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CNN Live At Daybreak
Reaction to Capture of BTK Serial Killer; Latest in Search for Missing Girl in Florida
Aired February 28, 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.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, bind, torture and kill -- three words that terrorized a Kansas community. And police say this man was behind them. We'll bring you the latest on the grizzly case.
Plus, we got a brief glimpse of the pope on Sunday. We'll find out how he's feeling this morning.
And Clint Eastwood's boxing tale comes out swinging. We'll wrap- up Hollywood's biggest night.
It is Monday, February 28 and this is DAYBREAK.
And good Monday morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.
Now in the news, the death toll is rising after a suicide car bombing south of Baghdad this morning. The bomber drove into a crowd in the town of Hillah, killing at least 33 and wounding more than 70. We'll bring you a live report at the half hour.
More Arab support for the new Palestinian government. That's Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's goal this week. She heads to London today to take part in a Mideast conference on Tuesday. Israel is not attending.
Right now, live pictures coming in -- thousands and thousands of demonstrators are in Martyr's Square in Beirut protesting Syria's military presence in Lebanon. Opposition leaders are seeking a vote to bring down the pro-Syrian government.
And "Million Dollar Baby" hits the jackpot. The film dominated most of the top Oscar categories last night. But "The Aviator" came away with the most awards, winning five. We will have a complete Oscar wrap-up later this hour.
Time to check the weather.
Chad Myers in Atlanta.
And, Chad, Carol gets to sleep in just a little bit longer this morning. She's filling in for Soledad on AMERICAN MORNING.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, so she'll be able to see... WALLACE: Good morning to you.
MYERS: Good morning.
She'll be able to see a little snow coming down later tonight as she's awake.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: And we are beginning this morning with three letters -- BTK. A man arrested on suspicion of being one of the nation's most notorious serial killers is expected to face a judge this week, perhaps as early as today. Over the weekend, Wichita, Kansas police made an arrest in a cold case dating back more than 30 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORMAN WILLIAMS, WICHITA POLICE CHIEF: The bottom line, BTK is arrested.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Police arrested 59-year-old Dennis Rader Friday. Police believe he killed 10 people between 1974 and 1991. BTK stands for bind, torture and kill, a pattern the killer followed with most of his victims. Rader is being held on a $10 million bond.
Rader had initially been linked to eight killings, but police added two more after his arrest. The last victim is believed to be Delores Davis. She was killed in her home in 1991. Her body dumped in rural Sedgwick County.
Rader's arrest brings some relief to Davis' son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF DAVIS, SON OF BTK VICTIM: It was interesting that what had in the past been just a mindless, faceless image all of a sudden this devil masquerading as a human being had a face and it made me sick to my stomach to look at him, and still does. He makes me sick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: More information now on Rader. He is a married father of two, an active church member and a city employee in Park City, just north of Wichita. People in his church and others around his home are shocked.
CNN's Bob Franken has more.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Now he awaits his first appearance before a judge, accused of brutal, sadistic murders that span decades, arrested Friday. Just two days before that, Dennis Rader had stopped off before Lenten observances at Christ Lutheran, where he's president of the church council.
PAUL CARSTEDT, CHURCH MEMBER: He brought spaghetti sauce and a salad. And he said, "Here, this is for the congregation." To go from Wednesday to Friday and to have that conversation with him on Wednesday night, it's 48 hours of just disbelief.
FRANKEN: It has been widely reported that Rader antagonized many neighbors. But at church, he was seen as a loving member of the congregation, a family man. The pastor says he has spoken with the family.
REV. MICHAEL CLARK, PASTOR, CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH: At the present time, the family is in a bewildered stage totally, trying to make sense and to understand what is happening in their lives right now.
FRANKEN: Which is what members of Christ Lutheran Church are trying to do. Every Sunday Bob Smyser and Dennis Rader passed the collection plates together. Smyser spent lots of time with Rader. So did his children.
BOB SMYSER, CHURCH MEMBER: They saw the picture on the news and my 5-year-old said, "Daddy, isn't that the -- that's the guy who collects money with you in the plates." I said, "Yes. That's Dennis, and we usher together." He was fairly quiet and I'm not sure what to tell him. I'm not sure what to tell myself. And he said, "Daddy, he tricked us, didn't he?"
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WALLACE: And that was CNN's Bob Franken reporting.
The shock is so severe at Rader's church that officials are bringing in crisis counseling professionals to help people cope.
More details on the case tonight in a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT" -- "Catching BTK." The search for a suspect, the science, the fears, the woman who got away. That's tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific, only on CNN.
To Florida now, where the official search for a missing girl north of Tampa Bay may be called off after today. Nine-year-old Jessica Marie Lunsford has been missing since Wednesday. But police say they have few clues and no real suspects in her disappearance.
Here's CNN's Sara Dorsey.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Homosassa Springs, Florida, home of only a couple thousand residents, is being tested. TAMMY PAYNTER, RESIDENT: It's bad. It's something that you never would have thought that would happen here, not in this little town. DORSEY: Nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford went missing Wednesday night from her own home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Put it up in your church or your community.
DORSEY: Police have no clues and no hard leads. But residents are volunteering by the hundreds to search for the little girl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we are under a tornado watch.
DORSEY: Despite bad weather, all day people kept coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead!
DORSEY: Searchers fought thick brush...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm stuck.
DORSEY: Side by side they pushed on, some fearing what they might find.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to find her, but I don't want to be the one that finds something. So, yes, it is a little frightening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're praying for a miracle here.
DORSEY: Those that couldn't search prayed for a little girl who seems to have just vanished.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're praying that god will miraculously bring Jessica back into our midst.
DORSEY: Her church, Faith Baptist, continues to offer prayer vigils and a place for law enforcement to organize volunteers.
(on camera): Meanwhile, Jessica's family waits, hoping she'll make it home safe very soon.
Sarah Dorsey, CNN, Homosassa Springs, Florida.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WALLACE: And these are the contact numbers for the Citrus County, Florida Sheriffs Department. The department strongly encouraging anyone with any information on Jessica's whereabouts or condition to call immediately.
Well, it has been more than a year since California authorities charged Michael Jackson with child molestation. Now, his trial goes into full swing. Opening statements are today. Prosecutors say Jackson molested a 13-year-old boy and gave him wine. But the defense says the boy's mother was money hungry and coached her son to make up the stories. The case has drawn a lot of attention and some criticism. The Reverend Jesse Jackson has issued a statement saying he's astonished no African-Americans are on the jury. He says that casts doubt on whether the pop star can get a fair trial. Chris Rock led the charge to this year's Hollywood gold rush and in unusually modest fashion. The normally irrepressible comic scored without scorching the FCC's sensibilities. While Rock presided over the friendly confines of the Kodak Theater, his opening monologue was, at one point, aimed 3,000 miles across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS ROCK, ACADEMY AWARDS HOST: Imagine you worked at The Gap. You're $70 trillion behind on your register and then you start a war with Banana Republic because you say they've got toxic tank tops over there. You have the war. People are dying. A thousand Gap employees are dead. That's right, bleeding all over the khakis. You finally take over Banana Republic and you find out they never made tank tops in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And that brings us to our DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Day. Chris Rock -- love him, hate him, do you care? How did he do at the Academy Awards? Should he host again? Let us know what you think at daybreak@cnn.com and we will read your e-mails throughout the next two hours.
We will have much more on the Oscars coming later this hour.
"In Style" magazine's Tom O'Neil will be along with some of the stories behind the statues in just a little bit.
Still to come this Monday morning, after Pope John Paul missed Sunday prayers for the first time, we are awaiting a new bulletin on his medical condition. That in the next hour of DAYBREAK. In just four minutes, Walter Rodgers has a live report from Rome.
Saddam Hussein's half brother is taken into custody. What are his interrogators learning about his activities since the fall of Saddam? Nic Robertson's live update on the arrest from Baghdad in 24 minutes.
And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads overseas for an international conference on the new Palestinian Authority. Robin Oakley joins us live in London in 34 minutes. He will tell us what she expects from the trip.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
WALLACE: Well, we are awaiting the first medical briefing on the pope in three days. That is coming up in under 90 minutes. The pontiff has been at Rome's Gemelli Hospital since Thursday.
CNN senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is there. He joins us now live -- Walt, great to see you.
What is the latest from there?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kelly.
We have not had a medical bulletin from the Vatican on the pope's condition since midday Friday. That's why the one we're expecting within about an hour and 15 minutes is so important. Still, the pope issued a kind of de facto medical bulletin on himself yesterday here at the Gemelli Hospital when he put in an unannounced and quite surprising public appearance at the window. You could see the curtains open in the Gemelli Hospital, in the pope's room, and you could see a cleric rolling the pope up to the window in a wheelchair.
He looked very frail. He was slumped down. Recall, he had a tracheotomy only last Thursday. Still, when the people came to the window, he managed to put in about a two minute appearance. He genuflected, that is, he made the sign of the cross twice, rather strongly. And then at the last moment he put his hands to his throat as if to apologize for the fact that he could no longer speak.
The actual Angelus, the traditional Sunday prayer in St. Peter's, was conducted by one of his deputies, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri. And there, Sandri read what was said -- were said to be the pope's words. The pope talking about suffering and the import of suffering in the sense that it will ultimately lead to salvation and joy for all Christians -- Kelly.
WALLACE: All right, Walter, we have to leave it there.
We'll be checking in with you again throughout DAYBREAK.
And, again, we want you to know we are expecting that news bulletin about the pope's help some time in the 6:00 a.m. Eastern hour. And we, of course, we'll bring that to you live.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's about 16 minutes after the hour.
And here is what's all new this morning.
Word just coming in, at least 100 people are dead and more than 100 wounded after a suicide car bombing 55 miles south of Baghdad this morning. The bomber drove into a crowd in the town of Hillah.
The gates are shut. This morning, workers in New York City start taking down the massive art exhibit. It has been in Central Park for about two weeks. It will take the same amount of time to dismantle it.
In money, the owner of Macy's is now buying May. Federated Department Stores agreed to buy out May's more than 450 stores, which include Robinson's May, Lord & Taylor and Marshall Fields. The deal could be worth up to $11 billion. In culture, it was a non-Oscar contender that topped the box office on Oscar weekend. "Diary of A Mad Black Woman" pulled in $22.7 million, to sit in the number one spot.
In sports, Greg Biffle barely held on to the win, to win the Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway. He scraped the wall a couple of time on the last few laps, but kept Jimmy Johnson behind him long enough to take the checkered flag.
Back to Chad Myers in Atlanta for weather.
Wow, he barely scraped out a victory there -- Chad.
MYERS: He really did. He didn't take tires on the last pit stop, 30 laps worth of old tires. Jimmy Johnson had new ones. He was trying to come back and luckily he had a little help there with his Kirk Bush teammate behind him to maybe block Jimmy for just a little bit, but not enough to get caught.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: So, did you stay up late enough to see who won the biggies? Well, check out the lucky winners of last night's Gold Rush with entertainment reporter Tom O'Neil.
And Halle Berry gets the raspberries. How did a dazzling Academy Award winner get to be a goat? We'll tell you.
You are watching DAYBREAK for this Monday, February 28.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALLACE: Hollywood's gold rush ended up looking like a million bucks. "Million Dollar Baby" took the top prize as best picture. "Baby" beat out other worthy films like "The Aviator," "Ray" and the surprise hit, "Sideways."
And it was really no surprise that Jamie Foxx won the best actor Oscar. His portrayal of Ray Charles had already won him critical acclaim and the Golden Globe.
Hilary Swank won her second best actress award, this time for "Million Dollar Baby." Swank has been nominated twice and won both times.
This was the fourth nomination for her costar, Morgan Freeman, and he finally got the Gold. Freeman won for best supporting actor.
Best supporting actress went to Cate Blanchett. She won for her role as Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator."
"The Aviator" won five awards in all, but not for best director. That honor went to Clint Eastwood. It is his second best director Oscar. And at 74 years old, he becomes the oldest director to win the award. So we've seen who won the big prizes at the 77th Annual Academy Awards. But for all the behind-the-scenes stuff, let's talk with Tom O'Neil from "In Style" magazine.
Tom joins us very, very early this morning from Los Angeles.
Tom, thank you so much for getting up early to be with us today.
TOM O'NEIL, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY" MAGAZINE: Getting up, Kelly? I've been up all night. You don't sleep after a day like this.
WALLACE: I guess not. I thought maybe you'd get a few winks there.
Well, tell us a little bit, Hillary Swank, Jamie Foxx, not big surprises.
How did they do? What was the moment like when they came up to accept their statutes?
O'NEIL: There was a very, very funny moment in Hilary's case when she taking a little longer than the 30 seconds they allow her and then she just -- and the music came up and she just yelled at the orchestra guy, "You just stop that right now. You can't do that because I haven't thanked Clint yet."
What was funny, remember, Julia Roberts did this a couple of years ago, where she looked into the orchestra pit and said, "Now, you just stop that because I may not get up here again and I've got a few things I want to say."
WALLACE: Exactly. She did not want to forget.
What about Jamie Foxx? How did he do?
O'NEIL: Well, he gave a great performance, once again, at the podium, as he began singing a little Ray Charles and then crying as he recalled how his grandmother raised him as a young boy. But we have seen this over and over and it was the same acceptance speech; he's given at the Globes, at Stag (ph). And come on, Jamie, it's the Oscars. Wear a tuxedo, not a blue suit.
WALLACE: Uh-oh. So you're not giving him a fashion A plus, I guess, for his ensemble.
O'NEIL: No. He committed a few Oscar sins.
WALLACE: So tell us a little bit, some of the innovations. And some critics say it was almost like the Oscars becoming a reality TV show, having all of the candidates, all the nominees standing on the stage and then calling out the winner.
What did you make of that?
O'NEIL: It wasn't as bad as we thought it might be. It could have been worse. It could have been where they linger on the faces of the losers like you see at "American Idol" or the "Miss. America" pageant. They didn't do that.
But, still, it didn't work either. And they had a lot of categories they did this with. I don't think we're going to see this back next year.
WALLACE: Overall, how did Chris Rock do? What's your take?
O'NEIL: Pretty good. He went a little too far here and there in his opening monologue when he was really slamming some of those, you know, who was he slamming really hard? People like Colin Farrell and, I mean, some people who could take the slamming, but still. In general, he got an A.
WALLACE: All right.
And Beyonce, and she had three performances there.
How did she do? What was the reaction to her?
O'NEIL: She looked like a million bucks. She was the million dollar baby. And she sang like an angel. But I did hear a lot of griping back stage among reporters saying come on, couldn't they afford another singer?
WALLACE: Because she's getting so much of the spotlight.
Was it a good show, Tom? I mean I've heard some people saying today it was boring, it wasn't as much fun, a big question on how many viewers will have tuned in.
Overall, was it a good show?
O'NEIL: It was pretty good and it seemed to move faster than most Oscar shows. But on the other hand, it didn't feel like, you know, the Oscars are supposed to be boring. It's like going to church. I'm not sure you're allowed to mess with that.
WALLACE: All right, Tom, well, we're going to let you continue your partying out there in Los Angeles.
O'NEIL: OK.
WALLACE: Tom O'Neil with "In Style" weekly magazine -- "In Touch" -- excuse me -- weekly news magazine.
We thank you for being here and giving us some of those inside tidbits.
And just a reminder, the DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Day, Chris Rock -- love him, hate him, do you care? Should he host again? Let us know what you think at daybreak@cnn.com and we will give you your responses throughout the next 90 minutes.
Well, Halle Berry wasn't nominated for an Oscar, but she still won an award. She actually showed up to accept the Razzie Award for worst actress for "Catwoman." But her acceptance speech was another story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALLE BERRY, WON RAZZIE FOR WORST ACTRESS: Thank you so much. I never in my life thought I would be up here. It's not like I ever aspired to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And she brought the house down with that. The Razzies have been given out to the not so special in the movie business for the past 25 years. Berry's movie "Catwoman" also took the prizes for worst film, worst director and worst screenplay. "Fahrenheit 911" swept the other acting categories, with President Bush winning worst actor for his scenes. But Hollywood's new power couple may be Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense, and Britney Spears, who won for their supporting roles.
You are watching DAYBREAK for a Monday.
We are back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired February 28, 2005 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, bind, torture and kill -- three words that terrorized a Kansas community. And police say this man was behind them. We'll bring you the latest on the grizzly case.
Plus, we got a brief glimpse of the pope on Sunday. We'll find out how he's feeling this morning.
And Clint Eastwood's boxing tale comes out swinging. We'll wrap- up Hollywood's biggest night.
It is Monday, February 28 and this is DAYBREAK.
And good Monday morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello.
Now in the news, the death toll is rising after a suicide car bombing south of Baghdad this morning. The bomber drove into a crowd in the town of Hillah, killing at least 33 and wounding more than 70. We'll bring you a live report at the half hour.
More Arab support for the new Palestinian government. That's Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's goal this week. She heads to London today to take part in a Mideast conference on Tuesday. Israel is not attending.
Right now, live pictures coming in -- thousands and thousands of demonstrators are in Martyr's Square in Beirut protesting Syria's military presence in Lebanon. Opposition leaders are seeking a vote to bring down the pro-Syrian government.
And "Million Dollar Baby" hits the jackpot. The film dominated most of the top Oscar categories last night. But "The Aviator" came away with the most awards, winning five. We will have a complete Oscar wrap-up later this hour.
Time to check the weather.
Chad Myers in Atlanta.
And, Chad, Carol gets to sleep in just a little bit longer this morning. She's filling in for Soledad on AMERICAN MORNING.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, so she'll be able to see... WALLACE: Good morning to you.
MYERS: Good morning.
She'll be able to see a little snow coming down later tonight as she's awake.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: And we are beginning this morning with three letters -- BTK. A man arrested on suspicion of being one of the nation's most notorious serial killers is expected to face a judge this week, perhaps as early as today. Over the weekend, Wichita, Kansas police made an arrest in a cold case dating back more than 30 years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORMAN WILLIAMS, WICHITA POLICE CHIEF: The bottom line, BTK is arrested.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Police arrested 59-year-old Dennis Rader Friday. Police believe he killed 10 people between 1974 and 1991. BTK stands for bind, torture and kill, a pattern the killer followed with most of his victims. Rader is being held on a $10 million bond.
Rader had initially been linked to eight killings, but police added two more after his arrest. The last victim is believed to be Delores Davis. She was killed in her home in 1991. Her body dumped in rural Sedgwick County.
Rader's arrest brings some relief to Davis' son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF DAVIS, SON OF BTK VICTIM: It was interesting that what had in the past been just a mindless, faceless image all of a sudden this devil masquerading as a human being had a face and it made me sick to my stomach to look at him, and still does. He makes me sick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: More information now on Rader. He is a married father of two, an active church member and a city employee in Park City, just north of Wichita. People in his church and others around his home are shocked.
CNN's Bob Franken has more.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Now he awaits his first appearance before a judge, accused of brutal, sadistic murders that span decades, arrested Friday. Just two days before that, Dennis Rader had stopped off before Lenten observances at Christ Lutheran, where he's president of the church council.
PAUL CARSTEDT, CHURCH MEMBER: He brought spaghetti sauce and a salad. And he said, "Here, this is for the congregation." To go from Wednesday to Friday and to have that conversation with him on Wednesday night, it's 48 hours of just disbelief.
FRANKEN: It has been widely reported that Rader antagonized many neighbors. But at church, he was seen as a loving member of the congregation, a family man. The pastor says he has spoken with the family.
REV. MICHAEL CLARK, PASTOR, CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH: At the present time, the family is in a bewildered stage totally, trying to make sense and to understand what is happening in their lives right now.
FRANKEN: Which is what members of Christ Lutheran Church are trying to do. Every Sunday Bob Smyser and Dennis Rader passed the collection plates together. Smyser spent lots of time with Rader. So did his children.
BOB SMYSER, CHURCH MEMBER: They saw the picture on the news and my 5-year-old said, "Daddy, isn't that the -- that's the guy who collects money with you in the plates." I said, "Yes. That's Dennis, and we usher together." He was fairly quiet and I'm not sure what to tell him. I'm not sure what to tell myself. And he said, "Daddy, he tricked us, didn't he?"
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WALLACE: And that was CNN's Bob Franken reporting.
The shock is so severe at Rader's church that officials are bringing in crisis counseling professionals to help people cope.
More details on the case tonight in a special edition of "NEWSNIGHT" -- "Catching BTK." The search for a suspect, the science, the fears, the woman who got away. That's tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific, only on CNN.
To Florida now, where the official search for a missing girl north of Tampa Bay may be called off after today. Nine-year-old Jessica Marie Lunsford has been missing since Wednesday. But police say they have few clues and no real suspects in her disappearance.
Here's CNN's Sara Dorsey.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Homosassa Springs, Florida, home of only a couple thousand residents, is being tested. TAMMY PAYNTER, RESIDENT: It's bad. It's something that you never would have thought that would happen here, not in this little town. DORSEY: Nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford went missing Wednesday night from her own home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Put it up in your church or your community.
DORSEY: Police have no clues and no hard leads. But residents are volunteering by the hundreds to search for the little girl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we are under a tornado watch.
DORSEY: Despite bad weather, all day people kept coming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead!
DORSEY: Searchers fought thick brush...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm stuck.
DORSEY: Side by side they pushed on, some fearing what they might find.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to find her, but I don't want to be the one that finds something. So, yes, it is a little frightening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're praying for a miracle here.
DORSEY: Those that couldn't search prayed for a little girl who seems to have just vanished.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're praying that god will miraculously bring Jessica back into our midst.
DORSEY: Her church, Faith Baptist, continues to offer prayer vigils and a place for law enforcement to organize volunteers.
(on camera): Meanwhile, Jessica's family waits, hoping she'll make it home safe very soon.
Sarah Dorsey, CNN, Homosassa Springs, Florida.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WALLACE: And these are the contact numbers for the Citrus County, Florida Sheriffs Department. The department strongly encouraging anyone with any information on Jessica's whereabouts or condition to call immediately.
Well, it has been more than a year since California authorities charged Michael Jackson with child molestation. Now, his trial goes into full swing. Opening statements are today. Prosecutors say Jackson molested a 13-year-old boy and gave him wine. But the defense says the boy's mother was money hungry and coached her son to make up the stories. The case has drawn a lot of attention and some criticism. The Reverend Jesse Jackson has issued a statement saying he's astonished no African-Americans are on the jury. He says that casts doubt on whether the pop star can get a fair trial. Chris Rock led the charge to this year's Hollywood gold rush and in unusually modest fashion. The normally irrepressible comic scored without scorching the FCC's sensibilities. While Rock presided over the friendly confines of the Kodak Theater, his opening monologue was, at one point, aimed 3,000 miles across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS ROCK, ACADEMY AWARDS HOST: Imagine you worked at The Gap. You're $70 trillion behind on your register and then you start a war with Banana Republic because you say they've got toxic tank tops over there. You have the war. People are dying. A thousand Gap employees are dead. That's right, bleeding all over the khakis. You finally take over Banana Republic and you find out they never made tank tops in the first place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And that brings us to our DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Day. Chris Rock -- love him, hate him, do you care? How did he do at the Academy Awards? Should he host again? Let us know what you think at daybreak@cnn.com and we will read your e-mails throughout the next two hours.
We will have much more on the Oscars coming later this hour.
"In Style" magazine's Tom O'Neil will be along with some of the stories behind the statues in just a little bit.
Still to come this Monday morning, after Pope John Paul missed Sunday prayers for the first time, we are awaiting a new bulletin on his medical condition. That in the next hour of DAYBREAK. In just four minutes, Walter Rodgers has a live report from Rome.
Saddam Hussein's half brother is taken into custody. What are his interrogators learning about his activities since the fall of Saddam? Nic Robertson's live update on the arrest from Baghdad in 24 minutes.
And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads overseas for an international conference on the new Palestinian Authority. Robin Oakley joins us live in London in 34 minutes. He will tell us what she expects from the trip.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
WALLACE: Well, we are awaiting the first medical briefing on the pope in three days. That is coming up in under 90 minutes. The pontiff has been at Rome's Gemelli Hospital since Thursday.
CNN senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is there. He joins us now live -- Walt, great to see you.
What is the latest from there?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kelly.
We have not had a medical bulletin from the Vatican on the pope's condition since midday Friday. That's why the one we're expecting within about an hour and 15 minutes is so important. Still, the pope issued a kind of de facto medical bulletin on himself yesterday here at the Gemelli Hospital when he put in an unannounced and quite surprising public appearance at the window. You could see the curtains open in the Gemelli Hospital, in the pope's room, and you could see a cleric rolling the pope up to the window in a wheelchair.
He looked very frail. He was slumped down. Recall, he had a tracheotomy only last Thursday. Still, when the people came to the window, he managed to put in about a two minute appearance. He genuflected, that is, he made the sign of the cross twice, rather strongly. And then at the last moment he put his hands to his throat as if to apologize for the fact that he could no longer speak.
The actual Angelus, the traditional Sunday prayer in St. Peter's, was conducted by one of his deputies, Archbishop Leonardo Sandri. And there, Sandri read what was said -- were said to be the pope's words. The pope talking about suffering and the import of suffering in the sense that it will ultimately lead to salvation and joy for all Christians -- Kelly.
WALLACE: All right, Walter, we have to leave it there.
We'll be checking in with you again throughout DAYBREAK.
And, again, we want you to know we are expecting that news bulletin about the pope's help some time in the 6:00 a.m. Eastern hour. And we, of course, we'll bring that to you live.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's about 16 minutes after the hour.
And here is what's all new this morning.
Word just coming in, at least 100 people are dead and more than 100 wounded after a suicide car bombing 55 miles south of Baghdad this morning. The bomber drove into a crowd in the town of Hillah.
The gates are shut. This morning, workers in New York City start taking down the massive art exhibit. It has been in Central Park for about two weeks. It will take the same amount of time to dismantle it.
In money, the owner of Macy's is now buying May. Federated Department Stores agreed to buy out May's more than 450 stores, which include Robinson's May, Lord & Taylor and Marshall Fields. The deal could be worth up to $11 billion. In culture, it was a non-Oscar contender that topped the box office on Oscar weekend. "Diary of A Mad Black Woman" pulled in $22.7 million, to sit in the number one spot.
In sports, Greg Biffle barely held on to the win, to win the Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway. He scraped the wall a couple of time on the last few laps, but kept Jimmy Johnson behind him long enough to take the checkered flag.
Back to Chad Myers in Atlanta for weather.
Wow, he barely scraped out a victory there -- Chad.
MYERS: He really did. He didn't take tires on the last pit stop, 30 laps worth of old tires. Jimmy Johnson had new ones. He was trying to come back and luckily he had a little help there with his Kirk Bush teammate behind him to maybe block Jimmy for just a little bit, but not enough to get caught.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WALLACE: So, did you stay up late enough to see who won the biggies? Well, check out the lucky winners of last night's Gold Rush with entertainment reporter Tom O'Neil.
And Halle Berry gets the raspberries. How did a dazzling Academy Award winner get to be a goat? We'll tell you.
You are watching DAYBREAK for this Monday, February 28.
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WALLACE: Hollywood's gold rush ended up looking like a million bucks. "Million Dollar Baby" took the top prize as best picture. "Baby" beat out other worthy films like "The Aviator," "Ray" and the surprise hit, "Sideways."
And it was really no surprise that Jamie Foxx won the best actor Oscar. His portrayal of Ray Charles had already won him critical acclaim and the Golden Globe.
Hilary Swank won her second best actress award, this time for "Million Dollar Baby." Swank has been nominated twice and won both times.
This was the fourth nomination for her costar, Morgan Freeman, and he finally got the Gold. Freeman won for best supporting actor.
Best supporting actress went to Cate Blanchett. She won for her role as Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator."
"The Aviator" won five awards in all, but not for best director. That honor went to Clint Eastwood. It is his second best director Oscar. And at 74 years old, he becomes the oldest director to win the award. So we've seen who won the big prizes at the 77th Annual Academy Awards. But for all the behind-the-scenes stuff, let's talk with Tom O'Neil from "In Style" magazine.
Tom joins us very, very early this morning from Los Angeles.
Tom, thank you so much for getting up early to be with us today.
TOM O'NEIL, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY" MAGAZINE: Getting up, Kelly? I've been up all night. You don't sleep after a day like this.
WALLACE: I guess not. I thought maybe you'd get a few winks there.
Well, tell us a little bit, Hillary Swank, Jamie Foxx, not big surprises.
How did they do? What was the moment like when they came up to accept their statutes?
O'NEIL: There was a very, very funny moment in Hilary's case when she taking a little longer than the 30 seconds they allow her and then she just -- and the music came up and she just yelled at the orchestra guy, "You just stop that right now. You can't do that because I haven't thanked Clint yet."
What was funny, remember, Julia Roberts did this a couple of years ago, where she looked into the orchestra pit and said, "Now, you just stop that because I may not get up here again and I've got a few things I want to say."
WALLACE: Exactly. She did not want to forget.
What about Jamie Foxx? How did he do?
O'NEIL: Well, he gave a great performance, once again, at the podium, as he began singing a little Ray Charles and then crying as he recalled how his grandmother raised him as a young boy. But we have seen this over and over and it was the same acceptance speech; he's given at the Globes, at Stag (ph). And come on, Jamie, it's the Oscars. Wear a tuxedo, not a blue suit.
WALLACE: Uh-oh. So you're not giving him a fashion A plus, I guess, for his ensemble.
O'NEIL: No. He committed a few Oscar sins.
WALLACE: So tell us a little bit, some of the innovations. And some critics say it was almost like the Oscars becoming a reality TV show, having all of the candidates, all the nominees standing on the stage and then calling out the winner.
What did you make of that?
O'NEIL: It wasn't as bad as we thought it might be. It could have been worse. It could have been where they linger on the faces of the losers like you see at "American Idol" or the "Miss. America" pageant. They didn't do that.
But, still, it didn't work either. And they had a lot of categories they did this with. I don't think we're going to see this back next year.
WALLACE: Overall, how did Chris Rock do? What's your take?
O'NEIL: Pretty good. He went a little too far here and there in his opening monologue when he was really slamming some of those, you know, who was he slamming really hard? People like Colin Farrell and, I mean, some people who could take the slamming, but still. In general, he got an A.
WALLACE: All right.
And Beyonce, and she had three performances there.
How did she do? What was the reaction to her?
O'NEIL: She looked like a million bucks. She was the million dollar baby. And she sang like an angel. But I did hear a lot of griping back stage among reporters saying come on, couldn't they afford another singer?
WALLACE: Because she's getting so much of the spotlight.
Was it a good show, Tom? I mean I've heard some people saying today it was boring, it wasn't as much fun, a big question on how many viewers will have tuned in.
Overall, was it a good show?
O'NEIL: It was pretty good and it seemed to move faster than most Oscar shows. But on the other hand, it didn't feel like, you know, the Oscars are supposed to be boring. It's like going to church. I'm not sure you're allowed to mess with that.
WALLACE: All right, Tom, well, we're going to let you continue your partying out there in Los Angeles.
O'NEIL: OK.
WALLACE: Tom O'Neil with "In Style" weekly magazine -- "In Touch" -- excuse me -- weekly news magazine.
We thank you for being here and giving us some of those inside tidbits.
And just a reminder, the DAYBREAK E-Mail Question of the Day, Chris Rock -- love him, hate him, do you care? Should he host again? Let us know what you think at daybreak@cnn.com and we will give you your responses throughout the next 90 minutes.
Well, Halle Berry wasn't nominated for an Oscar, but she still won an award. She actually showed up to accept the Razzie Award for worst actress for "Catwoman." But her acceptance speech was another story.
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HALLE BERRY, WON RAZZIE FOR WORST ACTRESS: Thank you so much. I never in my life thought I would be up here. It's not like I ever aspired to be here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And she brought the house down with that. The Razzies have been given out to the not so special in the movie business for the past 25 years. Berry's movie "Catwoman" also took the prizes for worst film, worst director and worst screenplay. "Fahrenheit 911" swept the other acting categories, with President Bush winning worst actor for his scenes. But Hollywood's new power couple may be Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense, and Britney Spears, who won for their supporting roles.
You are watching DAYBREAK for a Monday.
We are back in a moment.
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