film opens today. Stay with us for a preview and see what our filmologist (ph) says about the exorcism film, "Constantine."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And time to read some e-mail. Our "Question of the Day": Should weight be included on school report cards?

Well, Marie is writing in. And she says, "Everyone seems focused on the overweight and their body image esteem issues rather than their medical health and well-being." She says: "I vote yes to weights on report cards. Who is looking out for children whose parents and family do not."

Bobby from Georgia says: "I think having the BMI" -- body mass index -- "on a child's report card will make them feel self-conscious about their weight. Teachers have to deal with enough psychological problems as it is."

Keep those e-mails coming.

Donna from Buffalo, New York, writes: "Good morning. Count me astounded. When I was attending school in the last century, our weight and height was always on the record card. It was just about character traits. I don't recall anyone being traumatized by it."

Keep those e-mails coming, Daybreak@CNN.com. The next hour of DAYBREAK begins 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.