Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Damage Caused in Southern California by Massive Mudslides; Release of Pope's Book

Aired February 23, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, crumbled homes, wrecked lives -- California faces another day and another nasty storm.
Plus, back from the war and back into the arms of loved ones. A bittersweet homecoming for dozens of U.S. troops.

Also, good and evil, threats to society and a communist plot. No, it's not the latest thriller novel, it's the pope's new book.

It is Wednesday, February 23.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

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

Now in the news, President Bush arrived in Germany just about an hour and 15 minutes ago. This is the second leg of his European fence mending trip. Right now he's meeting with Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder, an opponent of the war in Iraq.

Some tough talk from the pope. In his new book, John Paul II condemns gay marriage and abortion. The people also says he thinks the gunman who shot him in 1981 might have been part of a communist plot.

An urgent warning from a top international health official this morning. He says the world is dangerously close to a deadly and widespread epidemic of bird flu. He's urging governments to act quickly to control it.

The legal saga of severely brain damaged Terri Schiavo could end this afternoon when yet another hearing is expected. A judge blocked a court ruling on Tuesday that would have allowed Schiavo's husband to remove the feeding tube that's kept her alive since 1990.

To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: That rain continues for southern California. It moves into southern Arizona for today. The high in Phoenix only 63. You don't see a lot of sunshine. L.A. hasn't seen sunshine since Thursday.

Carol, now the rainfall totals up to 8.5 inches in Los Angeles alone since Thursday. And now they have the third, third wettest season ever on record and the wettest season on record in 115 years.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's rough living out there in these times.

MYERS: It sure is.

COSTELLO: You know, those storms have caused such widespread massive damage. We have new pictures to show you this morning. Many residents are struggling to handle the turmoil.

And as CNN's Donna Tetreault reports from Los Angeles, nature is proving to be a real home wrecker.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, oh, oh, hey, it just went. Come back to our picture.

DONNA TETREAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This unbelievable picture on Fortune Place is a snapshot of the misfortune southern Californians continue to weather. Dozens of homes have been red-tagged, too dangerous to live in. This home slid off its foundation, only the flower boxes still intact.

LANCE VILTER, RED-TAGGED RESIDENT: I was sitting at a desk with a computer on it and the next thing I know, I heard something and then it felt like an earthquake.

TETREAULT: The forces of nature are at work and officials are scrambling to find answers for frightened and weary homeowners. MAYOR JAMES HAHN, LOS ANGELES: We're going to do the best we can. We can't save every home. Mother Nature has got a lot more tools in her toolbox than we do.

TETREAULT: This latest storm in a series of weather systems is packing a knockout punch, leaving black and blue bruises across the region. Roofs are leaking, mud is flowing and water is raging, not only through flood control channels, but down driveways and anything on a slope.

Engineers have opened the floodgates at Lake Piru Dam to relieve swollen waterways. But the rushing water is tearing up the Santa Paula Airport. Landing or taking off from here isn't going to be happening any time soon.

Driving isn't any better. Roads around the region are flooded or otherwise impassable. Pacific Coast Highway had to be shut down today because of a massive rock slide.

So in normally sunny southern California, the dark skies and rain are expected to remain. But already people are beginning to think about how this kind of damage might be avoided next time.

LEO SARAQUETA, RED-TAGGED RESIDENTS: You look at this and they should think before they start issuing all these permits for hillside building.

TETREAULT (on camera): And southern California is on track to break more rainfall records.

Donna Tetreault for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: In other news across America this morning, icy roads being blamed for a school bus crash in eastern Pennsylvania. Several injuries were reported after the bus was involved in a crash with five other vehicles. Fourteen students were on board that bus.

The Washington State governor's race may not be over yet. The victory by Democrat Christine Gregoire is being challenged in court. Republicans allege that more than 1,000 felons illegally voted for Gregoire in November's election. She won by just 129 votes after a third recount.

Alabama may get help for its Medicaid program from the dog track. The proposed constitutional amendment would allow for more electronic bingo games at Greyhound dog tracks. The estimated $75 million in extra taxes from the games would be used to fund the Medicaid program.

Some Americans are fed up with illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexican border and they are taking matters into their own hands. They're being called the Arizona "Minutemen." About 500 citizens have armed themselves to patrol a 40 mile stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border. The patrols will last throughout April, which is peak season for illegal immigration. The Americans are using high tech, unmanned aerial vehicles to locate and report these illegals.

Border Patrol officials are not happy with the group's plan. They call it vigilantism.

We're going to have a guest in the second hour of DAYBREAK to talk about this, actually, the man spearheading the charge. His name is Mr. Gilchrist. But we wanted to ask you this question now. Our DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Morning -- should it be illegal for private citizens to patrol the U.S. border?

Chad, you know, it's a tough one because...

MYERS: It sure is.

COSTELLO: ... you want citizens also to be responsible for themselves, and that's, in part, why this group is going to do this. But...

MYERS: Well, I have a question. Is this their land that they're protecting or is this just random land that they're out there with guns protecting? COSTELLO: Exactly. Random land along the border that they are protecting themselves.

MYERS: And it's not illegal to carry the guns because, what, they're hunting? They're hunting Catalina. I don't get it.

COSTELLO: Well, some are armed and some are not. So some may have a permit to carry a gun. I don't know. We're going to ask Mr. Gilchrist that in the next hour.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Nearly 500 volunteers have already joined this Minuteman project. That's what it's called. And they're going to be patrolling in southeast Arizona along the border there.

MYERS: Yes. They came up with a good name, didn't they?

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: It kind of makes it sound...

COSTELLO: It sounds like a good name.

MYERS: It sounds like something patriot...

COSTELLO: The Minuteman Project.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And this is Jim Gilchrist, the man we're going to talk to.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: He says: "I felt the only way to get something done was to do it yourself." He says: "We've been repeatedly accused of being people who are taking the law into our own hands. That's an outright bogus statement," he says. "We are going down there to assist law enforcement."

But law enforcement really doesn't want any assistance from the civilian population so it's quite a controversy.

MYERS: You said 500 people.

COSTELLO: Um-hmm.

MYERS: How many Border Patrol officers are there actually, you know, patrolling the same area?

COSTELLO: I know there are 10,000 Border Patrol agents. But I don't know if they're all located in that one sector.

MYERS: Well, of course not, right?

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Let's see. But I will find out that information the next time we ask this question. The question again, should it be illegal for private citizens to patrol the U.S. border? Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

MYERS: That should be a good one.

COSTELLO: Yes, it should.

You remember President Bush's axis of evil comments? Well, now Pope John Paul II says there is an ideology of evil in society. In his new book, the pontiff takes on homosexuality and abortion. The books title is "Memory And Identity" and it is being released today.

Our senior international correspondent Walt Rodgers has more from Rome -- good morning.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Here it is, an innocuous title, "Memory And Identity." Still, it has an ideological edge to it. This pope remaining still a tough warrior for his church. He does, indeed, tackle the issue of homosexual marriages, calling that part of the identity of evil. As shocking as you might -- as that might sound, you have to recall what he is really doing here is conducting a defense of the institution of Christian marriages.

Then, additionally, the pope is seen as going after abortion again. And on this particular level, he's -- some critics have said he's compared abortion to the Holocaust. Not so, says a leading church theologian, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Still, the pope does talk about legal extermination in some Western European countries that used to be totalitarian One can assume one is talking about Italy and Germany at that point.

So, again, he's really tough on people in this one.

There's some interesting personal reflections in this, too. He talks, His Holiness also talks in the book about the 1981 near fatal assassination attempt on his life. And he said he was "practically on the other side." In other words, in his mind, he almost died -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It seems, though, Walter, that this is stronger language than the people usually uses.

Is it?

RODGERS: I'm not sure about that. What I would say is that he is -- has always been very rigid in his defense of the things he believes most in. His principal foe in the contemporary world is the old Enlightenment doctrine of rationalism, how that translates into modern issues like homosexuality and homosexual marriages, and also the issue of abortion.

I don't really think this is any tougher than he's been before. What's curious, of course, is that he's demonstrated he's as tough as he ever was, at least intellectually, although we should point out that these musings and reflections are actually from recorded conversations he had with two Polish friends and philosophers back in 1993. So these are, according to the Vatican, issues and subjects he's felt strongly about for at least 11 1/2 or 12 years -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers live in Rome this morning.

Thank you.

Still ahead this hour, the U.S. is trying to warm up to European nations, but it might get the cold shoulder in return. We're going to take you to Germany.

Also, his friends and family say he's innocent, but U.S. officials say he's been in league with terrorists.

And Barry Bonds at spring training -- but it's not his batting that's getting all the attention, or his knee. Find out what he had to say. Whoo, he let some bombs fly.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning, February 23.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:15 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

They've clashed on Iraq, Iran and other key issues. President Bush and German leader Gerhardt Schroeder are meeting in Germany right now. It's the second leg of the president's fence mending trip to Europe.

Tough news for families of 9/11 victims. New York officials have stopped identifying human remains from the World Trade Center site, saying they've used up all the DNA technology available. That means more than four out of 10 families won't have any recovered remains to bury.

In money news, NASCAR is getting Sirius -- satellite radio, that is. The network signed a five year deal for exclusive rights to NASCAR's top three racing series. The $107 million partnership begins with the 2007 racing season.

In culture, you can own a piece of disco history, that is, if you really want to. The flashing dance floor that was the centerpiece of the movie "Saturday Night Fever" is being auctioned off on April Fool's Day, and we're not fooling. The New York nightclub that housed the floor closed last week.

In sports, Drew Bledsoe is the likely new starting quarterback in Dallas. The veteran was released by the Buffalo Bills. Sources say Bledsoe will be reunited with former Coach Bill Parcells as early as today.

To the forecast center now and Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Stick around, Chad.

MYERS: Yes?

COSTELLO: Because, you know, I interviewed Jeff Gordon.

MYERS: I know you did, yesterday.

COSTELLO: The winner of the Daytona 500. And, you know, before I interviewed Jeff Gordon, I called Chad to ask him what questions that I might ask of Jeff Gordon, because I know Chad is an expert on NASCAR.

Chad gave me a suggested question and I wanted to play it out for our audience now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Chad, my weather guy, is a heavy duty NASCAR fan. He says like you are the hottest bachelor in racing. Like, coming from Chad, I don't know if that's worth very much but...

JEFF GORDON: Yes, yes, can you get, you know, Halle Berry or, you know, Angelina Jolie to say that or something? Come on.

COSTELLO: Chad Myers, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Sorry, Chad.

MYERS: That's OK. What comes around goes around, Carol.

COSTELLO: I couldn't ask him the next question that Chad wanted me to ask him, if he was dating anyone. I just could not go there.

MYERS: Well, he had a high profile marriage and then a high profile divorce, you know, a high profile split up with millions of dollars going in both directions. So, you know, now is he spoiled on love or is he still looking around or, you know.

COSTELLO: I actually asked him about racing.

MYERS: I want to get inside the guy's head. That's what -- I want to know what he's thinking. I already know how he races.

COSTELLO: Actually, it's funny you should say that because in the next hour of DAYBREAK, we're going to play more of the interview with Jeff Gordon.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And he is an interesting guy. I asked him why so many people disliked him, because you either love him or you hate him.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And he had some interesting comments as to why so many dislike him.

MYERS: And he also talks about Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and how he helped him out with that booing thing going on.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And the funny thing is it's because of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. that the booing began in the first place.

MYERS: Well...

COSTELLO: So, that comes your way in the...

MYERS: It's all black and white.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

MYERS: And the man in black was definitely black and white.

COSTELLO: He was.

We want to update you now on a few stories we've told you about recently.

We start in Massachusetts, where police made an arrest in a cross burning case. Nineteen-year-old Cerne will be arraigned today on charges stemming from an incident earlier this week. Police say they found a charred eight foot cross outside of a Catholic Church.

A man has sued the Borgata Hotel Casino over their intended weight policy. The home of the Borgata Babes said that cocktail servers who gained too much weight can be suspended and even fired. Weigh-ins began last week. The man who sued doesn't work for the casino, but is listed in the lawsuit as a potential employee. He's claiming that the weight policy is discriminatory.

Harvard University President Lawrence Summers has avoided a no confidence vote for now. Some faculty members are upset over comments Summers made about women being inferior in math and science. He called Tuesday's faculty meeting "candid and thoughtful." An American citizen suspected in a possible assassination plot against President Bush. But the suspect's family says the charges are based on lies. We'll have the complete story for you just ahead.

And Barry Bonds' response to the question on everybody's mind. We'll tell you what the slugger said when asked if he ever used steroids. Whoo.

You are watching DAYBREAK for Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In Germany right now, President Bush is tackling post- Iraq differences with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, while here in the States, the real reason behind the president's trip to Europe gets a cynical look from Comedy Central's Jon Stewart.

It's time to laugh this morning.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART, COURTESY COMEDY CENTRAL)

JOHN STEWART, HOST: Bush sat down with the French president to show he was willing to let le bygones be le bygones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is my first dinner since I've been reelected on European soil and it's with Jacques Chirac. And that ought to say something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: That does say something. Specifically, the president couldn't find an Arby's in France.

Bush finally got to the real reason for his trip -- give us money for Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Now is the time for established democracies to give tangible political, economic and security assistance to the world's newest democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: It's the Bush version of the Pottery Barn rule -- we broke it, you bought it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: He always makes me laugh.

MYERS: He does. Always...

COSTELLO: It makes me wish I could do the news as he does, but I would be fired.

MYERS: The good news is he does -- there's a rerun at 7:00 at night from the night before that I watch, because I can't stay up to watch that live so.

COSTELLO: I understand.

Let's go to our E-Mail Question, because we're getting so many responses already.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: The question -- should it be...

MYERS: My computer is smoking up here from all these e-mails.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

Should it be illegal for private citizens to patrol the U.S. border? We're talking specifically about this group, a civilian border patrol group. It's called the Minuteman Project. Nearly 500 people have volunteered to patrol the border along Arizona.

In answer to your question, there are 2,100 agents staffed in the Tucson sector.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Ten thousand federal agents in all that patrol that 2,000 mile southern border in that part of the country. So read some e-mails that you have -- Chad.

MYERS: Well, this -- I mean we were talking about black and white with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. This is black and white, too, but one I kind of got in the middle here. John Shaw says: "I believe that U.S. citizens should be able to have the right to patrol their borders, but, in the same breath, I believe that if U.S. citizens are going to patrol the borders that they pass some sort of course, some kind of instruction to obtain the sort of license that proves they have what it takes to patrol the border and not just guys out there with guns."

COSTELLO: Well, he has a good point, because some of them will be armed. Some of them are going to carry guns and some of them are not trained at all.

MYERS: Now, most of them, I will say, say something like this: "Heck yes" -- although I cleaned that up. "They're illegals. This is our country. We pay for all of them once they get here -- school, aid, Medicare, all that kind of stuff. If it breaks the law to get here, if they break the law to get here, then we should be able to keep them out."

COSTELLO: I have to read mine right off my computer so I'm going to turn here.

MYERS: Go ahead.

COSTELLO: This is from Joe from New York. He says: "The guys patrolling the Arizona border are right on. If the government won't enforce the laws, we will."

And let me click on another one.

MYERS: That's how they're coming in, basically.

COSTELLO: Right. Right. Right.

Do you have another one while I look?

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

MYERS: This one actually is from Norman: "It's about time the American citizens take back our country. The U.S. can't protect our borders, so we must. We are urged to be vigilant in home security, but we should be vigilant in home security and home defense."

COSTELLO: And a lot of people are saying that very thing.

We'll get to more e-mails later in our show.

We have to take a break right now.

We'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you.

Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.

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

Now in the news, waterlogged California bracing for more rain today. Dozens of homes have been declared lost, like this one that simply slid down the hill. The bad weather blamed for at least nine deaths now.

Pope John Paul II has a new book out today. It's called "Memory And Identity." In it, he condemns homosexuality and abortion.

Negotiators from the U.S., Japan and South Korea will meet over the weekend to discuss resuming nuclear talks with North Korea. This comes after North Korea said it's willing to take part in talks again if the U.S. is sincere.

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 23, 2005 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, crumbled homes, wrecked lives -- California faces another day and another nasty storm.
Plus, back from the war and back into the arms of loved ones. A bittersweet homecoming for dozens of U.S. troops.

Also, good and evil, threats to society and a communist plot. No, it's not the latest thriller novel, it's the pope's new book.

It is Wednesday, February 23.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

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

Now in the news, President Bush arrived in Germany just about an hour and 15 minutes ago. This is the second leg of his European fence mending trip. Right now he's meeting with Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder, an opponent of the war in Iraq.

Some tough talk from the pope. In his new book, John Paul II condemns gay marriage and abortion. The people also says he thinks the gunman who shot him in 1981 might have been part of a communist plot.

An urgent warning from a top international health official this morning. He says the world is dangerously close to a deadly and widespread epidemic of bird flu. He's urging governments to act quickly to control it.

The legal saga of severely brain damaged Terri Schiavo could end this afternoon when yet another hearing is expected. A judge blocked a court ruling on Tuesday that would have allowed Schiavo's husband to remove the feeding tube that's kept her alive since 1990.

To the forecast center now and Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: That rain continues for southern California. It moves into southern Arizona for today. The high in Phoenix only 63. You don't see a lot of sunshine. L.A. hasn't seen sunshine since Thursday.

Carol, now the rainfall totals up to 8.5 inches in Los Angeles alone since Thursday. And now they have the third, third wettest season ever on record and the wettest season on record in 115 years.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's rough living out there in these times.

MYERS: It sure is.

COSTELLO: You know, those storms have caused such widespread massive damage. We have new pictures to show you this morning. Many residents are struggling to handle the turmoil.

And as CNN's Donna Tetreault reports from Los Angeles, nature is proving to be a real home wrecker.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, oh, oh, hey, it just went. Come back to our picture.

DONNA TETREAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This unbelievable picture on Fortune Place is a snapshot of the misfortune southern Californians continue to weather. Dozens of homes have been red-tagged, too dangerous to live in. This home slid off its foundation, only the flower boxes still intact.

LANCE VILTER, RED-TAGGED RESIDENT: I was sitting at a desk with a computer on it and the next thing I know, I heard something and then it felt like an earthquake.

TETREAULT: The forces of nature are at work and officials are scrambling to find answers for frightened and weary homeowners. MAYOR JAMES HAHN, LOS ANGELES: We're going to do the best we can. We can't save every home. Mother Nature has got a lot more tools in her toolbox than we do.

TETREAULT: This latest storm in a series of weather systems is packing a knockout punch, leaving black and blue bruises across the region. Roofs are leaking, mud is flowing and water is raging, not only through flood control channels, but down driveways and anything on a slope.

Engineers have opened the floodgates at Lake Piru Dam to relieve swollen waterways. But the rushing water is tearing up the Santa Paula Airport. Landing or taking off from here isn't going to be happening any time soon.

Driving isn't any better. Roads around the region are flooded or otherwise impassable. Pacific Coast Highway had to be shut down today because of a massive rock slide.

So in normally sunny southern California, the dark skies and rain are expected to remain. But already people are beginning to think about how this kind of damage might be avoided next time.

LEO SARAQUETA, RED-TAGGED RESIDENTS: You look at this and they should think before they start issuing all these permits for hillside building.

TETREAULT (on camera): And southern California is on track to break more rainfall records.

Donna Tetreault for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: In other news across America this morning, icy roads being blamed for a school bus crash in eastern Pennsylvania. Several injuries were reported after the bus was involved in a crash with five other vehicles. Fourteen students were on board that bus.

The Washington State governor's race may not be over yet. The victory by Democrat Christine Gregoire is being challenged in court. Republicans allege that more than 1,000 felons illegally voted for Gregoire in November's election. She won by just 129 votes after a third recount.

Alabama may get help for its Medicaid program from the dog track. The proposed constitutional amendment would allow for more electronic bingo games at Greyhound dog tracks. The estimated $75 million in extra taxes from the games would be used to fund the Medicaid program.

Some Americans are fed up with illegal immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexican border and they are taking matters into their own hands. They're being called the Arizona "Minutemen." About 500 citizens have armed themselves to patrol a 40 mile stretch of the Arizona-Mexico border. The patrols will last throughout April, which is peak season for illegal immigration. The Americans are using high tech, unmanned aerial vehicles to locate and report these illegals.

Border Patrol officials are not happy with the group's plan. They call it vigilantism.

We're going to have a guest in the second hour of DAYBREAK to talk about this, actually, the man spearheading the charge. His name is Mr. Gilchrist. But we wanted to ask you this question now. Our DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Morning -- should it be illegal for private citizens to patrol the U.S. border?

Chad, you know, it's a tough one because...

MYERS: It sure is.

COSTELLO: ... you want citizens also to be responsible for themselves, and that's, in part, why this group is going to do this. But...

MYERS: Well, I have a question. Is this their land that they're protecting or is this just random land that they're out there with guns protecting? COSTELLO: Exactly. Random land along the border that they are protecting themselves.

MYERS: And it's not illegal to carry the guns because, what, they're hunting? They're hunting Catalina. I don't get it.

COSTELLO: Well, some are armed and some are not. So some may have a permit to carry a gun. I don't know. We're going to ask Mr. Gilchrist that in the next hour.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Nearly 500 volunteers have already joined this Minuteman project. That's what it's called. And they're going to be patrolling in southeast Arizona along the border there.

MYERS: Yes. They came up with a good name, didn't they?

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: It kind of makes it sound...

COSTELLO: It sounds like a good name.

MYERS: It sounds like something patriot...

COSTELLO: The Minuteman Project.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And this is Jim Gilchrist, the man we're going to talk to.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: He says: "I felt the only way to get something done was to do it yourself." He says: "We've been repeatedly accused of being people who are taking the law into our own hands. That's an outright bogus statement," he says. "We are going down there to assist law enforcement."

But law enforcement really doesn't want any assistance from the civilian population so it's quite a controversy.

MYERS: You said 500 people.

COSTELLO: Um-hmm.

MYERS: How many Border Patrol officers are there actually, you know, patrolling the same area?

COSTELLO: I know there are 10,000 Border Patrol agents. But I don't know if they're all located in that one sector.

MYERS: Well, of course not, right?

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Let's see. But I will find out that information the next time we ask this question. The question again, should it be illegal for private citizens to patrol the U.S. border? Daybreak@cnn.com. That's daybreak@cnn.com.

MYERS: That should be a good one.

COSTELLO: Yes, it should.

You remember President Bush's axis of evil comments? Well, now Pope John Paul II says there is an ideology of evil in society. In his new book, the pontiff takes on homosexuality and abortion. The books title is "Memory And Identity" and it is being released today.

Our senior international correspondent Walt Rodgers has more from Rome -- good morning.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Here it is, an innocuous title, "Memory And Identity." Still, it has an ideological edge to it. This pope remaining still a tough warrior for his church. He does, indeed, tackle the issue of homosexual marriages, calling that part of the identity of evil. As shocking as you might -- as that might sound, you have to recall what he is really doing here is conducting a defense of the institution of Christian marriages.

Then, additionally, the pope is seen as going after abortion again. And on this particular level, he's -- some critics have said he's compared abortion to the Holocaust. Not so, says a leading church theologian, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Still, the pope does talk about legal extermination in some Western European countries that used to be totalitarian One can assume one is talking about Italy and Germany at that point.

So, again, he's really tough on people in this one.

There's some interesting personal reflections in this, too. He talks, His Holiness also talks in the book about the 1981 near fatal assassination attempt on his life. And he said he was "practically on the other side." In other words, in his mind, he almost died -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It seems, though, Walter, that this is stronger language than the people usually uses.

Is it?

RODGERS: I'm not sure about that. What I would say is that he is -- has always been very rigid in his defense of the things he believes most in. His principal foe in the contemporary world is the old Enlightenment doctrine of rationalism, how that translates into modern issues like homosexuality and homosexual marriages, and also the issue of abortion.

I don't really think this is any tougher than he's been before. What's curious, of course, is that he's demonstrated he's as tough as he ever was, at least intellectually, although we should point out that these musings and reflections are actually from recorded conversations he had with two Polish friends and philosophers back in 1993. So these are, according to the Vatican, issues and subjects he's felt strongly about for at least 11 1/2 or 12 years -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers live in Rome this morning.

Thank you.

Still ahead this hour, the U.S. is trying to warm up to European nations, but it might get the cold shoulder in return. We're going to take you to Germany.

Also, his friends and family say he's innocent, but U.S. officials say he's been in league with terrorists.

And Barry Bonds at spring training -- but it's not his batting that's getting all the attention, or his knee. Find out what he had to say. Whoo, he let some bombs fly.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning, February 23.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:15 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

They've clashed on Iraq, Iran and other key issues. President Bush and German leader Gerhardt Schroeder are meeting in Germany right now. It's the second leg of the president's fence mending trip to Europe.

Tough news for families of 9/11 victims. New York officials have stopped identifying human remains from the World Trade Center site, saying they've used up all the DNA technology available. That means more than four out of 10 families won't have any recovered remains to bury.

In money news, NASCAR is getting Sirius -- satellite radio, that is. The network signed a five year deal for exclusive rights to NASCAR's top three racing series. The $107 million partnership begins with the 2007 racing season.

In culture, you can own a piece of disco history, that is, if you really want to. The flashing dance floor that was the centerpiece of the movie "Saturday Night Fever" is being auctioned off on April Fool's Day, and we're not fooling. The New York nightclub that housed the floor closed last week.

In sports, Drew Bledsoe is the likely new starting quarterback in Dallas. The veteran was released by the Buffalo Bills. Sources say Bledsoe will be reunited with former Coach Bill Parcells as early as today.

To the forecast center now and Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Stick around, Chad.

MYERS: Yes?

COSTELLO: Because, you know, I interviewed Jeff Gordon.

MYERS: I know you did, yesterday.

COSTELLO: The winner of the Daytona 500. And, you know, before I interviewed Jeff Gordon, I called Chad to ask him what questions that I might ask of Jeff Gordon, because I know Chad is an expert on NASCAR.

Chad gave me a suggested question and I wanted to play it out for our audience now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Chad, my weather guy, is a heavy duty NASCAR fan. He says like you are the hottest bachelor in racing. Like, coming from Chad, I don't know if that's worth very much but...

JEFF GORDON: Yes, yes, can you get, you know, Halle Berry or, you know, Angelina Jolie to say that or something? Come on.

COSTELLO: Chad Myers, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Sorry, Chad.

MYERS: That's OK. What comes around goes around, Carol.

COSTELLO: I couldn't ask him the next question that Chad wanted me to ask him, if he was dating anyone. I just could not go there.

MYERS: Well, he had a high profile marriage and then a high profile divorce, you know, a high profile split up with millions of dollars going in both directions. So, you know, now is he spoiled on love or is he still looking around or, you know.

COSTELLO: I actually asked him about racing.

MYERS: I want to get inside the guy's head. That's what -- I want to know what he's thinking. I already know how he races.

COSTELLO: Actually, it's funny you should say that because in the next hour of DAYBREAK, we're going to play more of the interview with Jeff Gordon.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And he is an interesting guy. I asked him why so many people disliked him, because you either love him or you hate him.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And he had some interesting comments as to why so many dislike him.

MYERS: And he also talks about Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and how he helped him out with that booing thing going on.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And the funny thing is it's because of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. that the booing began in the first place.

MYERS: Well...

COSTELLO: So, that comes your way in the...

MYERS: It's all black and white.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

MYERS: And the man in black was definitely black and white.

COSTELLO: He was.

We want to update you now on a few stories we've told you about recently.

We start in Massachusetts, where police made an arrest in a cross burning case. Nineteen-year-old Cerne will be arraigned today on charges stemming from an incident earlier this week. Police say they found a charred eight foot cross outside of a Catholic Church.

A man has sued the Borgata Hotel Casino over their intended weight policy. The home of the Borgata Babes said that cocktail servers who gained too much weight can be suspended and even fired. Weigh-ins began last week. The man who sued doesn't work for the casino, but is listed in the lawsuit as a potential employee. He's claiming that the weight policy is discriminatory.

Harvard University President Lawrence Summers has avoided a no confidence vote for now. Some faculty members are upset over comments Summers made about women being inferior in math and science. He called Tuesday's faculty meeting "candid and thoughtful." An American citizen suspected in a possible assassination plot against President Bush. But the suspect's family says the charges are based on lies. We'll have the complete story for you just ahead.

And Barry Bonds' response to the question on everybody's mind. We'll tell you what the slugger said when asked if he ever used steroids. Whoo.

You are watching DAYBREAK for Wednesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In Germany right now, President Bush is tackling post- Iraq differences with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, while here in the States, the real reason behind the president's trip to Europe gets a cynical look from Comedy Central's Jon Stewart.

It's time to laugh this morning.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART, COURTESY COMEDY CENTRAL)

JOHN STEWART, HOST: Bush sat down with the French president to show he was willing to let le bygones be le bygones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is my first dinner since I've been reelected on European soil and it's with Jacques Chirac. And that ought to say something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: That does say something. Specifically, the president couldn't find an Arby's in France.

Bush finally got to the real reason for his trip -- give us money for Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Now is the time for established democracies to give tangible political, economic and security assistance to the world's newest democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: It's the Bush version of the Pottery Barn rule -- we broke it, you bought it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: He always makes me laugh.

MYERS: He does. Always...

COSTELLO: It makes me wish I could do the news as he does, but I would be fired.

MYERS: The good news is he does -- there's a rerun at 7:00 at night from the night before that I watch, because I can't stay up to watch that live so.

COSTELLO: I understand.

Let's go to our E-Mail Question, because we're getting so many responses already.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: The question -- should it be...

MYERS: My computer is smoking up here from all these e-mails.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

Should it be illegal for private citizens to patrol the U.S. border? We're talking specifically about this group, a civilian border patrol group. It's called the Minuteman Project. Nearly 500 people have volunteered to patrol the border along Arizona.

In answer to your question, there are 2,100 agents staffed in the Tucson sector.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Ten thousand federal agents in all that patrol that 2,000 mile southern border in that part of the country. So read some e-mails that you have -- Chad.

MYERS: Well, this -- I mean we were talking about black and white with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. This is black and white, too, but one I kind of got in the middle here. John Shaw says: "I believe that U.S. citizens should be able to have the right to patrol their borders, but, in the same breath, I believe that if U.S. citizens are going to patrol the borders that they pass some sort of course, some kind of instruction to obtain the sort of license that proves they have what it takes to patrol the border and not just guys out there with guns."

COSTELLO: Well, he has a good point, because some of them will be armed. Some of them are going to carry guns and some of them are not trained at all.

MYERS: Now, most of them, I will say, say something like this: "Heck yes" -- although I cleaned that up. "They're illegals. This is our country. We pay for all of them once they get here -- school, aid, Medicare, all that kind of stuff. If it breaks the law to get here, if they break the law to get here, then we should be able to keep them out."

COSTELLO: I have to read mine right off my computer so I'm going to turn here.

MYERS: Go ahead.

COSTELLO: This is from Joe from New York. He says: "The guys patrolling the Arizona border are right on. If the government won't enforce the laws, we will."

And let me click on another one.

MYERS: That's how they're coming in, basically.

COSTELLO: Right. Right. Right.

Do you have another one while I look?

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

MYERS: This one actually is from Norman: "It's about time the American citizens take back our country. The U.S. can't protect our borders, so we must. We are urged to be vigilant in home security, but we should be vigilant in home security and home defense."

COSTELLO: And a lot of people are saying that very thing.

We'll get to more e-mails later in our show.

We have to take a break right now.

We'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you.

Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.

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

Now in the news, waterlogged California bracing for more rain today. Dozens of homes have been declared lost, like this one that simply slid down the hill. The bad weather blamed for at least nine deaths now.

Pope John Paul II has a new book out today. It's called "Memory And Identity." In it, he condemns homosexuality and abortion.

Negotiators from the U.S., Japan and South Korea will meet over the weekend to discuss resuming nuclear talks with North Korea. This comes after North Korea said it's willing to take part in talks again if the U.S. is sincere.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com