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CNN Live At Daybreak

The Pope's Health; U.S.-Russia Talks; McConaughey's Miles; Rubberneckers; Detainee Abuse

Aired February 25, 2005 - 05:30   ET

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

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, 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."

Travelling has been a mess in the northeast states. A winter storm dumped six inches of snow or more from Maryland up through New York. The snowy conditions delayed flights, triggered numerous traffic accidents and closed schools.

There are questions this morning involving a FDA panel. Ten of the 32 panel advisers who voted to allow sales of the painkiller Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx reportedly had industry ties. "The New York Times" reports the 10 have consulted in recent years for the drug's makers.

One man angry over a child support dispute opens fire at a Tyler, Texas courthouse. He kills his ex-wife and a bystander and wounds four others. The gunman was eventually killed by police.

There could be another delay in a Florida right-to-die case. A lawyer for Terri Schiavo's parents says Florida's Social Services is seeking a 60-day stay in removing her feeding tube. The department wants time to investigate new allegations of abuse and neglect of the brain-damaged woman.

To the Forecast Center now and, Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: We begin this hour with the health of Pope John Paul II. An official update on the pope's health is expected just about an hour from now. But just minutes ago, reports out of Rome say the pope is now breathing on his own without a respirator.

Let's head live now to CNN international correspondent Walter Rodgers for more of an update.

Hello -- Walt. WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well that is somewhat encouraging news. Still, one should not become overly optimistic. It's going to be a very prolonged recovery for the pope. Recall he had a tracheotomy last night. That is to say they cut into his windpipe in his neck so that he could breathe through tubes. And we still believe that that's the way he is breathing, even though the artificial breathing device, the respirator, has been removed.

The mood here in Rome is of course characterized by this headline from "La Repubblica," fears for the pope after he has an operation. I think those fears remain real and genuine at this point, if for no other reason because of the pope's age, his frailty and his other infirmities, including Parkinson's Disease.

In just about an hour, we're expecting a health bulletin, an update reporting on how the pope did overnight. We are told by the Vatican officials that the operation itself was a success. But again, a success means that the pope is breathing on his own again now.

Having said that, we don't know what the long-term prognosis is. And most of the medical experts are still more than a little concerned because a) the pope needed a respirator and b) his condition is frail and he had to be taken back to the hospital yesterday for the second time in the same month. And again, there was that tracheotomy.

Again, a clouded picture. Let's wait and see for more until we hear from the midday medical bulletin here in Rome -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll do. Walt Rodgers reporting live from Rome this morning.

Reaction to the pope's hospital stay and surgery coming from around the globe. President Bush issued this statement during his return from Europe. He says "on behalf of all Americans, Laura and I send our heartfelt best wishes to Pope John Paul II. The Holy Father is in our thoughts and prayers, and we wish him a speedy recovery and a return to the service of his church and all humanity."

The president learned of the pope's illness on the last leg of his European trip. The president and first lady landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland late last night after a flight from Slovakia where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CNN's John King has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The post-meeting news conference turned into a spirited seminar on democracy and trust. Russia's Putin forcefully rebutting those who say he has turned away from reform and rule of law.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This is our final choice and we have no way back. Any kind of turn towards totalitarianism for Russia would be impossible due to the condition of the Russian society.

KING: Mr. Putin said his critics do not understand him, Russian culture or his country's difficult and continuing transition from the days of the Soviet Union.

PUTIN (through translator): The implementation of the principles and norms of democracy should not be accompanied by the collapse of the state and the impoverishment of the people.

KING: President Bush said he raised a number of concerns in private, including, aides say, Kremlin media restrictions and prosecutions of Putin critics the White House says undermine confidence in Russia's political and investment climates.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Vladimir heard me loud and clear and he explained why he made decisions he made.

KING: Mr. Bush entered the meeting held at a scenic hillside castle in Slovakia, under pressure from some conservatives back home to take a tougher line with the man he calls "friend" in Vladimir. But the president stood by his first impression four years ago when he spoke of peering into Mr. Putin's soul and finding him trustworthy.

BUSH: Sometimes in politics "yes" means maybe and "no" means if. This is the kind of fellow who when he says yes, he means yes, and when he says no, he means no.

KING: Both governments cited new agreements as proof of a friendship that can be productive, even at times of tension. The commitments were designed to reinvigorate cooperation on several fronts, including dismantling and securing Russian nuclear materials, improving security at nuclear facilities, preventing illicit sales of shoulder-fired missiles and exploring sales of more Russian oil and natural gas to the United States.

And while the two leaders have tactical differences, both said it is critical that Iran and North Korea agree to forswear nuclear weapons.

(on camera): This was the 14th face-to-face meeting between the two leaders. And they will see each other at least three more times this year, providing ample opportunity to test those promises of cooperation and to continue their debate about democracy.

John King, CNN, Bratislava, Slovakia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Still to come this morning, find out how this big black screen, there it is, could make your trip in to work a little safer this morning.

And Matthew McConaughey drops in on U.S. troops. And look at that, he loses his shirt. I talked with the star of the upcoming movie "Sahara." Find out what he had to say about taking it off, taking it all off.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

New reports out of Rome say Pope John Paul II is breathing without the aid of a respirator right now. The pope spent his first night in a Rome hospital following a tracheotomy. We expect to get another update on his condition in the next hour.

AIDS researchers are still trying to figure out how a New York man's drug resistant strain of HIV progressed to full-blown AIDS so quickly. The case was discussed at the 12th Annual Retrovirus Conference in Boston.

In money news, Sirius Radio is trying to cash in on the hip-hop generation. The satellite radio provider is adding multi-platinum artist "50 Cent" to its lineup. His program will air on the uncensored hip-hop radio channel co-produced by rapper Eminem.

In culture, actor Ben Stiller and his actress wife, Christine Taylor, are going for No 2. She is preggers with their second child. They have a 2-year-old daughter named Ella.

In sports, the Baltimore Orioles' first baseman, Rafael Palmeiro, is considering a lawsuit against Jose Canseco. In his book, Canseco says that he injected steroids into Palmeiro when they were teammates in Texas. Palmeiro denies the allegation -- Chad.

MYERS: I told you this wasn't over.

COSTELLO: It's going to get ugly.

MYERS: Oh man!

COSTELLO: Well Peter Angelos, the owner of the Orioles, is offering to like help Rafael Palmeiro sue this guy.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: So, and you know...

MYERS: So...

COSTELLO: ... he's been successful before at lawsuits, because you know he made all of his money off asbestos lawsuits.

MYERS: More distractions for Major League Baseball.

COSTELLO: Yes. MYERS: You know that's just all it is, it's just one huge season-long, probably, distraction.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

DAYBREAK is chalk full of celebrities this morning. Why Matthew McConaughey is visiting troops all across the United States. Stay tuned, believe me, you will not want to miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: One of Hollywood's coolest and hottest leading men, Matthew McConaughey, stopped by our Atlanta studio on Thursday. He's travelling across the nation promoting his new movie "Sahara." He talked with me about meeting troops at Robins Air Force Base near Macon as part of the movie's promotional tour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, ACTOR: I'm 35 now, and to be reminded how young some of these kids are, you know 17, 18, 19 years old, and that's the life they've got and the life they've chosen in here to defend the country, it's pretty special.

COSTELLO: I know, I can't even imagine being over there and facing what they have to face every day.

MCCONAUGHEY: No. You know that's it, all we can do is imagine it, you know. And unfortunately I know, I went through it, I didn't have to. Didn't get drafted, didn't have a war for us to get drafted into or to enlist into, so, yes.

COSTELLO: Did they share any stories with you?

MCCONAUGHEY: Most of them, there were some that had been to Iraq, for instance. There were some who were about to go. Mostly they just talked about -- they really liked to talk about entertaining and light and fun things, really. We didn't get into any real stories and none of them really wanted to. We just did a lot of laughing, kind of a lot of singing, a lot of hugging and hand slapping and really talked about some good stuff. It was kind of a pretty high- spirited couple of hours is really what it was.

COSTELLO: Well I heard that you offered your shirt to someone.

MCCONAUGHEY: I got bribed out of it. Yes, I was going around the room. I was like asking the age of everybody. I said who's the youngest? And this 17-year-old kid raises his hand. And I said who's the oldest? And nobody raised their hand. I said nobody wants to raise their hand for the oldest. And this lady up front, she goes I'll tell you, and I'm the oldest, I'll tell you my age, you give me your shirt. So I gave her my shirt and she goes I'm 50. COSTELLO: But I heard the reason she wanted to make that bet with you and she wanted your shirt so everyone could enjoy your wonderful physique.

MCCONAUGHEY: Well I don't know, she sure got a shirt off of it. But we traded, although, you know what, she didn't take her shirt off, but I did get a T-shirt out of it.

COSTELLO: It's a good thing. I don't think the U.S. military would have liked her to do that.

MCCONAUGHEY: I don't think so.

COSTELLO: You know it's an interesting way that you're promoting your movie that's coming out, "Sahara."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where in the hell did you get this? You've got 72 hours. Fellows just bought yourself a boat trip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And you're riding across the country and actually meeting face to face with people?

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes, ma'am. It started off in Texas. I think we've done about 1,800 miles now. Going to do a six-week road tour, "Sahara" campaign. I guess you could call it sort of a grass roots run. Taking my airstream behind my truck. My airstream is completely covered in "Sahara" advertisements. And stopping in places like Daytona, a military base there, an Air Force base yesterday, here. And I'll move north, get up around New York. Everything from towns to cities to events to state fairs to barbecues in parking lots.

COSTELLO: You're also keeping a blog for MTV about your travels.

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes, exactly. I always keep a diary on the road, and I'm sharing it. And so far I've already got some good stories.

COSTELLO: Like what?

MCCONAUGHEY: Well, I mean everything from running into certain truck stops and people that I've met there. Yesterday I was in a truck stop gassing up with diesel. And this lady got out of her 18 wheeler and was like my husband just woke me up and said, hey man, there's that guy from that "How to Lose a Man in 10 Days" movie. And she got out and she said I said I don't believe you. And I walked over and now I'm looking you in the eye, and I said, damn, that is you. So we're having a good time signing CDs, DVDs, seeing fans passing out hats, passing out shirts and getting it out there.

COSTELLO: That's very cool. All right, of course every woman at CNN is madly in love with you, do you know that?

MCCONAUGHEY: I do not know that. COSTELLO: Did you feel the stares as you walked into the CNN Center?

MCCONAUGHEY: I may be getting some right now.

COSTELLO: I think you are. Everybody wants to know if you're going to marry your girlfriend, Penelope Cruz.

MCCONAUGHEY: Well that's a good question. I don't know. Not yet, you know. Right now I've got five free fingers and life is good and her and I are doing just fine. But no M word has of talked yet, no.

COSTELLO: Really?

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes.

COSTELLO: Because you know the rumors are spreading like wildfire across America?

MCCONAUGHEY: Well you know that'll happen. Rumors will spread. They do, don't they? They spread like a damn epidemic, don't they?

COSTELLO: They do.

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes.

COSTELLO: It's like a pandemic.

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes. It'll be just fine.

COSTELLO: Well thank you so much for joining us today.

MCCONAUGHEY: All right.

COSTELLO: Matthew McConaughey.

MCCONAUGHEY: You're welcome. Just keep living and have a good day yourself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I will keep living and I will have a good day.

The who's who of Hollywood will be walking the red carpet on Sunday night, but who do you think will be walking home with a new leading man? We'll get the best Oscar nods on Hollywood hunks.

And he's got a new show opening in Vegas and you can't smile without him, not Sean Penn, but Barry Manilow. Plus, if you're a fanilow, you've probably already got your tickets.

The next hour of DAYBREAK, my one-on-one chat with music legend Barry Manilow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Admit it, we've all been guilty of it, even as we're cursing the people ahead of us who are doing it. I'm talking about rubbernecking, you know driving past an accident and slowing down to look. Sometimes that curiosity can kill. So, what's the solution? How about a big giant screen.

Live to Boston and Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the Massachusetts Highway Department.

Good morning.

JON CARLISLE, MASSACHUSETTS HIGHWAY DEPT.: Good morning, how are you?

COSTELLO: I'm fine. You know I've always wondered why people rubberneck. They always tell me they don't like to see gore on TV, yet when they pass by an accident scene, they just want to see what's going on.

CARLISLE: Well I think it's natural curiosity and it's understandable. But we've recently undertaken a step to minimize that curiosity.

COSTELLO: How many accidents are caused by rubbernecking?

CARLISLE: Well we think it's significant. Not so much the accidents, but the actual slowdown of vehicles. So you do have fender benders from time to time because people actually stop to look at an accident. But more problematic is actually slowing down and causing more and more congestion, and it actually just compounds itself.

COSTELLO: Yes, it does. OK, so Massachusetts' idea to end rubbernecking is erecting this giant seven-foot screen. Who sets up that giant tarp?

CARLISLE: Well the Highway Department does. We have accident response crews who actually now carry this new tool with them. And they have the opportunity or the ability now to set up the screen. It's about 30 feet long, 7 feet tall, so if the situation merits, they can shield the accident from view and reduce the instances of people actually driving by and taking a look at it.

COSTELLO: So people don't really slow down to look at the tarp?

CARLISLE: Well, no, I think that there's an initial curiosity factor with the tarp. But once people get used to the fact that there's this new tarp and they won't have an opportunity to see the accident, they're going to flow right by. And every indication we get from our people in the field, as well as state police, is that on the 15 occasions we've tried it so far, it's been working very well.

COSTELLO: So you've only tried it on 15 occasions. Will this spread throughout every police department?

CARLISLE: Well potentially. You know we have 27 of these screen sets throughout the state. And as far as we know, it's the first time it's been tried in the United States. But every indication is it's going very well and we wouldn't be surprised if we had calls from other states asking us about our experiences with it and asking, you know, how we fabricate them and how they can get in on the deal.

COSTELLO: All right. Jon Carlisle, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with much more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Three British soldiers are expected to get prison sentences today for abusing Iraqi civilians. The sentencing hearing is being held this morning in Germany, home base of Britain's Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

CNN's Chris Burns reports from Berlin.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, two lance corporals and a corporal are facing sentencing. One of them had been -- all three of them had been convicted earlier this week, one of them for hoisting a man on a forklift. We've seen some of these pictures that have been published. They were released, actually, after one of the soldiers went back and had them made out in a photomat and somebody expressed outrage, and that's how it made the public -- got into the public.

And the lance corporal, other lance corporal, pleaded guilty to tying a man up. And he is the man in the photo, actually, tying an Iraqi up and standing on him.

These offenses are perhaps less grave than some of what we saw at the Abu Ghraib Prison abuses among the American soldiers. But nevertheless, they are very serious for the British. And some of these men, they face up to two years in prison. We'll have to see how they are sentenced.

The British are also continuing to investigate. In the papers we're seeing in Britain that 11 others could be charged in fatal beatings and other abuse. Seven are already charged. So it is a problem among the British military. The British military is cracking down on that -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Chris Burns reporting live from Berlin, Germany this morning.

The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.

The ailing pontiff, we're expecting an announcement live this hour on DAYBREAK.

Did Bush overcome any of his differences with European allies? A look at the president's trip through Europe.

And will the Oscars be rocked forever? The anticipation builds over the Academy Awards host.

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 25, 2005 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, 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."

Travelling has been a mess in the northeast states. A winter storm dumped six inches of snow or more from Maryland up through New York. The snowy conditions delayed flights, triggered numerous traffic accidents and closed schools.

There are questions this morning involving a FDA panel. Ten of the 32 panel advisers who voted to allow sales of the painkiller Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx reportedly had industry ties. "The New York Times" reports the 10 have consulted in recent years for the drug's makers.

One man angry over a child support dispute opens fire at a Tyler, Texas courthouse. He kills his ex-wife and a bystander and wounds four others. The gunman was eventually killed by police.

There could be another delay in a Florida right-to-die case. A lawyer for Terri Schiavo's parents says Florida's Social Services is seeking a 60-day stay in removing her feeding tube. The department wants time to investigate new allegations of abuse and neglect of the brain-damaged woman.

To the Forecast Center now and, Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: We begin this hour with the health of Pope John Paul II. An official update on the pope's health is expected just about an hour from now. But just minutes ago, reports out of Rome say the pope is now breathing on his own without a respirator.

Let's head live now to CNN international correspondent Walter Rodgers for more of an update.

Hello -- Walt. WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well that is somewhat encouraging news. Still, one should not become overly optimistic. It's going to be a very prolonged recovery for the pope. Recall he had a tracheotomy last night. That is to say they cut into his windpipe in his neck so that he could breathe through tubes. And we still believe that that's the way he is breathing, even though the artificial breathing device, the respirator, has been removed.

The mood here in Rome is of course characterized by this headline from "La Repubblica," fears for the pope after he has an operation. I think those fears remain real and genuine at this point, if for no other reason because of the pope's age, his frailty and his other infirmities, including Parkinson's Disease.

In just about an hour, we're expecting a health bulletin, an update reporting on how the pope did overnight. We are told by the Vatican officials that the operation itself was a success. But again, a success means that the pope is breathing on his own again now.

Having said that, we don't know what the long-term prognosis is. And most of the medical experts are still more than a little concerned because a) the pope needed a respirator and b) his condition is frail and he had to be taken back to the hospital yesterday for the second time in the same month. And again, there was that tracheotomy.

Again, a clouded picture. Let's wait and see for more until we hear from the midday medical bulletin here in Rome -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll do. Walt Rodgers reporting live from Rome this morning.

Reaction to the pope's hospital stay and surgery coming from around the globe. President Bush issued this statement during his return from Europe. He says "on behalf of all Americans, Laura and I send our heartfelt best wishes to Pope John Paul II. The Holy Father is in our thoughts and prayers, and we wish him a speedy recovery and a return to the service of his church and all humanity."

The president learned of the pope's illness on the last leg of his European trip. The president and first lady landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland late last night after a flight from Slovakia where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CNN's John King has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The post-meeting news conference turned into a spirited seminar on democracy and trust. Russia's Putin forcefully rebutting those who say he has turned away from reform and rule of law.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This is our final choice and we have no way back. Any kind of turn towards totalitarianism for Russia would be impossible due to the condition of the Russian society.

KING: Mr. Putin said his critics do not understand him, Russian culture or his country's difficult and continuing transition from the days of the Soviet Union.

PUTIN (through translator): The implementation of the principles and norms of democracy should not be accompanied by the collapse of the state and the impoverishment of the people.

KING: President Bush said he raised a number of concerns in private, including, aides say, Kremlin media restrictions and prosecutions of Putin critics the White House says undermine confidence in Russia's political and investment climates.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Vladimir heard me loud and clear and he explained why he made decisions he made.

KING: Mr. Bush entered the meeting held at a scenic hillside castle in Slovakia, under pressure from some conservatives back home to take a tougher line with the man he calls "friend" in Vladimir. But the president stood by his first impression four years ago when he spoke of peering into Mr. Putin's soul and finding him trustworthy.

BUSH: Sometimes in politics "yes" means maybe and "no" means if. This is the kind of fellow who when he says yes, he means yes, and when he says no, he means no.

KING: Both governments cited new agreements as proof of a friendship that can be productive, even at times of tension. The commitments were designed to reinvigorate cooperation on several fronts, including dismantling and securing Russian nuclear materials, improving security at nuclear facilities, preventing illicit sales of shoulder-fired missiles and exploring sales of more Russian oil and natural gas to the United States.

And while the two leaders have tactical differences, both said it is critical that Iran and North Korea agree to forswear nuclear weapons.

(on camera): This was the 14th face-to-face meeting between the two leaders. And they will see each other at least three more times this year, providing ample opportunity to test those promises of cooperation and to continue their debate about democracy.

John King, CNN, Bratislava, Slovakia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Still to come this morning, find out how this big black screen, there it is, could make your trip in to work a little safer this morning.

And Matthew McConaughey drops in on U.S. troops. And look at that, he loses his shirt. I talked with the star of the upcoming movie "Sahara." Find out what he had to say about taking it off, taking it all off.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

New reports out of Rome say Pope John Paul II is breathing without the aid of a respirator right now. The pope spent his first night in a Rome hospital following a tracheotomy. We expect to get another update on his condition in the next hour.

AIDS researchers are still trying to figure out how a New York man's drug resistant strain of HIV progressed to full-blown AIDS so quickly. The case was discussed at the 12th Annual Retrovirus Conference in Boston.

In money news, Sirius Radio is trying to cash in on the hip-hop generation. The satellite radio provider is adding multi-platinum artist "50 Cent" to its lineup. His program will air on the uncensored hip-hop radio channel co-produced by rapper Eminem.

In culture, actor Ben Stiller and his actress wife, Christine Taylor, are going for No 2. She is preggers with their second child. They have a 2-year-old daughter named Ella.

In sports, the Baltimore Orioles' first baseman, Rafael Palmeiro, is considering a lawsuit against Jose Canseco. In his book, Canseco says that he injected steroids into Palmeiro when they were teammates in Texas. Palmeiro denies the allegation -- Chad.

MYERS: I told you this wasn't over.

COSTELLO: It's going to get ugly.

MYERS: Oh man!

COSTELLO: Well Peter Angelos, the owner of the Orioles, is offering to like help Rafael Palmeiro sue this guy.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: So, and you know...

MYERS: So...

COSTELLO: ... he's been successful before at lawsuits, because you know he made all of his money off asbestos lawsuits.

MYERS: More distractions for Major League Baseball.

COSTELLO: Yes. MYERS: You know that's just all it is, it's just one huge season-long, probably, distraction.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

DAYBREAK is chalk full of celebrities this morning. Why Matthew McConaughey is visiting troops all across the United States. Stay tuned, believe me, you will not want to miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: One of Hollywood's coolest and hottest leading men, Matthew McConaughey, stopped by our Atlanta studio on Thursday. He's travelling across the nation promoting his new movie "Sahara." He talked with me about meeting troops at Robins Air Force Base near Macon as part of the movie's promotional tour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, ACTOR: I'm 35 now, and to be reminded how young some of these kids are, you know 17, 18, 19 years old, and that's the life they've got and the life they've chosen in here to defend the country, it's pretty special.

COSTELLO: I know, I can't even imagine being over there and facing what they have to face every day.

MCCONAUGHEY: No. You know that's it, all we can do is imagine it, you know. And unfortunately I know, I went through it, I didn't have to. Didn't get drafted, didn't have a war for us to get drafted into or to enlist into, so, yes.

COSTELLO: Did they share any stories with you?

MCCONAUGHEY: Most of them, there were some that had been to Iraq, for instance. There were some who were about to go. Mostly they just talked about -- they really liked to talk about entertaining and light and fun things, really. We didn't get into any real stories and none of them really wanted to. We just did a lot of laughing, kind of a lot of singing, a lot of hugging and hand slapping and really talked about some good stuff. It was kind of a pretty high- spirited couple of hours is really what it was.

COSTELLO: Well I heard that you offered your shirt to someone.

MCCONAUGHEY: I got bribed out of it. Yes, I was going around the room. I was like asking the age of everybody. I said who's the youngest? And this 17-year-old kid raises his hand. And I said who's the oldest? And nobody raised their hand. I said nobody wants to raise their hand for the oldest. And this lady up front, she goes I'll tell you, and I'm the oldest, I'll tell you my age, you give me your shirt. So I gave her my shirt and she goes I'm 50. COSTELLO: But I heard the reason she wanted to make that bet with you and she wanted your shirt so everyone could enjoy your wonderful physique.

MCCONAUGHEY: Well I don't know, she sure got a shirt off of it. But we traded, although, you know what, she didn't take her shirt off, but I did get a T-shirt out of it.

COSTELLO: It's a good thing. I don't think the U.S. military would have liked her to do that.

MCCONAUGHEY: I don't think so.

COSTELLO: You know it's an interesting way that you're promoting your movie that's coming out, "Sahara."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where in the hell did you get this? You've got 72 hours. Fellows just bought yourself a boat trip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And you're riding across the country and actually meeting face to face with people?

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes, ma'am. It started off in Texas. I think we've done about 1,800 miles now. Going to do a six-week road tour, "Sahara" campaign. I guess you could call it sort of a grass roots run. Taking my airstream behind my truck. My airstream is completely covered in "Sahara" advertisements. And stopping in places like Daytona, a military base there, an Air Force base yesterday, here. And I'll move north, get up around New York. Everything from towns to cities to events to state fairs to barbecues in parking lots.

COSTELLO: You're also keeping a blog for MTV about your travels.

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes, exactly. I always keep a diary on the road, and I'm sharing it. And so far I've already got some good stories.

COSTELLO: Like what?

MCCONAUGHEY: Well, I mean everything from running into certain truck stops and people that I've met there. Yesterday I was in a truck stop gassing up with diesel. And this lady got out of her 18 wheeler and was like my husband just woke me up and said, hey man, there's that guy from that "How to Lose a Man in 10 Days" movie. And she got out and she said I said I don't believe you. And I walked over and now I'm looking you in the eye, and I said, damn, that is you. So we're having a good time signing CDs, DVDs, seeing fans passing out hats, passing out shirts and getting it out there.

COSTELLO: That's very cool. All right, of course every woman at CNN is madly in love with you, do you know that?

MCCONAUGHEY: I do not know that. COSTELLO: Did you feel the stares as you walked into the CNN Center?

MCCONAUGHEY: I may be getting some right now.

COSTELLO: I think you are. Everybody wants to know if you're going to marry your girlfriend, Penelope Cruz.

MCCONAUGHEY: Well that's a good question. I don't know. Not yet, you know. Right now I've got five free fingers and life is good and her and I are doing just fine. But no M word has of talked yet, no.

COSTELLO: Really?

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes.

COSTELLO: Because you know the rumors are spreading like wildfire across America?

MCCONAUGHEY: Well you know that'll happen. Rumors will spread. They do, don't they? They spread like a damn epidemic, don't they?

COSTELLO: They do.

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes.

COSTELLO: It's like a pandemic.

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes. It'll be just fine.

COSTELLO: Well thank you so much for joining us today.

MCCONAUGHEY: All right.

COSTELLO: Matthew McConaughey.

MCCONAUGHEY: You're welcome. Just keep living and have a good day yourself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I will keep living and I will have a good day.

The who's who of Hollywood will be walking the red carpet on Sunday night, but who do you think will be walking home with a new leading man? We'll get the best Oscar nods on Hollywood hunks.

And he's got a new show opening in Vegas and you can't smile without him, not Sean Penn, but Barry Manilow. Plus, if you're a fanilow, you've probably already got your tickets.

The next hour of DAYBREAK, my one-on-one chat with music legend Barry Manilow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Admit it, we've all been guilty of it, even as we're cursing the people ahead of us who are doing it. I'm talking about rubbernecking, you know driving past an accident and slowing down to look. Sometimes that curiosity can kill. So, what's the solution? How about a big giant screen.

Live to Boston and Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the Massachusetts Highway Department.

Good morning.

JON CARLISLE, MASSACHUSETTS HIGHWAY DEPT.: Good morning, how are you?

COSTELLO: I'm fine. You know I've always wondered why people rubberneck. They always tell me they don't like to see gore on TV, yet when they pass by an accident scene, they just want to see what's going on.

CARLISLE: Well I think it's natural curiosity and it's understandable. But we've recently undertaken a step to minimize that curiosity.

COSTELLO: How many accidents are caused by rubbernecking?

CARLISLE: Well we think it's significant. Not so much the accidents, but the actual slowdown of vehicles. So you do have fender benders from time to time because people actually stop to look at an accident. But more problematic is actually slowing down and causing more and more congestion, and it actually just compounds itself.

COSTELLO: Yes, it does. OK, so Massachusetts' idea to end rubbernecking is erecting this giant seven-foot screen. Who sets up that giant tarp?

CARLISLE: Well the Highway Department does. We have accident response crews who actually now carry this new tool with them. And they have the opportunity or the ability now to set up the screen. It's about 30 feet long, 7 feet tall, so if the situation merits, they can shield the accident from view and reduce the instances of people actually driving by and taking a look at it.

COSTELLO: So people don't really slow down to look at the tarp?

CARLISLE: Well, no, I think that there's an initial curiosity factor with the tarp. But once people get used to the fact that there's this new tarp and they won't have an opportunity to see the accident, they're going to flow right by. And every indication we get from our people in the field, as well as state police, is that on the 15 occasions we've tried it so far, it's been working very well.

COSTELLO: So you've only tried it on 15 occasions. Will this spread throughout every police department?

CARLISLE: Well potentially. You know we have 27 of these screen sets throughout the state. And as far as we know, it's the first time it's been tried in the United States. But every indication is it's going very well and we wouldn't be surprised if we had calls from other states asking us about our experiences with it and asking, you know, how we fabricate them and how they can get in on the deal.

COSTELLO: All right. Jon Carlisle, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with much more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Three British soldiers are expected to get prison sentences today for abusing Iraqi civilians. The sentencing hearing is being held this morning in Germany, home base of Britain's Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

CNN's Chris Burns reports from Berlin.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, two lance corporals and a corporal are facing sentencing. One of them had been -- all three of them had been convicted earlier this week, one of them for hoisting a man on a forklift. We've seen some of these pictures that have been published. They were released, actually, after one of the soldiers went back and had them made out in a photomat and somebody expressed outrage, and that's how it made the public -- got into the public.

And the lance corporal, other lance corporal, pleaded guilty to tying a man up. And he is the man in the photo, actually, tying an Iraqi up and standing on him.

These offenses are perhaps less grave than some of what we saw at the Abu Ghraib Prison abuses among the American soldiers. But nevertheless, they are very serious for the British. And some of these men, they face up to two years in prison. We'll have to see how they are sentenced.

The British are also continuing to investigate. In the papers we're seeing in Britain that 11 others could be charged in fatal beatings and other abuse. Seven are already charged. So it is a problem among the British military. The British military is cracking down on that -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Chris Burns reporting live from Berlin, Germany this morning.

The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.

The ailing pontiff, we're expecting an announcement live this hour on DAYBREAK.

Did Bush overcome any of his differences with European allies? A look at the president's trip through Europe.

And will the Oscars be rocked forever? The anticipation builds over the Academy Awards host.

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