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CNN Live At Daybreak
American Hostage Jeffrey Ake; Volunteers Join Family Searching for Little Girl
Aired April 14, 2005 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Volunteers join a family searching for a little girl and police ask where did a registered sex offender go?
Also...
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Aneesh Raman in Baghdad.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, American hostage Jeffrey Ake. His hostage video airing on Arabic language station Al Jazeera. The latest details, coming up.
COSTELLO: And if you're heading to the airport this morning, a reminder about a new rule that could slow you down at the security gate.
It is Thursday, April 14.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Also ahead on DAYBREAK this hour, gator attack. I'll talk to a woman who spotted danger in the water. Wait until you hear how her life was spared.
But first, now in the news, nearly simultaneous suicide car bombs in southern Baghdad today leave 11 people dead and 37 more wounded. The attacks targeted an Iraqi police convoy. We'll have more from Iraq for you in just a few minutes.
On Capitol Hill today, the battle of a bankruptcy. The House votes on a bill that would make it much harder for people to wipe out their debts by filing for bankruptcy. The Senate passed the legislation last month.
Some unsettling news if you have a G.M. branded MasterCard. The international bank HSBC has sent letters to 12,000 customers warning them of a possible security breach. The bank says as many as 187,000 cards may have had their personal information compromised.
And at the Kennedy Space Center, a test of the shuttle's new tank redesign on hold at this hour. NASA announced the delay because of the threat of thunderstorms and hail. NASA ordered the redesign after the Columbia shuttle disaster two years ago.
To the Forecast Center now and Chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Up first this hour, another American held hostage in Iraq. The White House says that freeing Indiana businessman Jeffrey Ake is a high priority, but they will not negotiate with terrorists.
To Baghdad now and our Aneesh Raman for more details.
RAMAN: Carol, good morning.
With masked militants at his side and guns pointed at his head, American hostage Jeffrey Ake shown in a video Wednesday airing on Arabic language station Al Jazeera. In the video, Ake calls on the U.S. government to engage with the insurgents, dialogue and he calls on American troops to withdraw from Iraq. He is shown sitting behind a desk, in one hand holding his license and passport, in another holding a family portrait.
Ake is from the state of Indiana and was in Iraq on a reconstruction project, kidnapped on Monday in the capital city in broad daylight. No claim of responsibility as to what group is behind this kidnapping. We have heard from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She says the American government is engaged with Iraqi authorities to try and get Ake back, but reiterated that the U.S. government does not and will not negotiate with terrorists.
Carol, some 200 foreigners have been kidnapped so far since the war in Iraq. Some 50 of them have been killed -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Aneesh.
We're going to take you live to Britain right now.
Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Charles' new wife. Apparently they're going to say a few words. As you know, they just got married over the weekend and this is kind of a surprise thing so we don't know exactly what's going on.
Do we know what event they're attending here?
They're visiting a Scottish school, which, of course, you see schoolchildren there. You see Prince Charles shaking the hands of school officials and Camilla Parker Bowles beside him.
When they begin speaking, we will go back to hear what they have to say, because I know you're waiting avidly for that.
Back here in the United States, a military pilot and sergeant have been charged with importing the drug Ecstasy while on a mission to Europe. Authorities say Army National Guard Captain Franklin Rodriguez and Master Sergeant John Fong admitted to the scheme. They're accused of smuggling Ecstasy pills into the United States from Germany aboard their Air Force cargo plane. A DEA official says the pills could be worth nearly $12 million on the street. The men are being held without bail in New York.
Eric Rudolph has pleaded guilty to four bomb attacks in the late 1990s that killed two people. He pleaded guilty to a bombing in Birmingham at a women's clinic there and to three other bombings in Atlanta. The 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing killed one woman and injured more than 120 people.
Defense attorneys issued an 11-page statement from Rudolph. Quoting his reason for the 1996 blast, he says: "The purpose of the attack was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand."
Rudolph pleaded guilty to two other bombings in Atlanta, one at a family planning clinic, the other at a lesbian nightclub.
A nurse at the Birmingham clinic was terribly maimed.
Emily Lyons tells CNN that Rudolph's guilty pleas give her no comfort.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY LYONS, CLINIC BOMBING VICTIM: There will never be any closure because Rudolph lives with us every day. Every time I get up and look in the mirror or have to clean my fake eye or I feel the arthritis and the pain in my body, he's there. So he'll never go away, so there can't possibly be any closure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In July, Rudolph will be sentenced to four life terms without the possibility of parole.
Now a CNN "Security Watch."
A ban on cigarette lighters in airplanes begins today. So add that to the list of things you need to leave at home whenever you're flying.
Let's go live to CNN's Kareen Wynter.
She's at Reagan National Airport to tell us more -- good morning.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Signs were posted in many airports like this one alerting passengers of the upcoming change. Now, lighters have long been a prohibited item in checked baggage, but now there are even tighter restrictions because of the danger of a fire on board.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) WYNTER (voice-over): It was close calls like this one that got the attention of federal authorities, the shoe bomber incident in 2001. Richard Reid, a passenger on a flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives stuffed in his shoe. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.
Congress has since worked to get lighters added to the federal government's list of prohibited items.
MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: That's a potential tool that a terrorist or an evil doer could use to light a fuse, to light an incendiary device, create a fire on board the aircraft. And so we're following the direction of Congress.
WYNTER: The Transportation Security Administration recently posted these signs alerting the public to the new law, which takes effect today. Lighters are allowed inside the airport, but you can't take them beyond the security checkpoint. You can, however, take up to four match books onto a plane.
Flemming Hansen thinks that's inconsistent.
FLEMMING HANSEN, OPPOSES LIGHTER BAN: It's kind of a problem. I mean, you know, you can say the same thing about a match book, you know what I mean? You can still light a match.
WYNTER: But other passengers support this added layer of security.
JACKIE OSBORN, SUPPORTS LIGHTER BAN: We have a possibility of having people in our midst that we're not aware of with certain items that can be very detrimental.
WYNTER: The TSA says it's considering banning matches, but that would be difficult to enforce since they're not easily detectable.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WYNTER: Lighters, however, are easily detectable by x-ray machines. Now, this change affects not only travelers, but also businesses. Vendors located beyond the security checkpoint are also now prohibited from selling these flammable items -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter live at Reagan National this morning.
Thank you.
Be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Jessica Lunsford's father plans to join the search for a missing girl in another small Florida community. Thirteen-year-old Sarah Michelle Lunde has been missing from her Ruskin, Florida home since Sunday. Dozens of volunteers have been searching for clues. Police have also interviewed nearly two dozen registered sex offenders who live in the area. Her mother is still hopeful, though.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY MAY, MOTHER: All we all want to do is bring Sarah home safely. And that's everybody's goal. And the sheriff's department has done a great job. All we can do is keep hoping and praying that that's how the outcome comes. But I do want to thank everybody that's been here and the support that I've received.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Ruskin, Florida. She'll join us with a live report a little later in our show.
And at 8:00 a.m. Eastern, the sheriff is planning to hold a news conference to update the situation.
In other "Stories Across America" this Thursday, more than a month after that courthouse shooting rampage in Atlanta, an injured sheriff's deputy leaves the hospital. Police say Cynthia Hall was the first victim in the attack that left a judge, a court reporter and another sheriff's deputy dead. Brian Nichols is suspected in the shooting spree and he's expected to appear in court tomorrow.
In Palmdale, California, police say a 13-year-old killed another teenager with a baseball bat during an argument after a game. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of murder. His team had lost its first game of the season just before the attack.
An Army Reservist has been charged in Arizona for detaining several illegal immigrants at gunpoint. Sergeant Patrick Haab says he was afraid the men were going to jump him at a border area rest stop. Police say he should not have taken the law into his own hands.
Point of no return? Hear what Israel's prime minister said about Iran's nuclear power.
And you think you're paying for gas with the clothes off your back? There may be some truth to that old cliche.
And gator attack -- one woman's survivor story at the expense of her best friend.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
And later, we'll take you inside the new destination in the land of Lincoln.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Still to come, you've all heard she's expecting. So who could possibly upstage the stork flying toward the Spears' home? Fun with the tabloid rumor mill.
DAYBREAK is back in 60 seconds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER UPDEGRAVE, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": Life cycle funds, which are also known as target retirement funds, are basically a portfolio that gives you a pre-made mix of stocks and bonds that's appropriate for someone your age, and then that mix changes and becomes more conservative as you approach retirement.
So, for example, if you're young and you plan to retire 35 years from now, you would pick a fund that has a date of 2040. Now, that fund would be invested primarily in stocks because you're young and you can tolerate the ups and downs of the market.
Now, the neat thing about these life cycle or target funds is that the mix changes over time. You don't have to do anything. It's really kind of the ultimate hands off investment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says his country has evidence that Iran is making every effort to possess nuclear weapons. In an interview with CNN, Sharon says Iran will soon pass a point of no return in developing a nuclear weapon that could attack Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: You see, in order to possess a bomb that will take them time. But the problem now is entirely different. They have some problems. In order to overcome them, they are making every effort. No doubt that they are working now in order to possess a nuclear weapon which we regard to be a great danger not only for Israel, but for Europe and for the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Sharon visited the president's Texas ranch earlier this week before heading to Washington.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:14 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
It's happened again in Florida. A 13-year-old girl has disappeared from her family's mobile home near Tampa and authorities are questioning a convicted sex offender.
In money news, the House passed a bill that will eliminate the so-called death tax. This is the fourth time the House has approved ending the estate tax, but the measures all died in the Senate. In culture, the redesigned Museum of Modern Art in New York seems to be a hit. More than one million people have visited the museum since it reopened just over four months ago.
In sports, pitcher Curt Schilling made his first appearance this year for the Boston Red Sox, but it didn't turn out very well. Schilling gave up a big home run to Jason Giambi, of all people. That sealed the 5-2 win for the Yankees -- Chad.
MYERS: Hey, guess who throws out the first pitch today in Washington, D.C., Carol?
COSTELLO: President Bush?
MYERS: Yes. It should be a big time in the big town, in Washington, D.C. today, where baseball is coming back.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Chad, don't go away.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Because, you know, we've been talking about Britney Spears' pregnancy news, you know...
MYERS: She's pregnant.
COSTELLO: ... and, look, we have a picture of her little tummy.
MYERS: Oh, god.
COSTELLO: We covered -- there it is. There's her little tummy.
MYERS: That's really (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COSTELLO: She still looks great, though, doesn't she?
MYERS: She does.
Where did she get the dark hair?
COSTELLO: Oh, I think she dyed it, from a bottle.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Actually, she is one of the hottest stars today, so baby number one with husband number two has some people asking who could outdo Britney? You want to know the list, what the list includes?
MYERS: Who could outdo Britney?
COSTELLO: Who could outdo Britney? According to the tabloid types that keep track of these things, the only people who could outdo Britney and her pregnancy is if J-Lo became pregnant, because, you know, she wants to have a baby, too.
MYERS: Right.
Demi Moore?
COSTELLO: There are already rumors out there that she's pregnant at 42.
MYERS: But doesn't she already have babies?
COSTELLO: She has a little -- she has, what, three or four? I don't know.
MYERS: She has almost adults. Anyway...
COSTELLO: She has adults.
MYERS: And Jennifer...
COSTELLO: Jessica Simpson...
MYERS: Jennifer, yes, yes, Jessica.
COSTELLO: Jessica Simpson...
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: ... who, rumors are going around that she's going to break up with her husband. So that would be big, big news. And Jennifer Aniston, who is, of course, divorced from Brad Pitt. So who would the father be?
MYERS: Oh, I don't know.
COSTELLO: But...
MYERS: But I've got one bigger.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: This is the big one.
MYERS: OK.
Do we have a picture or a drum roll?
Oprah.
COSTELLO: Oprah Winfrey. What if she were pregnant? She would definitely upstage Britney.
MYERS: But she's not. Right?
We're not making up news this morning, right? COSTELLO: She's not.
MYERS: OK. She's not.
COSTELLO: No, as far as we know...
MYERS: Not that we know of.
COSTELLO: ... she is not.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll move along now.
Gas for the car or clothes for the kids? In this era of high prices, the two are kind of like a see-saw. We'll explain what Americans are missing out on to pay for the price of gas.
And later, he was a friend and prosecutor. Now one woman shares the story of how she lost her pet but was spared her life, when DAYBREAK continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's a beautiful day here in New York City today.
Time now for a little "Business Buzz."
If you've been pouring more money into your gas tank and spending less elsewhere, you're certainly not alone.
But Carrie Lee says help may be on the way.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, the markets really took a hit yesterday, Carol, because of weak retail sales numbers for March. The numbers came in weaker than expected. We saw disappointing numbers for specialty clothing companies, department stores. Also, furniture and appliance sales were below expectations. And analysts are saying this is proof that Americans have less money to spend on items like clothes, as they're putting more money into their gas tank.
But, there is hope, because oil prices have fallen sharply over the past couple of days. Crude oil prices fell more than a dollar and a half yesterday, to just above $50. And we are now near seven week lows. Remember, yesterday, or last week, rather, we hit a record, close to $58 a barrel.
Now, last week's drop came, or yesterday's drop, rather, came as a government report showed that the nation's supply of crude rose for the ninth straight week. The more of the supply, the lower the price. That tends to be the way it's going lately.
Now, as we talked about earlier this week, half the price we pay at the pump comes from the price of crude oil, so if oil continues to fall, perhaps going forward we'll see gas prices subside a bit, as well. Perhaps. That's the hope, anyway.
COSTELLO: Because we've seen oil prices drop before, sharply, too, and then they go right back up.
LEE: Well, that's true. Just because they drop doesn't mean that it's a one way street. Things can always change. But that's the optimistic way of looking at it for now -- crude comes down, gas will follow.
COSTELLO: A quick look at the futures.
LEE: Futures are looking a little bit higher this morning.
A couple of stocks we're going to keep an eye on, some of the airlines. Southwest Airlines reporting profits this morning.
COSTELLO: Wow!
LEE: Southwest and JetBlue are the only two carriers expected to actually report a profit this quarter. High oil prices, as you know, affects the airlines, as well, fuel one of their biggest costs.
COSTELLO: But they're doing something right.
LEE: They are.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Thank you, Carrie.
LEE: OK.
COSTELLO: When we come back, I'll talk to a woman in Florida who narrowly missed the grip of an alligator's jaw. Wait until you hear who rescued her. That would be her dog. I mean, this is an amazing story.
We'll also have an up close look at the life of America's 16th president -- Abraham Lincoln. This is the new museum. It's interesting. You'll find it interesting, I promise, when DAYBREAK continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: One Florida woman is lucky to be alive thanks to a heroic act by her cunning canine. It all started when this alligator came after Cindy Hernandez while she swam in the river near her home. But then Bob the dog, he made the ultimate sacrifice.
Here's a puppy picture of Bob. Oh. He got in front of the gator while his owner made her getaway.
Cindy Hernandez joins us now to talk about this incident and her hero, her dog, Bob.
Good morning. CINDY HERNANDEZ: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Tell us, this story is so amazing. You were swimming in the river and then you saw the gator coming toward you.
HERNANDEZ: Yes. I had thrown the toy for Bob and I had gotten in the water right after that, right off the end of my dock. And I heard something cutting -- the sound of a boat cutting through the water. It was like a lapping sound. And I turned to my left and this alligator, how you see him now normally in the water, when all you see is their eyes and their snout and their tail? This alligator was literally elevated up off the water.
COSTELLO: Because he was literally coming after you.
HERNANDEZ: He was coming right for me.
My dog was coming in with his toy and he was behind me, coming into the ladder. So I just, all I started doing was smacking my hands as hard as I could on the water to try to make noise. And I was screaming, hoping that it would just startle the gator and he might stall for a minute so I'd have time to get back -- crawl back up on the dock.
He didn't stop. He just, he just kept coming. And...
COSTELLO: And then what did your dog do?
HERNANDEZ: Well, I couldn't see my dog while this was going on, but the next thing I knew, about four -- probably four feet before the gator got to me, my dog just went right in front. He had dropped his toy and he dropped it right in front of me. He swam right in front of me. And the gator grabbed him, rolled over one time and sunk to the bottom. And it was right in front of me. I mean I could have touched Bob when this happened.
COSTELLO: And you said that Bob did not like gators. In fact, he didn't like to swim in the river at night because he knew that gators were active then.
HERNANDEZ: Exactly. He could sense them.
COSTELLO: So he meant to come between you and this gator, right, Cindy?
HERNANDEZ: Yes. Yes. There's no doubt in my mind, because he would have just gone to the ladder and gone up with his toy and waited for me to throw it again. This was an act that -- he deliberately got in between us. I'm not going to say he said OK, I'm going to give my life at this moment. But he was doing it to save me, whatever the outcome was going to be.
COSTELLO: And Bob paid the ultimate price.
HERNANDEZ: Bob paid the ultimate price and that's why I'm here and able to tell you this story. COSTELLO: That's just unbelievable.
By the way, the pictures of that gator that we're showing you, that is the actual gator.
HERNANDEZ: That is the actual gator. What happened is a news team came down about three hours later. This happened at 1:00 in the afternoon, which is another unusual -- gators don't come out in the middle of the afternoon and feed like that or -- they usually stay hidden.
He came out, the news team and I went down on the dock and he came out from about 1,500 feet up the water. And the cameraman couldn't believe it. They were actually getting a little scared and were afraid. They asked me, they said can that gator get up on the dock? And I said, "Yes, they can get up on docks."
So this is him and he...
COSTELLO: So eventually, Cindy, what happened to this gator?
HERNANDEZ: The gator was captured the next morning, right in the spot where he had taken Bob to. He popped up out of the water five minutes later right off the dock with Bob in his mouth. And he had drowned him. And then he carried him to his den, which was 1,500 feet up the river. And I had watched the spot, saw it and reported it, called the gator that morning and reported it to him. And he came down. This was Tuesday morning. And he went up where I told him I saw the gator go into the marsh.
When he came down on the shore, the gator, he saw the gator. The gator was just floating there. And he went down on the shore and the gator came toward him. And this gator was very, very aggressive, I mean unusually so. Even the trappers said that he doesn't see that a lot.
COSTELLO: But in the end, the trapper managed to capture him and then the alligator was destroyed.
HERNANDEZ: He was destroyed, yes.
COSTELLO: Well, Cindy, thank you so much for sharing your story.
We're just sad that Bob didn't make it...
HERNANDEZ: I know.
COSTELLO: ... but, you know, just looking at pictures of him, it breaks your heart.
HERNANDEZ: I know. And thank you so much for putting him on the air, because he is a hero.
COSTELLO: Oh, he is.
HERNANDEZ: And thank you so much for that. COSTELLO: Cindy Hernandez, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired April 14, 2005 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Volunteers join a family searching for a little girl and police ask where did a registered sex offender go?
Also...
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Aneesh Raman in Baghdad.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, American hostage Jeffrey Ake. His hostage video airing on Arabic language station Al Jazeera. The latest details, coming up.
COSTELLO: And if you're heading to the airport this morning, a reminder about a new rule that could slow you down at the security gate.
It is Thursday, April 14.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Also ahead on DAYBREAK this hour, gator attack. I'll talk to a woman who spotted danger in the water. Wait until you hear how her life was spared.
But first, now in the news, nearly simultaneous suicide car bombs in southern Baghdad today leave 11 people dead and 37 more wounded. The attacks targeted an Iraqi police convoy. We'll have more from Iraq for you in just a few minutes.
On Capitol Hill today, the battle of a bankruptcy. The House votes on a bill that would make it much harder for people to wipe out their debts by filing for bankruptcy. The Senate passed the legislation last month.
Some unsettling news if you have a G.M. branded MasterCard. The international bank HSBC has sent letters to 12,000 customers warning them of a possible security breach. The bank says as many as 187,000 cards may have had their personal information compromised.
And at the Kennedy Space Center, a test of the shuttle's new tank redesign on hold at this hour. NASA announced the delay because of the threat of thunderstorms and hail. NASA ordered the redesign after the Columbia shuttle disaster two years ago.
To the Forecast Center now and Chad -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Up first this hour, another American held hostage in Iraq. The White House says that freeing Indiana businessman Jeffrey Ake is a high priority, but they will not negotiate with terrorists.
To Baghdad now and our Aneesh Raman for more details.
RAMAN: Carol, good morning.
With masked militants at his side and guns pointed at his head, American hostage Jeffrey Ake shown in a video Wednesday airing on Arabic language station Al Jazeera. In the video, Ake calls on the U.S. government to engage with the insurgents, dialogue and he calls on American troops to withdraw from Iraq. He is shown sitting behind a desk, in one hand holding his license and passport, in another holding a family portrait.
Ake is from the state of Indiana and was in Iraq on a reconstruction project, kidnapped on Monday in the capital city in broad daylight. No claim of responsibility as to what group is behind this kidnapping. We have heard from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She says the American government is engaged with Iraqi authorities to try and get Ake back, but reiterated that the U.S. government does not and will not negotiate with terrorists.
Carol, some 200 foreigners have been kidnapped so far since the war in Iraq. Some 50 of them have been killed -- Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Aneesh.
We're going to take you live to Britain right now.
Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Charles' new wife. Apparently they're going to say a few words. As you know, they just got married over the weekend and this is kind of a surprise thing so we don't know exactly what's going on.
Do we know what event they're attending here?
They're visiting a Scottish school, which, of course, you see schoolchildren there. You see Prince Charles shaking the hands of school officials and Camilla Parker Bowles beside him.
When they begin speaking, we will go back to hear what they have to say, because I know you're waiting avidly for that.
Back here in the United States, a military pilot and sergeant have been charged with importing the drug Ecstasy while on a mission to Europe. Authorities say Army National Guard Captain Franklin Rodriguez and Master Sergeant John Fong admitted to the scheme. They're accused of smuggling Ecstasy pills into the United States from Germany aboard their Air Force cargo plane. A DEA official says the pills could be worth nearly $12 million on the street. The men are being held without bail in New York.
Eric Rudolph has pleaded guilty to four bomb attacks in the late 1990s that killed two people. He pleaded guilty to a bombing in Birmingham at a women's clinic there and to three other bombings in Atlanta. The 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing killed one woman and injured more than 120 people.
Defense attorneys issued an 11-page statement from Rudolph. Quoting his reason for the 1996 blast, he says: "The purpose of the attack was to confound, anger and embarrass the Washington government in the eyes of the world for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand."
Rudolph pleaded guilty to two other bombings in Atlanta, one at a family planning clinic, the other at a lesbian nightclub.
A nurse at the Birmingham clinic was terribly maimed.
Emily Lyons tells CNN that Rudolph's guilty pleas give her no comfort.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY LYONS, CLINIC BOMBING VICTIM: There will never be any closure because Rudolph lives with us every day. Every time I get up and look in the mirror or have to clean my fake eye or I feel the arthritis and the pain in my body, he's there. So he'll never go away, so there can't possibly be any closure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: In July, Rudolph will be sentenced to four life terms without the possibility of parole.
Now a CNN "Security Watch."
A ban on cigarette lighters in airplanes begins today. So add that to the list of things you need to leave at home whenever you're flying.
Let's go live to CNN's Kareen Wynter.
She's at Reagan National Airport to tell us more -- good morning.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Signs were posted in many airports like this one alerting passengers of the upcoming change. Now, lighters have long been a prohibited item in checked baggage, but now there are even tighter restrictions because of the danger of a fire on board.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) WYNTER (voice-over): It was close calls like this one that got the attention of federal authorities, the shoe bomber incident in 2001. Richard Reid, a passenger on a flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives stuffed in his shoe. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.
Congress has since worked to get lighters added to the federal government's list of prohibited items.
MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: That's a potential tool that a terrorist or an evil doer could use to light a fuse, to light an incendiary device, create a fire on board the aircraft. And so we're following the direction of Congress.
WYNTER: The Transportation Security Administration recently posted these signs alerting the public to the new law, which takes effect today. Lighters are allowed inside the airport, but you can't take them beyond the security checkpoint. You can, however, take up to four match books onto a plane.
Flemming Hansen thinks that's inconsistent.
FLEMMING HANSEN, OPPOSES LIGHTER BAN: It's kind of a problem. I mean, you know, you can say the same thing about a match book, you know what I mean? You can still light a match.
WYNTER: But other passengers support this added layer of security.
JACKIE OSBORN, SUPPORTS LIGHTER BAN: We have a possibility of having people in our midst that we're not aware of with certain items that can be very detrimental.
WYNTER: The TSA says it's considering banning matches, but that would be difficult to enforce since they're not easily detectable.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WYNTER: Lighters, however, are easily detectable by x-ray machines. Now, this change affects not only travelers, but also businesses. Vendors located beyond the security checkpoint are also now prohibited from selling these flammable items -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Kareen Wynter live at Reagan National this morning.
Thank you.
Be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Jessica Lunsford's father plans to join the search for a missing girl in another small Florida community. Thirteen-year-old Sarah Michelle Lunde has been missing from her Ruskin, Florida home since Sunday. Dozens of volunteers have been searching for clues. Police have also interviewed nearly two dozen registered sex offenders who live in the area. Her mother is still hopeful, though.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY MAY, MOTHER: All we all want to do is bring Sarah home safely. And that's everybody's goal. And the sheriff's department has done a great job. All we can do is keep hoping and praying that that's how the outcome comes. But I do want to thank everybody that's been here and the support that I've received.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Ruskin, Florida. She'll join us with a live report a little later in our show.
And at 8:00 a.m. Eastern, the sheriff is planning to hold a news conference to update the situation.
In other "Stories Across America" this Thursday, more than a month after that courthouse shooting rampage in Atlanta, an injured sheriff's deputy leaves the hospital. Police say Cynthia Hall was the first victim in the attack that left a judge, a court reporter and another sheriff's deputy dead. Brian Nichols is suspected in the shooting spree and he's expected to appear in court tomorrow.
In Palmdale, California, police say a 13-year-old killed another teenager with a baseball bat during an argument after a game. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of murder. His team had lost its first game of the season just before the attack.
An Army Reservist has been charged in Arizona for detaining several illegal immigrants at gunpoint. Sergeant Patrick Haab says he was afraid the men were going to jump him at a border area rest stop. Police say he should not have taken the law into his own hands.
Point of no return? Hear what Israel's prime minister said about Iran's nuclear power.
And you think you're paying for gas with the clothes off your back? There may be some truth to that old cliche.
And gator attack -- one woman's survivor story at the expense of her best friend.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.
And later, we'll take you inside the new destination in the land of Lincoln.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Still to come, you've all heard she's expecting. So who could possibly upstage the stork flying toward the Spears' home? Fun with the tabloid rumor mill.
DAYBREAK is back in 60 seconds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER UPDEGRAVE, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": Life cycle funds, which are also known as target retirement funds, are basically a portfolio that gives you a pre-made mix of stocks and bonds that's appropriate for someone your age, and then that mix changes and becomes more conservative as you approach retirement.
So, for example, if you're young and you plan to retire 35 years from now, you would pick a fund that has a date of 2040. Now, that fund would be invested primarily in stocks because you're young and you can tolerate the ups and downs of the market.
Now, the neat thing about these life cycle or target funds is that the mix changes over time. You don't have to do anything. It's really kind of the ultimate hands off investment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says his country has evidence that Iran is making every effort to possess nuclear weapons. In an interview with CNN, Sharon says Iran will soon pass a point of no return in developing a nuclear weapon that could attack Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: You see, in order to possess a bomb that will take them time. But the problem now is entirely different. They have some problems. In order to overcome them, they are making every effort. No doubt that they are working now in order to possess a nuclear weapon which we regard to be a great danger not only for Israel, but for Europe and for the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Sharon visited the president's Texas ranch earlier this week before heading to Washington.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:14 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
It's happened again in Florida. A 13-year-old girl has disappeared from her family's mobile home near Tampa and authorities are questioning a convicted sex offender.
In money news, the House passed a bill that will eliminate the so-called death tax. This is the fourth time the House has approved ending the estate tax, but the measures all died in the Senate. In culture, the redesigned Museum of Modern Art in New York seems to be a hit. More than one million people have visited the museum since it reopened just over four months ago.
In sports, pitcher Curt Schilling made his first appearance this year for the Boston Red Sox, but it didn't turn out very well. Schilling gave up a big home run to Jason Giambi, of all people. That sealed the 5-2 win for the Yankees -- Chad.
MYERS: Hey, guess who throws out the first pitch today in Washington, D.C., Carol?
COSTELLO: President Bush?
MYERS: Yes. It should be a big time in the big town, in Washington, D.C. today, where baseball is coming back.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Chad, don't go away.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Because, you know, we've been talking about Britney Spears' pregnancy news, you know...
MYERS: She's pregnant.
COSTELLO: ... and, look, we have a picture of her little tummy.
MYERS: Oh, god.
COSTELLO: We covered -- there it is. There's her little tummy.
MYERS: That's really (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
COSTELLO: She still looks great, though, doesn't she?
MYERS: She does.
Where did she get the dark hair?
COSTELLO: Oh, I think she dyed it, from a bottle.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Actually, she is one of the hottest stars today, so baby number one with husband number two has some people asking who could outdo Britney? You want to know the list, what the list includes?
MYERS: Who could outdo Britney?
COSTELLO: Who could outdo Britney? According to the tabloid types that keep track of these things, the only people who could outdo Britney and her pregnancy is if J-Lo became pregnant, because, you know, she wants to have a baby, too.
MYERS: Right.
Demi Moore?
COSTELLO: There are already rumors out there that she's pregnant at 42.
MYERS: But doesn't she already have babies?
COSTELLO: She has a little -- she has, what, three or four? I don't know.
MYERS: She has almost adults. Anyway...
COSTELLO: She has adults.
MYERS: And Jennifer...
COSTELLO: Jessica Simpson...
MYERS: Jennifer, yes, yes, Jessica.
COSTELLO: Jessica Simpson...
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: ... who, rumors are going around that she's going to break up with her husband. So that would be big, big news. And Jennifer Aniston, who is, of course, divorced from Brad Pitt. So who would the father be?
MYERS: Oh, I don't know.
COSTELLO: But...
MYERS: But I've got one bigger.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: This is the big one.
MYERS: OK.
Do we have a picture or a drum roll?
Oprah.
COSTELLO: Oprah Winfrey. What if she were pregnant? She would definitely upstage Britney.
MYERS: But she's not. Right?
We're not making up news this morning, right? COSTELLO: She's not.
MYERS: OK. She's not.
COSTELLO: No, as far as we know...
MYERS: Not that we know of.
COSTELLO: ... she is not.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll move along now.
Gas for the car or clothes for the kids? In this era of high prices, the two are kind of like a see-saw. We'll explain what Americans are missing out on to pay for the price of gas.
And later, he was a friend and prosecutor. Now one woman shares the story of how she lost her pet but was spared her life, when DAYBREAK continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's a beautiful day here in New York City today.
Time now for a little "Business Buzz."
If you've been pouring more money into your gas tank and spending less elsewhere, you're certainly not alone.
But Carrie Lee says help may be on the way.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, the markets really took a hit yesterday, Carol, because of weak retail sales numbers for March. The numbers came in weaker than expected. We saw disappointing numbers for specialty clothing companies, department stores. Also, furniture and appliance sales were below expectations. And analysts are saying this is proof that Americans have less money to spend on items like clothes, as they're putting more money into their gas tank.
But, there is hope, because oil prices have fallen sharply over the past couple of days. Crude oil prices fell more than a dollar and a half yesterday, to just above $50. And we are now near seven week lows. Remember, yesterday, or last week, rather, we hit a record, close to $58 a barrel.
Now, last week's drop came, or yesterday's drop, rather, came as a government report showed that the nation's supply of crude rose for the ninth straight week. The more of the supply, the lower the price. That tends to be the way it's going lately.
Now, as we talked about earlier this week, half the price we pay at the pump comes from the price of crude oil, so if oil continues to fall, perhaps going forward we'll see gas prices subside a bit, as well. Perhaps. That's the hope, anyway.
COSTELLO: Because we've seen oil prices drop before, sharply, too, and then they go right back up.
LEE: Well, that's true. Just because they drop doesn't mean that it's a one way street. Things can always change. But that's the optimistic way of looking at it for now -- crude comes down, gas will follow.
COSTELLO: A quick look at the futures.
LEE: Futures are looking a little bit higher this morning.
A couple of stocks we're going to keep an eye on, some of the airlines. Southwest Airlines reporting profits this morning.
COSTELLO: Wow!
LEE: Southwest and JetBlue are the only two carriers expected to actually report a profit this quarter. High oil prices, as you know, affects the airlines, as well, fuel one of their biggest costs.
COSTELLO: But they're doing something right.
LEE: They are.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Thank you, Carrie.
LEE: OK.
COSTELLO: When we come back, I'll talk to a woman in Florida who narrowly missed the grip of an alligator's jaw. Wait until you hear who rescued her. That would be her dog. I mean, this is an amazing story.
We'll also have an up close look at the life of America's 16th president -- Abraham Lincoln. This is the new museum. It's interesting. You'll find it interesting, I promise, when DAYBREAK continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: One Florida woman is lucky to be alive thanks to a heroic act by her cunning canine. It all started when this alligator came after Cindy Hernandez while she swam in the river near her home. But then Bob the dog, he made the ultimate sacrifice.
Here's a puppy picture of Bob. Oh. He got in front of the gator while his owner made her getaway.
Cindy Hernandez joins us now to talk about this incident and her hero, her dog, Bob.
Good morning. CINDY HERNANDEZ: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Tell us, this story is so amazing. You were swimming in the river and then you saw the gator coming toward you.
HERNANDEZ: Yes. I had thrown the toy for Bob and I had gotten in the water right after that, right off the end of my dock. And I heard something cutting -- the sound of a boat cutting through the water. It was like a lapping sound. And I turned to my left and this alligator, how you see him now normally in the water, when all you see is their eyes and their snout and their tail? This alligator was literally elevated up off the water.
COSTELLO: Because he was literally coming after you.
HERNANDEZ: He was coming right for me.
My dog was coming in with his toy and he was behind me, coming into the ladder. So I just, all I started doing was smacking my hands as hard as I could on the water to try to make noise. And I was screaming, hoping that it would just startle the gator and he might stall for a minute so I'd have time to get back -- crawl back up on the dock.
He didn't stop. He just, he just kept coming. And...
COSTELLO: And then what did your dog do?
HERNANDEZ: Well, I couldn't see my dog while this was going on, but the next thing I knew, about four -- probably four feet before the gator got to me, my dog just went right in front. He had dropped his toy and he dropped it right in front of me. He swam right in front of me. And the gator grabbed him, rolled over one time and sunk to the bottom. And it was right in front of me. I mean I could have touched Bob when this happened.
COSTELLO: And you said that Bob did not like gators. In fact, he didn't like to swim in the river at night because he knew that gators were active then.
HERNANDEZ: Exactly. He could sense them.
COSTELLO: So he meant to come between you and this gator, right, Cindy?
HERNANDEZ: Yes. Yes. There's no doubt in my mind, because he would have just gone to the ladder and gone up with his toy and waited for me to throw it again. This was an act that -- he deliberately got in between us. I'm not going to say he said OK, I'm going to give my life at this moment. But he was doing it to save me, whatever the outcome was going to be.
COSTELLO: And Bob paid the ultimate price.
HERNANDEZ: Bob paid the ultimate price and that's why I'm here and able to tell you this story. COSTELLO: That's just unbelievable.
By the way, the pictures of that gator that we're showing you, that is the actual gator.
HERNANDEZ: That is the actual gator. What happened is a news team came down about three hours later. This happened at 1:00 in the afternoon, which is another unusual -- gators don't come out in the middle of the afternoon and feed like that or -- they usually stay hidden.
He came out, the news team and I went down on the dock and he came out from about 1,500 feet up the water. And the cameraman couldn't believe it. They were actually getting a little scared and were afraid. They asked me, they said can that gator get up on the dock? And I said, "Yes, they can get up on docks."
So this is him and he...
COSTELLO: So eventually, Cindy, what happened to this gator?
HERNANDEZ: The gator was captured the next morning, right in the spot where he had taken Bob to. He popped up out of the water five minutes later right off the dock with Bob in his mouth. And he had drowned him. And then he carried him to his den, which was 1,500 feet up the river. And I had watched the spot, saw it and reported it, called the gator that morning and reported it to him. And he came down. This was Tuesday morning. And he went up where I told him I saw the gator go into the marsh.
When he came down on the shore, the gator, he saw the gator. The gator was just floating there. And he went down on the shore and the gator came toward him. And this gator was very, very aggressive, I mean unusually so. Even the trappers said that he doesn't see that a lot.
COSTELLO: But in the end, the trapper managed to capture him and then the alligator was destroyed.
HERNANDEZ: He was destroyed, yes.
COSTELLO: Well, Cindy, thank you so much for sharing your story.
We're just sad that Bob didn't make it...
HERNANDEZ: I know.
COSTELLO: ... but, you know, just looking at pictures of him, it breaks your heart.
HERNANDEZ: I know. And thank you so much for putting him on the air, because he is a hero.
COSTELLO: Oh, he is.
HERNANDEZ: And thank you so much for that. COSTELLO: Cindy Hernandez, thanks for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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