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CNN Live At Daybreak

'War Room'; Taunting Messages; Bryant Settlement; Pinot Noir Punch

Aired March 03, 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.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and 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."

An update expected within an hour on the condition of Pope John Paul II. He was hospitalized a week ago with breathing problems. Last night, American students outside his hospital chanted, JPII, we love you.

A California prosecutor says identity thieves tapped the huge commercial database of ChoicePoint in 2002. That contradicts an assertion by ChoicePoint's CEO that last year's breach was the first of its kind.

Four hours from now, Michael Chertoff will be sworn in as the nation's new Homeland Security Secretary. Chertoff actually assumed control of the Homeland Security Department two weeks ago.

Boston's FleetCenter, home to the Celtics and the Bruins, will get a new name to be announced today. The stadium's owner has cut a naming right's deal with PD BankNorth (ph).

To the Forecast Center and, Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Somebody bid on that on eBay to name it for one day, didn't they?

COSTELLO: A lot of people did.

MYERS: Yes, and they're going to name it the Boston Garden, I think is what -- just for one day, and then it's obviously going to go to the real name.

COSTELLO: I think somebody actually wanted to name it, for a day, Derek Jeter's Stadium, but.

MYERS: They also wanted Yankee Stadium, but that didn't fly.

Good morning.

COSTELLO: Apparently the Boston folks said those were obscenities in the Boston area and could not be put on the FleetCenter.

MYERS: Exactly.

Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Remember it's Stumpy, the Big Headed Weatherman day, so if you have weather questions for Chad, it's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

MYERS: Sounds good.

COSTELLO: More attacks in Iraq to tell you about today. A suicide car bomber blew himself up outside a local police headquarters in Baquba. At least one person was killed. That followed a pair of suicide car bombings in Baghdad. Iraqi police officials say the blast killed at least five of their officers and wounded seven others. The explosions went off minutes apart outside the country's interior ministry building.

A sad milestone reached in Iraq now, the U.S. military death toll now stands at 1,500 with the death of a soldier south of Baghdad. Most of those Americans have died fighting the insurgency that arose after the capture of Baghdad.

To "The War Room" now. The Bush administration clearly wants Syria out of Lebanon.

David Clinch, our senior international editor, says the potential for a military mistake or accident is high.

David, why is that?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, I mean, first of all, we heard President Bush with his strongest words yet to Syria over Lebanon, get your troops and intelligence services out of Lebanon, he said to Syria. So the tension on the political level very high.

But talking to the U.S. military in Iraq, which 130-plus U.S. troops inside Iraq, some of them right up against the border in Syria, some of them up against the border with Iran, political tension on both those sides. There has been, in the past few months, relative calm there.

But with the political tensions going up, heavily armed troops on both sides of those borders, there's always the risk of increased tension, a mistake, misunderstanding, something like that. So we're intending to hook up with the U.S. Marines who are up near the Syrian border over the next day or so and talk to them and exactly how they feel sitting right there on the border with the Syrian troops across the line from them.

And again, in the past few weeks, relative calm there. But as the political tension is going up, the Bush administration putting more pressure on Syria, there's always the chance that the proximity factor there can create problems.

COSTELLO: You know on a related note, perhaps, I know that our Jane Arraf is embedded with the Marines and they're along that Syrian border and the Marines' mission in that instance is to keep insurgents from crossing the border from Syria into Iraq. Can you give us a sense of what that's like from talking to Jane?

CLINCH: Well Jane talking to the U.S. military there, and the U.S. military themselves making it clear that they had seen some cooperation from the Syrians over the last few weeks in terms of stopping insurgents, but not enough cooperation.

And we were listening to General Abizaid who was speaking in Washington yesterday. I'll read you a couple of interesting comments he had about what's going on in the region speaking in Washington yesterday. "There are no straight lines in the Middle East," he said. "There is ongoing political processes all over the region, all of these can lead to more violence." He went on to say, "there's a prospect for unpredictable actions from Iran and Syria. There's possible instability that can come as a result of what's happening between Lebanon and Syria."

He is commanding all of these CENTCOM troops and pointing out the fact that politics is one thing, but a lot of what's going on in the region has happened out of the control of politics. Again, what happened in Lebanon happened because terrorists, presumably, blew up Rafik Hariri. So it's not always within the control of the U.S. military to be able to keep their hands on control on the situation. General Abizaid very aware of that and those troops on the border also aware of it.

COSTELLO: David Clinch, live in Atlanta this morning, thank you.

CLINCH: OK.

COSTELLO: Wichita, Kansas authorities are pouring over a page of what appears to be the nonsensical letters and numbers. It could be a how-to guide for the BTK killer. It's been available to police for more than a year.

Frank Buckley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BTK began today's letter with a question, "How many do I have to kill before I get a name in the paper or some national attention?"

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the BTK killer murdered his victims, he taunted police with messages that ranged from a doll with a bag over its head, bound like his victims, to a call reporting one of his crimes,...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "You will find a homicide at 843 South Pershing."

BUCKLEY: ... to a word puzzle that might have led investigators right to the suspect's front door. Among the letters and numbers, 6220, that was the street address of one Dennis Rader. Right near those numbers, Radre, flip the last two letters and it reads Rader.

DR. DEBORAH SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: If that's the case, it certainly would be a very cocky effort by the serial killer, if Rader is the BTK killer, putting that information right out for everybody to see, you know. Right in black and white, here's my address, here's my name.

BUCKLEY: Dr. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin is a criminal profiler who's interviewed 17 convicted serial killers. She says the communications from BTK were attempts at attention.

SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN: The BTK serial killer obviously feels that he's a god amongst serial killers. He feels that he is superior to law enforcement, that he's gotten away with the crimes for so long, and so that's why I believe that he kept sending materials in to law enforcement. He was saying I'm still out here, you know, why aren't you doing your job? Why aren't you catching me?

BUCKLEY: Until now, many of these communications were kept secret. KAKE TV in Wichita, known as KAKE, was among the media outlets that received communications from BTK. The station passed the material to police and didn't reveal most of the contents.

In the word puzzle that came to KAKE in May of last year, dozens of words and phrases, some of them connected, like odd, sex, details, follow, plan, fantasies, victim. The top half of the puzzle framed by prowl and go for it. And these words backwards at the bottom of the puzzle, handyman, wrong, also serviceman, lost pet. If Rader is BTK, as police claim, serviceman and lost pet take on added meaning. Rader was former Air Force. More recently, he was a dogcatcher.

SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN: He seems to be communicating in this puzzle information about himself. It's as if he's giving a profile of himself in this and he's saying can you find me in here? Can you figure this out?

BUCKLEY: Also included, copies of bogus ID cards from a telephone company and the Wichita school district. And again, in the puzzle, telephone, school, and written backwards, Wichita, fake ID. Is it possible the BTK killer was trying to throw investigators off his trail?

SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN: You figure me out. My information is here, you figure out what's true, what's false and come find me.

BUCKLEY (on camera): If the BTK killer thought he was frustrating police with the words and communications, he was wrong. Investigators believed they were learning something about the killer each time he sent a message.

SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN: Even though he was taunting and saying come find me, come get me, a lot of these serial killers, they simply don't believe that law enforcement is smart enough to find them. And that is always their downfall.

BUCKLEY (voice-over): Schurman-Kauflin believes the BTK killer never intended to get caught. But Wichita police say that's exactly what happened with the arrest of their suspect Dennis Rader.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Wichita, Kansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, he's not on the court. Actually, he's on the court and he's not in the courtroom. Kobe Bryant settles his civil case. We'll check in with our legal analyst.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:44 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.

Investigators will release a report today on why The Station nightclub in Rhode Island burned to the ground, and they will recommend how to prevent future tragedies. One hundred people died, about 200 more injured in that fire two years ago.

Robert Blake's attorney is expected to wrap up his closing arguments today in the actor's murder trial in California. That will be followed by the prosecution's rebuttal. And then the case will go to the jury.

In money news, federal investigators say some holiday flight delays and cancellations were preventable but not ComAir's. One problem was a blizzard that crippled the airline's Cincinnati hub. The second problem, an unforeseen computer shutdown.

In culture, the Hollywood honeymoon is officially over for Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. Get ready to say oh! Richards filed for divorce after less than three years of marriage. The couple have one daughter and another is on the way.

In sports, the Washington Nationals scored their first-ever victory, a 5 to 3 win over the Mets in spring training. Jose Guillen added the power for the Nats with a two-run home run in the fourth. Of course the Washington Nationals the new team in D.C. -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes, exactly. And that game was out near Melbourne, the space coast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, I have one great question for Stumpy, the Big Headed Weatherman. Can I do that now?

COSTELLO: Great. Sure.

MYERS: How big can a raindrop get before friction will break it apart? That's from Linda (ph). And it's one-quarter of an inch. It can actually get to be one solid quarter of an inch around and then it gets too big and it breaks up into two or three or four, however many it breaks up into. But then they can recombine and still hit. So when you see the big ones splatting on your windshield, when they're that big when they hit the ground, when they hit your -- they're only about a quarter inch when they're actually in the air.

COSTELLO: Very cool information this morning.

MYERS: Good.

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: It's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

Let's talk about the Kobe Bryant case now. It is finally over, at least the legal side of it. The two sides did reach a settlement that ends the civil suit. That's happened nearly two years after that infamous night at a Colorado resort. But do not expect to hear how much money is involved in that settlement.

Our legal analyst Kendall Coffey, live from Miami, with more on this case.

No surprise here -- Kendall.

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, one of the least surprising settlements you can image, Carol. And just as predictable was the timing of the settlement, on the eve of his deposition. Very understandably, Bryant did not want to spend hours and hours under oath going through the details of what was, at best, a very inappropriate night of adultery. And as we know, he would have been questioned about other allegations of sexual misconduct. It would have been a grueling ordeal. So before the deposition, he settles, not a surprise.

COSTELLO: Yes, but you know, Kendall, I mean I know it would be embarrassing, but if I'm accused of something as serious as sexual assault, I don't know if I'd settle.

COFFEY: Well certainly no one is going to ignore the fact that he's probably paid some substantial dollars to make this thing go away. On the other hand, the percentage move for him was probably get this behind him, if he could. He hopes some day to recover some part of all the endorsements that he's lost. And the reality is that in a civil case, the standard, as we know, not like a criminal case, is basically preponderance of evidence, which means if somebody just happened to believe her over him, he would have lost.

COSTELLO: What does this mean for her? COFFEY: Well I think it's closure for her as well, to some extent. She's been battered across the Internet. And obviously her name was published in tabloids. But she's going to get some money, some end to this matter. She now, apparently, has moved on with her life. According to reports, she's married, even pregnant. So I think it is a nightmare that has ended. And while some of the harm will linger, perhaps for many years, at least she has an ability to move forward.

COSTELLO: Well you know not only her name has been publicized, but in the tabloids her face is all over the tabloids. I mean she's out there. And for other alleged rape victims to come forward, that has to give them pause were you to believe this woman or not.

COFFEY: I think there is short-term damage to the ability to get people to come forward with rape allegations, because of the battering she took. Right or wrong, truthful or not, two different people prosecuted for making threats toward her. And at the end of the day, the rape prosecution goes away. Certainly the system is going to recover from it.

But I think if every rape victim has to be wondering before they go forward to a prosecutor whether they're going to go through something like this and at the end of the day what is the outcome going to be.

COSTELLO: Kendall Coffey, live in Miami this morning, thank you.

Still to come here on DAYBREAK, what makes this bottle of wine so special? We'll uncork it and the story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A little Madonna for you this morning.

Some "Health Headlines," too.

So-called black box warnings go on five antidepressants this month. The FDA ordered the warnings to say the medications may increase suicidal behavior in children. The drugs most commonly prescribed to kids include Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Paxil and Wellbutrin.

The British lab that was supposed to make flu vaccines last year is back in business. Regulators have lifted the license suspension for Chiron Corporation's Liverpool lab. The lab was shut down after contaminated doses of the flu vaccine were found last year. You might remember the shutdown caused a huge shortage of vaccines here in the United States.

More generic drugs to treat HIV and AIDS may soon be available. The head of U.S. Aid Policy (ph) says the drugs could then be included in the U.S.'s $15 billion anti-HIV program. In January, Africa's biggest drugmaker won FDA approval for its life-prolonging AIDS drugs.

You've heard about the health benefits of foods rich in antioxidants. Well, now an Oregon winery is the first in the country to get approval to add a label touting antioxidants in one of its wines.

KOIN News 6 reporter Christine Miles pops the cork on this story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE MILES, KOIN NEWS 6 REPORTER (voice-over): The vineyards are bare now, but beneath the straw is rich soil that helps produce red grapes with high levels of an antioxidant. It's known as Resveratrol.

JIM BERNAU, WILLAMETTE VALLEY VINEYARDS: This Pinot Noir, because it's grown here in our cool climate, has a lot of this antioxidant in it.

MILES: After several years of research, Willamette Valley Vineyards now has approval to add a new ingredient to their label.

BERNAU: These wines contain a very high amount of Resveratrol, which is a very powerful, bio available, antioxidant.

MILES: That same antioxidant found in red wine and in other foods is known to fight off heart disease and certain types of cancer.

BERNAU: The consumers have a right to know about the antioxidants in their foods and their beverages.

MILES: You'll see the new labels only on their Pinot Noir collection.

BERNAU: A little pour, it's a nice beautiful color.

MILES: Willamette Valley Vineyards says adding the antioxidant to certain labels will merely educate drinkers. It's not a new sales pitch.

BERNAU: We will not market any of our wines as a way of encouraging people to consume them for dietary or health reasons.

MILES: Drinking more red wine, even if it's high in antioxidants, may not be a benefit to your health or a good reason to begin drinking more.

DR. SHAWN PATRICK, LEGACY GOOD SAM HOSPITAL: If you're going to drink wine, drink red wine, and drink no more than one glass a day. If you don't drink now, this is not a reason to start drinking.

MILES: But if you do enjoy red wine, now you have something new to look for.

(on camera): Here in the warehouse, they hope to get the bottles of Pinot Noir, the new labels on them within two to four months, just in time to hit the store shelves.

Near Salem, Christine Miles, KOIN News 6.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: So drink up.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Another Stumpy, the Weatherman, question to get to.

MYERS: From Sandy (ph) in Jupiter, Florida. She wants to know how far away will lightning be if I can't hear the thunder?

Well we always talk about that one to five. If you see the lightning, count to five and then you hear the thunder, it's one mile away. Count to 10, it's two miles away. Count to 15, it's three miles away. You can just keep going on and going and going and going. But if you can't hear it at all, it's probably more than 15 miles away.

In Oklahoma and Texas, you can see lightning 70 miles away sometimes, especially in the evenings, so...

COSTELLO: Cool.

MYERS: ... you can't hear it, though.

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.

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


Aired March 3, 2005 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, and 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."

An update expected within an hour on the condition of Pope John Paul II. He was hospitalized a week ago with breathing problems. Last night, American students outside his hospital chanted, JPII, we love you.

A California prosecutor says identity thieves tapped the huge commercial database of ChoicePoint in 2002. That contradicts an assertion by ChoicePoint's CEO that last year's breach was the first of its kind.

Four hours from now, Michael Chertoff will be sworn in as the nation's new Homeland Security Secretary. Chertoff actually assumed control of the Homeland Security Department two weeks ago.

Boston's FleetCenter, home to the Celtics and the Bruins, will get a new name to be announced today. The stadium's owner has cut a naming right's deal with PD BankNorth (ph).

To the Forecast Center and, Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Somebody bid on that on eBay to name it for one day, didn't they?

COSTELLO: A lot of people did.

MYERS: Yes, and they're going to name it the Boston Garden, I think is what -- just for one day, and then it's obviously going to go to the real name.

COSTELLO: I think somebody actually wanted to name it, for a day, Derek Jeter's Stadium, but.

MYERS: They also wanted Yankee Stadium, but that didn't fly.

Good morning.

COSTELLO: Apparently the Boston folks said those were obscenities in the Boston area and could not be put on the FleetCenter.

MYERS: Exactly.

Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Remember it's Stumpy, the Big Headed Weatherman day, so if you have weather questions for Chad, it's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

MYERS: Sounds good.

COSTELLO: More attacks in Iraq to tell you about today. A suicide car bomber blew himself up outside a local police headquarters in Baquba. At least one person was killed. That followed a pair of suicide car bombings in Baghdad. Iraqi police officials say the blast killed at least five of their officers and wounded seven others. The explosions went off minutes apart outside the country's interior ministry building.

A sad milestone reached in Iraq now, the U.S. military death toll now stands at 1,500 with the death of a soldier south of Baghdad. Most of those Americans have died fighting the insurgency that arose after the capture of Baghdad.

To "The War Room" now. The Bush administration clearly wants Syria out of Lebanon.

David Clinch, our senior international editor, says the potential for a military mistake or accident is high.

David, why is that?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, I mean, first of all, we heard President Bush with his strongest words yet to Syria over Lebanon, get your troops and intelligence services out of Lebanon, he said to Syria. So the tension on the political level very high.

But talking to the U.S. military in Iraq, which 130-plus U.S. troops inside Iraq, some of them right up against the border in Syria, some of them up against the border with Iran, political tension on both those sides. There has been, in the past few months, relative calm there.

But with the political tensions going up, heavily armed troops on both sides of those borders, there's always the risk of increased tension, a mistake, misunderstanding, something like that. So we're intending to hook up with the U.S. Marines who are up near the Syrian border over the next day or so and talk to them and exactly how they feel sitting right there on the border with the Syrian troops across the line from them.

And again, in the past few weeks, relative calm there. But as the political tension is going up, the Bush administration putting more pressure on Syria, there's always the chance that the proximity factor there can create problems.

COSTELLO: You know on a related note, perhaps, I know that our Jane Arraf is embedded with the Marines and they're along that Syrian border and the Marines' mission in that instance is to keep insurgents from crossing the border from Syria into Iraq. Can you give us a sense of what that's like from talking to Jane?

CLINCH: Well Jane talking to the U.S. military there, and the U.S. military themselves making it clear that they had seen some cooperation from the Syrians over the last few weeks in terms of stopping insurgents, but not enough cooperation.

And we were listening to General Abizaid who was speaking in Washington yesterday. I'll read you a couple of interesting comments he had about what's going on in the region speaking in Washington yesterday. "There are no straight lines in the Middle East," he said. "There is ongoing political processes all over the region, all of these can lead to more violence." He went on to say, "there's a prospect for unpredictable actions from Iran and Syria. There's possible instability that can come as a result of what's happening between Lebanon and Syria."

He is commanding all of these CENTCOM troops and pointing out the fact that politics is one thing, but a lot of what's going on in the region has happened out of the control of politics. Again, what happened in Lebanon happened because terrorists, presumably, blew up Rafik Hariri. So it's not always within the control of the U.S. military to be able to keep their hands on control on the situation. General Abizaid very aware of that and those troops on the border also aware of it.

COSTELLO: David Clinch, live in Atlanta this morning, thank you.

CLINCH: OK.

COSTELLO: Wichita, Kansas authorities are pouring over a page of what appears to be the nonsensical letters and numbers. It could be a how-to guide for the BTK killer. It's been available to police for more than a year.

Frank Buckley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: BTK began today's letter with a question, "How many do I have to kill before I get a name in the paper or some national attention?"

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the BTK killer murdered his victims, he taunted police with messages that ranged from a doll with a bag over its head, bound like his victims, to a call reporting one of his crimes,...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "You will find a homicide at 843 South Pershing."

BUCKLEY: ... to a word puzzle that might have led investigators right to the suspect's front door. Among the letters and numbers, 6220, that was the street address of one Dennis Rader. Right near those numbers, Radre, flip the last two letters and it reads Rader.

DR. DEBORAH SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: If that's the case, it certainly would be a very cocky effort by the serial killer, if Rader is the BTK killer, putting that information right out for everybody to see, you know. Right in black and white, here's my address, here's my name.

BUCKLEY: Dr. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin is a criminal profiler who's interviewed 17 convicted serial killers. She says the communications from BTK were attempts at attention.

SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN: The BTK serial killer obviously feels that he's a god amongst serial killers. He feels that he is superior to law enforcement, that he's gotten away with the crimes for so long, and so that's why I believe that he kept sending materials in to law enforcement. He was saying I'm still out here, you know, why aren't you doing your job? Why aren't you catching me?

BUCKLEY: Until now, many of these communications were kept secret. KAKE TV in Wichita, known as KAKE, was among the media outlets that received communications from BTK. The station passed the material to police and didn't reveal most of the contents.

In the word puzzle that came to KAKE in May of last year, dozens of words and phrases, some of them connected, like odd, sex, details, follow, plan, fantasies, victim. The top half of the puzzle framed by prowl and go for it. And these words backwards at the bottom of the puzzle, handyman, wrong, also serviceman, lost pet. If Rader is BTK, as police claim, serviceman and lost pet take on added meaning. Rader was former Air Force. More recently, he was a dogcatcher.

SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN: He seems to be communicating in this puzzle information about himself. It's as if he's giving a profile of himself in this and he's saying can you find me in here? Can you figure this out?

BUCKLEY: Also included, copies of bogus ID cards from a telephone company and the Wichita school district. And again, in the puzzle, telephone, school, and written backwards, Wichita, fake ID. Is it possible the BTK killer was trying to throw investigators off his trail?

SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN: You figure me out. My information is here, you figure out what's true, what's false and come find me.

BUCKLEY (on camera): If the BTK killer thought he was frustrating police with the words and communications, he was wrong. Investigators believed they were learning something about the killer each time he sent a message.

SCHURMAN-KAUFLIN: Even though he was taunting and saying come find me, come get me, a lot of these serial killers, they simply don't believe that law enforcement is smart enough to find them. And that is always their downfall.

BUCKLEY (voice-over): Schurman-Kauflin believes the BTK killer never intended to get caught. But Wichita police say that's exactly what happened with the arrest of their suspect Dennis Rader.

Frank Buckley, CNN, Wichita, Kansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, he's not on the court. Actually, he's on the court and he's not in the courtroom. Kobe Bryant settles his civil case. We'll check in with our legal analyst.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:44 Eastern. Here is what's all new this morning.

Investigators will release a report today on why The Station nightclub in Rhode Island burned to the ground, and they will recommend how to prevent future tragedies. One hundred people died, about 200 more injured in that fire two years ago.

Robert Blake's attorney is expected to wrap up his closing arguments today in the actor's murder trial in California. That will be followed by the prosecution's rebuttal. And then the case will go to the jury.

In money news, federal investigators say some holiday flight delays and cancellations were preventable but not ComAir's. One problem was a blizzard that crippled the airline's Cincinnati hub. The second problem, an unforeseen computer shutdown.

In culture, the Hollywood honeymoon is officially over for Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. Get ready to say oh! Richards filed for divorce after less than three years of marriage. The couple have one daughter and another is on the way.

In sports, the Washington Nationals scored their first-ever victory, a 5 to 3 win over the Mets in spring training. Jose Guillen added the power for the Nats with a two-run home run in the fourth. Of course the Washington Nationals the new team in D.C. -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes, exactly. And that game was out near Melbourne, the space coast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, I have one great question for Stumpy, the Big Headed Weatherman. Can I do that now?

COSTELLO: Great. Sure.

MYERS: How big can a raindrop get before friction will break it apart? That's from Linda (ph). And it's one-quarter of an inch. It can actually get to be one solid quarter of an inch around and then it gets too big and it breaks up into two or three or four, however many it breaks up into. But then they can recombine and still hit. So when you see the big ones splatting on your windshield, when they're that big when they hit the ground, when they hit your -- they're only about a quarter inch when they're actually in the air.

COSTELLO: Very cool information this morning.

MYERS: Good.

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: It's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

Let's talk about the Kobe Bryant case now. It is finally over, at least the legal side of it. The two sides did reach a settlement that ends the civil suit. That's happened nearly two years after that infamous night at a Colorado resort. But do not expect to hear how much money is involved in that settlement.

Our legal analyst Kendall Coffey, live from Miami, with more on this case.

No surprise here -- Kendall.

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, one of the least surprising settlements you can image, Carol. And just as predictable was the timing of the settlement, on the eve of his deposition. Very understandably, Bryant did not want to spend hours and hours under oath going through the details of what was, at best, a very inappropriate night of adultery. And as we know, he would have been questioned about other allegations of sexual misconduct. It would have been a grueling ordeal. So before the deposition, he settles, not a surprise.

COSTELLO: Yes, but you know, Kendall, I mean I know it would be embarrassing, but if I'm accused of something as serious as sexual assault, I don't know if I'd settle.

COFFEY: Well certainly no one is going to ignore the fact that he's probably paid some substantial dollars to make this thing go away. On the other hand, the percentage move for him was probably get this behind him, if he could. He hopes some day to recover some part of all the endorsements that he's lost. And the reality is that in a civil case, the standard, as we know, not like a criminal case, is basically preponderance of evidence, which means if somebody just happened to believe her over him, he would have lost.

COSTELLO: What does this mean for her? COFFEY: Well I think it's closure for her as well, to some extent. She's been battered across the Internet. And obviously her name was published in tabloids. But she's going to get some money, some end to this matter. She now, apparently, has moved on with her life. According to reports, she's married, even pregnant. So I think it is a nightmare that has ended. And while some of the harm will linger, perhaps for many years, at least she has an ability to move forward.

COSTELLO: Well you know not only her name has been publicized, but in the tabloids her face is all over the tabloids. I mean she's out there. And for other alleged rape victims to come forward, that has to give them pause were you to believe this woman or not.

COFFEY: I think there is short-term damage to the ability to get people to come forward with rape allegations, because of the battering she took. Right or wrong, truthful or not, two different people prosecuted for making threats toward her. And at the end of the day, the rape prosecution goes away. Certainly the system is going to recover from it.

But I think if every rape victim has to be wondering before they go forward to a prosecutor whether they're going to go through something like this and at the end of the day what is the outcome going to be.

COSTELLO: Kendall Coffey, live in Miami this morning, thank you.

Still to come here on DAYBREAK, what makes this bottle of wine so special? We'll uncork it and the story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A little Madonna for you this morning.

Some "Health Headlines," too.

So-called black box warnings go on five antidepressants this month. The FDA ordered the warnings to say the medications may increase suicidal behavior in children. The drugs most commonly prescribed to kids include Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Paxil and Wellbutrin.

The British lab that was supposed to make flu vaccines last year is back in business. Regulators have lifted the license suspension for Chiron Corporation's Liverpool lab. The lab was shut down after contaminated doses of the flu vaccine were found last year. You might remember the shutdown caused a huge shortage of vaccines here in the United States.

More generic drugs to treat HIV and AIDS may soon be available. The head of U.S. Aid Policy (ph) says the drugs could then be included in the U.S.'s $15 billion anti-HIV program. In January, Africa's biggest drugmaker won FDA approval for its life-prolonging AIDS drugs.

You've heard about the health benefits of foods rich in antioxidants. Well, now an Oregon winery is the first in the country to get approval to add a label touting antioxidants in one of its wines.

KOIN News 6 reporter Christine Miles pops the cork on this story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE MILES, KOIN NEWS 6 REPORTER (voice-over): The vineyards are bare now, but beneath the straw is rich soil that helps produce red grapes with high levels of an antioxidant. It's known as Resveratrol.

JIM BERNAU, WILLAMETTE VALLEY VINEYARDS: This Pinot Noir, because it's grown here in our cool climate, has a lot of this antioxidant in it.

MILES: After several years of research, Willamette Valley Vineyards now has approval to add a new ingredient to their label.

BERNAU: These wines contain a very high amount of Resveratrol, which is a very powerful, bio available, antioxidant.

MILES: That same antioxidant found in red wine and in other foods is known to fight off heart disease and certain types of cancer.

BERNAU: The consumers have a right to know about the antioxidants in their foods and their beverages.

MILES: You'll see the new labels only on their Pinot Noir collection.

BERNAU: A little pour, it's a nice beautiful color.

MILES: Willamette Valley Vineyards says adding the antioxidant to certain labels will merely educate drinkers. It's not a new sales pitch.

BERNAU: We will not market any of our wines as a way of encouraging people to consume them for dietary or health reasons.

MILES: Drinking more red wine, even if it's high in antioxidants, may not be a benefit to your health or a good reason to begin drinking more.

DR. SHAWN PATRICK, LEGACY GOOD SAM HOSPITAL: If you're going to drink wine, drink red wine, and drink no more than one glass a day. If you don't drink now, this is not a reason to start drinking.

MILES: But if you do enjoy red wine, now you have something new to look for.

(on camera): Here in the warehouse, they hope to get the bottles of Pinot Noir, the new labels on them within two to four months, just in time to hit the store shelves.

Near Salem, Christine Miles, KOIN News 6.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: So drink up.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Another Stumpy, the Weatherman, question to get to.

MYERS: From Sandy (ph) in Jupiter, Florida. She wants to know how far away will lightning be if I can't hear the thunder?

Well we always talk about that one to five. If you see the lightning, count to five and then you hear the thunder, it's one mile away. Count to 10, it's two miles away. Count to 15, it's three miles away. You can just keep going on and going and going and going. But if you can't hear it at all, it's probably more than 15 miles away.

In Oklahoma and Texas, you can see lightning 70 miles away sometimes, especially in the evenings, so...

COSTELLO: Cool.

MYERS: ... you can't hear it, though.

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.

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