Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Deadly Paris Fire; Missing Florida Teen; Music for Your Mutt

Aired April 15, 2005 - 05:30   ET

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

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."

Europe's longest serving monarch will be buried today. Security is tight for the funeral of Monaco's Prince Rainier III. You're looking at live pictures now from Monaco. As you can see, heads of state and royalty from across Europe are attending this funeral. Prince Rainier will be laid to rest beside his wife, the American actress Grace Kelly, who died in a car accident back in 1982.

A pair of attacks hit two military convoys in Iraq this morning. First, a suicide car bomber hit a U.S. convoy in western Baghdad. Later, a roadside bomb killed a civilian after it hit an Iraqi convoy.

More people have been charged in separate cases involving kickbacks and the United Nations Oil-for-Food program. One is Texas oilman David Chalmers. Another is a prominent South Korean businessman. Prosecutors say the suspects were involved in a scheme to pay millions of dollars in secret kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime.

Some of you live on the edge and it could cost you. Yes, today is tax deadline day in America. Your 2004 tax return must be postmarked by midnight in order to avoid penalties. Some post offices are open late, as normal, so good luck to you.

A major announcement for you business travelers out there, Amtrak has canceled some of its service between Boston and New York for today. Its Acela Express train is being stopped due to concerns over the brakes.

To the Forecast Center now and -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You ridden that train? Been on that train?

COSTELLO: I have a ticket aboard an Acela to go to Washington, but that's the other way, so I'm hoping it won't affect me.

MYERS: That's a good one. Well the brakes should be the same one way or the other, but they didn't say anything about that, right?

COSTELLO: Well they didn't say anything about the other way. I don't know what that means. MYERS: That's such a great train. I love that train. It's so comfortable. I mean all the U.S. should be able to take advantage of mass transit like that, but obviously it's just a little spot.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: I'd like. Maybe I should go there instead.

MYERS: No, D.C. will be fine.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: We begin this half-hour with a deadly fire in central Paris. At least 15 are dead and officials believe the death toll could rise.

Paula Hancocks is in Paris. She has details for us now.

Tell us about it -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Carol.

Well I'm standing just outside the six-story hotel, which is completely gutted. I've just spoken to one of the fire brigade's spokesman. And he says that one of the floors has collapsed, and it's very difficult for the firemen to actually get access to the building itself.

Now we've just had an update on numbers, and I'm afraid they have risen. They now say 18 have been killed, 8 of those were children. They said that the fire started about 2:00 this morning, that's about 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. As soon as they got here, it was in the half- hour they said, it was like a furnace. They also saw many bodies lying on the ground. Some people had jumped out of windows to try and escape the flames.

They say that the reason it was such a furnace is because there was only one stairwell in this hotel, and the room where the fire is believed to have started was just next to that stairwell. So it almost acted like a chimney for the furnace.

There were about 250 firefighters here at one point, and, as I said, 100 ambulances, dozens of fire engines. They're now trying to sift through the evidence. The forensics are inside to try and find out what started it and why it did turn into such a furnace -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Paula Hancocks, live from Paris this morning, thank you.

It's been five days and there's still no sign of a missing Florida teenager. An exhaustive search for 13-year-old Sarah Lunde has turned up nothing. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is following the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among the 100-plus volunteers searching for Sarah Lunde, a familiar face, Mark Lunsford, still reeling from the murder of his daughter, Jessica, allegedly at the hands of a sex offender.

MARK LUNSFORD, DAUGHTER JESSICA MURDERED: People I've never met before helped me, so, you know, it's just another way for me to give back and to show my appreciation.

CANDIOTTI: Like Lunsford's hometown of Homosassa Springs, population around 12,000, Ruskin, about 100 miles away, also is home to about two dozen registered sex offenders. Among Ruskin's 8,000 residents, those 24 sex offenders are well scattered around Sarah Lunde's home, circled in blue.

When children are reported missing, sex offenders are among the first possible suspects. Police so far have not linked her disappearance to any of them.

Why sexual predators choose to live in a particular location is not known. Experts say no definitive studies have been done. Police and other authorities suggest Florida's climate and relatively low cost of living attracts some. And rural areas can sometimes be a good place to lie low and not get noticed.

Whenever a child disappears, police routinely check on sex offenders.

(on camera): When Sarah Lunde was reported missing, one of the 24 sex offenders police tracked down lives right there in that trailer. He was convicted of sexual battery on a child under the age of 12.

Now it's not known how many people in this community are aware of his background, but we did find one woman there who does know about him.

JAN MCCORMICK, RUSKIN, FLORIDA RESIDENT: He doesn't really bother anybody. He mostly works and stays around his place.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The man who lives here served three years of an eight-year sentence. For another seven years, he has to wear an ankle monitor as part of his probation. His neighbor says those monitors should be required for every sex offender.

MCCORMICK: I think they should put bands on them so they know where they are all the time and keep updating them.

CANDIOTTI: Yet one neighbor's comfort is another's fear.

We stopped by another address listed by the state for another offender in the area. And, again, no one was home. This man was convicted of lewd and lascivious behavior on two children and is out on probation without an ankle monitor.

This young mother of two, with one on the way, found out about him from us.

LUIVA ARIAS, RUSKIN, FLORIDA RESIDENT: No, I did not know that. I didn't have a clue.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): What do you think about it?

ARIAS: Oh, God, it scares me.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Luiva Arias moved here only a month ago and says she wouldn't have if she knew about her neighbor.

ARIAS: Oh my God. I'll be more careful, you know, or probably find somewhere else to live.

CANDIOTTI: Mark Lunsford says if he only knew his daughter's accused killer, John Couey, was living across the street.

LUNSFORD: I would have made him move, yes. I'm not telling anybody else to do that, but I would have.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): How would you have done that?

LUNSFORD: There's so many different ways that we can be nice about it and ask someone to move.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Susan Candiotti, CNN, Ruskin, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The Hillsborough County Sheriff says the 43 leads received to date are surprisingly low. If you have any information, call the tip line. That number is 813-247-8200.

Now it's time to get to our e-mail segment of the day. And interesting comments about Gary Sheffield. Maybe you haven't heard, but Gary Sheffield was fielding a catch in right field. Here you see it. He says a fan reached out and split his lip. Gary Sheffield goes back, throws this roundhouse punch.

MYERS: That wasn't a roundhouse.

COSTELLO: Well you can't see it here, but he did.

MYERS: Well, no, he hit him with his glove.

COSTELLO: There it is, look, look.

MYERS: Come on!

COSTELLO: That was a punch -- Chad Myers.

MYERS: Oh well.

COSTELLO: Chad Everett Myers.

MYERS: I got some good e-mails from New York.

COSTELLO: A lot of people are saying why, why wasn't Gary Sheffield ejected from the game? The fan was ejected.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Some of the coaches were ejected earlier in the game for arguing with the umpire.

MYERS: All right, maybe that was a punch.

COSTELLO: Why wasn't this ejectable behavior? So we're asking you this morning, you make the call.

Go ahead -- Chad.

MYERS: I got a couple from New York.

COSTELLO: What a surprise.

MYERS: Guess who they're in favor of.

No, Sheffield should not have been ejected from John (ph). If anything, he should be commended for not killing that punk that tried to hit him in the first place.

And from Arizona, the video clearly shows that both parties are at fault. Eject them both and get on with the ballgame.

COSTELLO: This is from Anthony (ph) from Holbrook, New York. He says the fan should never touch the athlete and the athlete should never touch the fan. The fan should be arrested and Sheffield should be ejected. That being said, I do believe Sheffield showed restraint.

He missed, what do you mean he showed restraint, he missed the guy. He just threw a bad punch.

MYERS: Well, yes, but he didn't go back and hit him again.

COSTELLO: That's because the other Yankees' players and security came out and restrained him and led him from the field. But you know they have this all on tape.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And baseball, Major League Baseball will review the tape and Gary Sheffield could be up for a suspension.

MYERS: You won't believe the number of people that are e-mailing in saying there needs to be a gap between the first seat and the ballpark.

COSTELLO: Yes, because I guess at Fenway you have that low wall and you can easily -- yes, exactly. Still to come on DAYBREAK, a supplement taken off the market because it was once considered dangerous. Find out why Ephedra may be coming back to store shelves near you.

And do you know what kind of music your best friend likes? Straight ahead, the dog songs that have them hollowing. What is hollowing? I don't know.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's now two years and two weeks since former POW Jessica Lynch was rescued by U.S. forces in Iraq. In our look "Beyond the Soundbite" this morning, we take you back to that moment in time. Dramatic pictures of U.S. commandos spiriting Lynch out of a hospital, turning the 19-year-old clerk from Palestine, West Virginia into an American war hero. The former POW remembers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA LYNCH, FORMER POW: I was laying, you know, alone in the hospital bed in Iraq. And I could hear helicopters, and gunshots, and bombs, you know, going off in the background. And then, you know, the next thing I knew there was soldiers inside the building screaming, you know, "Where's Private Lynch?"

And the next thing I knew, they were standing by my bed. And one soldier actually ripped off the name -- or the American flag off of his shoulder and handed it to me in my left hand. And you know I gripped his hand all the way to the helicopter. And you know he looked at me and he said, "We're American soldiers, and we're here to take you home." You know to that I responded, you know, "I'm an American soldier, too."

I wouldn't change anything that happened. I would, you know -- I'd want to go back time and, you know, bring back Lori and the other soldiers who had died that day. But it's part of who I am now. And I've learned to deal with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Nine of Lynch's comrades were killed in the ambush that led to her capture.

House Democrats want Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to explain the government's leak of the name of a CIA operative. No charges have been brought against government officials who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, even though prosecutors say the investigation has concluded.

CNN's Robert Novak outed Ms. Plain as an undercover agent. Novak says he got the information from two senior Bush administration officials. Exposing the identity of an undercover government official is a federal crime. Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

You're looking at live pictures from Monaco as Prince Rainier's funeral procession gets under way. Europe's longest reigning monarch died last week of lung, heart and kidney failure. He was 81 years old.

In money news, there is a report today that IBM is considering a sizable restructuring after missing first quarter profit estimates by 5 cents a share. That report on Wall Street. It's going to be on "The Wall Street Journal's" Web site if you want to know more.

In culture, "Esquire" magazine did an online international poll asking women to rate President Bush's sex appeal. I don't know why, but anyway, the results are not flattering. He failed to register much more than a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10.

In sports, watch this once again, the Yankees and Red Sox last night at Fenway Park. You see Gary Sheffield there going after a ball. He says a fan hit him in the face. He threw a roundhouse punch. Then he goes back and starts yelling at the fan. Yankees players raced out of the dugout, but security quickly intervened. It did not turn out to be the equivalent of that big Pistons-Pacers basket brawl. But the fan, and not Sheffield, got ejected. And oh yes, Boston won the game 8 to 5.

That's our e-mail question this morning, you make the call: should Sheffield have been ejected for this behavior? DAYBREAK@CNN.com -- Chad.

MYERS: Got a great one from Ron (ph) in Billerica up in Massachusetts. He said I didn't see Sheffield's lip split. But if the lip is split, you must equip.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Absolutely. Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

And as you're pondering Gary Sheffield's behavior on the field, ponder this as well, Chad. If dogs could buy things, what would they buy?

CNN's Jeanne Moos has some suggestions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here boy! Come on, girl. Call your dog over to the TV so we can see if the CD lives up to its title, "Songs to Make Dogs Happy."

(MUSIC) MOOS: The creators say these songs were tested on doggy focus groups. But we found getting dogs to focus on music wasn't easy. But the CD's creators used more controlled focus groups, not to mention an animal communicator channeling their thoughts.

KIM OGDEN, PET COMMUNICATOR: I love this song, but I'd rather lick you.

MOOS: The result, a 12-song CD featuring numbers like "Squeaky- Deakey!"

Here at Biscuits & Bath doggy day care, we tested big dogs and little dogs.

SKIP HAYNES, RECORDED DOG SONGS: Yes, that's our No. 1 hit, yes.

MOOS: Skip Haynes created and performed "Songs to Make Dogs Happy."

HAYNES: We wrote a song that the entire lyrical content of the song is "you're a good dog," and dogs like to hear that.

MOOS (on camera): Let's try another track, see how you like this one? We don't like that one.

(voice-over): I couldn't fathom what Rudy here really thought, but pet communicator Kim Ogden says she can, word for word.

OGDEN: It's pleasant, but it's not the best thing I ever heard.

I am hearing them speak to me just like I'm having a conversation with an old friend.

MOOS: In English no less. Nutty as this sounds, Kim's supporters cite deeds like diagnosing animal ailments that are later confirmed by vets. Musically speaking...

OGDEN: Dogs love happy things. They love happy things.

MOOS: One adventurous dog seemed to want to turn down the volume. Sam the Beagle sent mixed signals, wagging his tail, but later...

(on camera): Are you growling? Did you I hear you growl? Why do you keep turning it off?

(voice-over): Sam even whacked the CD. You're a bad dog.

Was it the mushy music that inspired romance? But who needs all that fake panting, when you've got the real thing.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: We should have warned you that was PG rated. The surprising risk you may be taking by drinking too much water. New guidelines on how much you should drink if you're getting ready to exercise. And I know you're on that treadmill now. We'll give you the scoop ahead on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Health Headlines" for you this morning.

A Florida fish company involved in a total product recall has agreed to destroy its inventory. Smoked salmon and other fish products from SeaSpecialties may be contaminated with listeria. The company's Miami plant has been closed while officials work to comply with those federal health guidelines.

A new study of runners shows that too much water during exercise can actually be dangerous and even deadly. Research shows that too much water or sports drinks can dilute the blood and cause abnormally low blood sodium levels. Excess water can also gather in brain cells, which could cause breathing problems.

A federal judge in Utah overturned the year-old ban on the once popular herbal drug Ephedra. The judge ruled that the FDA did not adequately prove that dietary supplements were dangerous. The FDA and Justice Department are reviewing the court's ruling. It's unknown if or when Ephedra will return to the store shelves.

For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.

Here is what we're working on for you that's all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

It's been a whale of a trip. We'll get the latest on the beluga who's made a bit of a blunder upriver.

And later, we'll meet some amazing kids who are getting some amazing help to look for a permanent mom and dad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time to check out our "Web Clicks" this morning. We're always interested in what you're interested in on CNN.com.

So, Chad, the No. 1 story is this new twist on this finger found in Wendy's chili. Everybody is wondering where the finger came from.

MYERS: Right, remember a couple of days ago we were thinking or someone was thinking that the finger came from a lion park or some kind of...

COSTELLO: A leopard park, yes.

MYERS: A leopard park, somebody got their finger bitten off, or whatever, and it was taken to a Las Vegas hospital. Then that finger was lost. Well, as it turns out, the finger was -- the piece of finger was too small to be the one that was found in the Wendy's chili.

COSTELLO: So the search goes on for the person with the right missing finger.

MYERS: Wendy's is still offering that $50,000 reward for any information for this. But it's still a little shaky there.

COSTELLO: Yes, another story people are really into on CNN.com, MIT students pull prank on conference. This is pretty funny. It's a victory for pranksters. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a bunch of computer-generated gibberish masquerading as an academic paper has been accepted at a scientific conference. So they meant it as a joke, but this scientific conference said, hey, this is pretty good.

MYERS: You know I read scientific journals all the time when it comes to weather and stuff like that. But here's the name of the paper, "Rooter: A Methodology for the Typical Unification of Access Points and Redundancy." I have no idea what that is. Well clearly it's nothing because it was a fake.

COSTELLO: Well it was accepted, so maybe it really is something. Maybe they have something and they don't even know it.

Let's get to our e-mails now because we're getting so many.

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Our e-mail "Question of the Day," we're wondering if you think Gary Sheffield should have been thrown out of the game for throwing a roundhouse punch at a fan after the fan allegedly split his lip.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: He was catching a ball in right field, went to catch it, and supposedly this fan reached out and punched him.

MYERS: Now that is -- this is the first part of it now because you don't get to see it because now, now, now, now, now he's back there. But here is where the fan swipes his hand forward. And I think Gary didn't know what was going on. He was...

COSTELLO: Yes, but instead of throwing the ball in he starts to punch the fan?

MYERS: Well it seems like he should be in, you know, kind of in hot water with the Yankees for not throwing that ball in first, don't you think?

COSTELLO: Yes, because Varitek got a triple off that.

Anyway, let's get to some e-mails. This is from Susan (ph). Hi, DAYBREAK. No, I don't think Sheffield should have been ejected from the game. Why is the media blowing this way out of proportion? From what I saw, it didn't amount to much. MYERS: And here's a very astute Don (ph) from somewhere. Forget about the ejection, reward that female fan that was almost knocked over but didn't spill her beer.

COSTELLO: I love our viewers.

MYERS: I didn't see that one.

COSTELLO: This is from George (ph) from Clearwater, Florida. Sheffield acted appropriately. He did no more than most of us would have done in that situation. This time the ballplayer isn't the bad guy. I bet Chad would have jumped in the stands and clocked the guy.

MYERS: I don't know about that.

COSTELLO: Not our Chad.

MYERS: No.

COSTELLO: No, definitely not.

Do you have one more?

MYERS: I'm out of time.

COSTELLO: I know we're out of time. I wish we could read more. Thank you. Keep them coming. Maybe we'll fit some in in our 6:00 hour, which starts right now.

Straight-ahead on DAYBREAK, security for our skies, some measures beef up while others relax. So why is there no uniform code for airline safety?

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 April 15, 2005 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."

Europe's longest serving monarch will be buried today. Security is tight for the funeral of Monaco's Prince Rainier III. You're looking at live pictures now from Monaco. As you can see, heads of state and royalty from across Europe are attending this funeral. Prince Rainier will be laid to rest beside his wife, the American actress Grace Kelly, who died in a car accident back in 1982.

A pair of attacks hit two military convoys in Iraq this morning. First, a suicide car bomber hit a U.S. convoy in western Baghdad. Later, a roadside bomb killed a civilian after it hit an Iraqi convoy.

More people have been charged in separate cases involving kickbacks and the United Nations Oil-for-Food program. One is Texas oilman David Chalmers. Another is a prominent South Korean businessman. Prosecutors say the suspects were involved in a scheme to pay millions of dollars in secret kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime.

Some of you live on the edge and it could cost you. Yes, today is tax deadline day in America. Your 2004 tax return must be postmarked by midnight in order to avoid penalties. Some post offices are open late, as normal, so good luck to you.

A major announcement for you business travelers out there, Amtrak has canceled some of its service between Boston and New York for today. Its Acela Express train is being stopped due to concerns over the brakes.

To the Forecast Center now and -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You ridden that train? Been on that train?

COSTELLO: I have a ticket aboard an Acela to go to Washington, but that's the other way, so I'm hoping it won't affect me.

MYERS: That's a good one. Well the brakes should be the same one way or the other, but they didn't say anything about that, right?

COSTELLO: Well they didn't say anything about the other way. I don't know what that means. MYERS: That's such a great train. I love that train. It's so comfortable. I mean all the U.S. should be able to take advantage of mass transit like that, but obviously it's just a little spot.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: I'd like. Maybe I should go there instead.

MYERS: No, D.C. will be fine.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: We begin this half-hour with a deadly fire in central Paris. At least 15 are dead and officials believe the death toll could rise.

Paula Hancocks is in Paris. She has details for us now.

Tell us about it -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Carol.

Well I'm standing just outside the six-story hotel, which is completely gutted. I've just spoken to one of the fire brigade's spokesman. And he says that one of the floors has collapsed, and it's very difficult for the firemen to actually get access to the building itself.

Now we've just had an update on numbers, and I'm afraid they have risen. They now say 18 have been killed, 8 of those were children. They said that the fire started about 2:00 this morning, that's about 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. As soon as they got here, it was in the half- hour they said, it was like a furnace. They also saw many bodies lying on the ground. Some people had jumped out of windows to try and escape the flames.

They say that the reason it was such a furnace is because there was only one stairwell in this hotel, and the room where the fire is believed to have started was just next to that stairwell. So it almost acted like a chimney for the furnace.

There were about 250 firefighters here at one point, and, as I said, 100 ambulances, dozens of fire engines. They're now trying to sift through the evidence. The forensics are inside to try and find out what started it and why it did turn into such a furnace -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Paula Hancocks, live from Paris this morning, thank you.

It's been five days and there's still no sign of a missing Florida teenager. An exhaustive search for 13-year-old Sarah Lunde has turned up nothing. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is following the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among the 100-plus volunteers searching for Sarah Lunde, a familiar face, Mark Lunsford, still reeling from the murder of his daughter, Jessica, allegedly at the hands of a sex offender.

MARK LUNSFORD, DAUGHTER JESSICA MURDERED: People I've never met before helped me, so, you know, it's just another way for me to give back and to show my appreciation.

CANDIOTTI: Like Lunsford's hometown of Homosassa Springs, population around 12,000, Ruskin, about 100 miles away, also is home to about two dozen registered sex offenders. Among Ruskin's 8,000 residents, those 24 sex offenders are well scattered around Sarah Lunde's home, circled in blue.

When children are reported missing, sex offenders are among the first possible suspects. Police so far have not linked her disappearance to any of them.

Why sexual predators choose to live in a particular location is not known. Experts say no definitive studies have been done. Police and other authorities suggest Florida's climate and relatively low cost of living attracts some. And rural areas can sometimes be a good place to lie low and not get noticed.

Whenever a child disappears, police routinely check on sex offenders.

(on camera): When Sarah Lunde was reported missing, one of the 24 sex offenders police tracked down lives right there in that trailer. He was convicted of sexual battery on a child under the age of 12.

Now it's not known how many people in this community are aware of his background, but we did find one woman there who does know about him.

JAN MCCORMICK, RUSKIN, FLORIDA RESIDENT: He doesn't really bother anybody. He mostly works and stays around his place.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The man who lives here served three years of an eight-year sentence. For another seven years, he has to wear an ankle monitor as part of his probation. His neighbor says those monitors should be required for every sex offender.

MCCORMICK: I think they should put bands on them so they know where they are all the time and keep updating them.

CANDIOTTI: Yet one neighbor's comfort is another's fear.

We stopped by another address listed by the state for another offender in the area. And, again, no one was home. This man was convicted of lewd and lascivious behavior on two children and is out on probation without an ankle monitor.

This young mother of two, with one on the way, found out about him from us.

LUIVA ARIAS, RUSKIN, FLORIDA RESIDENT: No, I did not know that. I didn't have a clue.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): What do you think about it?

ARIAS: Oh, God, it scares me.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Luiva Arias moved here only a month ago and says she wouldn't have if she knew about her neighbor.

ARIAS: Oh my God. I'll be more careful, you know, or probably find somewhere else to live.

CANDIOTTI: Mark Lunsford says if he only knew his daughter's accused killer, John Couey, was living across the street.

LUNSFORD: I would have made him move, yes. I'm not telling anybody else to do that, but I would have.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): How would you have done that?

LUNSFORD: There's so many different ways that we can be nice about it and ask someone to move.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Susan Candiotti, CNN, Ruskin, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The Hillsborough County Sheriff says the 43 leads received to date are surprisingly low. If you have any information, call the tip line. That number is 813-247-8200.

Now it's time to get to our e-mail segment of the day. And interesting comments about Gary Sheffield. Maybe you haven't heard, but Gary Sheffield was fielding a catch in right field. Here you see it. He says a fan reached out and split his lip. Gary Sheffield goes back, throws this roundhouse punch.

MYERS: That wasn't a roundhouse.

COSTELLO: Well you can't see it here, but he did.

MYERS: Well, no, he hit him with his glove.

COSTELLO: There it is, look, look.

MYERS: Come on!

COSTELLO: That was a punch -- Chad Myers.

MYERS: Oh well.

COSTELLO: Chad Everett Myers.

MYERS: I got some good e-mails from New York.

COSTELLO: A lot of people are saying why, why wasn't Gary Sheffield ejected from the game? The fan was ejected.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Some of the coaches were ejected earlier in the game for arguing with the umpire.

MYERS: All right, maybe that was a punch.

COSTELLO: Why wasn't this ejectable behavior? So we're asking you this morning, you make the call.

Go ahead -- Chad.

MYERS: I got a couple from New York.

COSTELLO: What a surprise.

MYERS: Guess who they're in favor of.

No, Sheffield should not have been ejected from John (ph). If anything, he should be commended for not killing that punk that tried to hit him in the first place.

And from Arizona, the video clearly shows that both parties are at fault. Eject them both and get on with the ballgame.

COSTELLO: This is from Anthony (ph) from Holbrook, New York. He says the fan should never touch the athlete and the athlete should never touch the fan. The fan should be arrested and Sheffield should be ejected. That being said, I do believe Sheffield showed restraint.

He missed, what do you mean he showed restraint, he missed the guy. He just threw a bad punch.

MYERS: Well, yes, but he didn't go back and hit him again.

COSTELLO: That's because the other Yankees' players and security came out and restrained him and led him from the field. But you know they have this all on tape.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And baseball, Major League Baseball will review the tape and Gary Sheffield could be up for a suspension.

MYERS: You won't believe the number of people that are e-mailing in saying there needs to be a gap between the first seat and the ballpark.

COSTELLO: Yes, because I guess at Fenway you have that low wall and you can easily -- yes, exactly. Still to come on DAYBREAK, a supplement taken off the market because it was once considered dangerous. Find out why Ephedra may be coming back to store shelves near you.

And do you know what kind of music your best friend likes? Straight ahead, the dog songs that have them hollowing. What is hollowing? I don't know.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's now two years and two weeks since former POW Jessica Lynch was rescued by U.S. forces in Iraq. In our look "Beyond the Soundbite" this morning, we take you back to that moment in time. Dramatic pictures of U.S. commandos spiriting Lynch out of a hospital, turning the 19-year-old clerk from Palestine, West Virginia into an American war hero. The former POW remembers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA LYNCH, FORMER POW: I was laying, you know, alone in the hospital bed in Iraq. And I could hear helicopters, and gunshots, and bombs, you know, going off in the background. And then, you know, the next thing I knew there was soldiers inside the building screaming, you know, "Where's Private Lynch?"

And the next thing I knew, they were standing by my bed. And one soldier actually ripped off the name -- or the American flag off of his shoulder and handed it to me in my left hand. And you know I gripped his hand all the way to the helicopter. And you know he looked at me and he said, "We're American soldiers, and we're here to take you home." You know to that I responded, you know, "I'm an American soldier, too."

I wouldn't change anything that happened. I would, you know -- I'd want to go back time and, you know, bring back Lori and the other soldiers who had died that day. But it's part of who I am now. And I've learned to deal with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Nine of Lynch's comrades were killed in the ambush that led to her capture.

House Democrats want Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to explain the government's leak of the name of a CIA operative. No charges have been brought against government officials who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, even though prosecutors say the investigation has concluded.

CNN's Robert Novak outed Ms. Plain as an undercover agent. Novak says he got the information from two senior Bush administration officials. Exposing the identity of an undercover government official is a federal crime. Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

You're looking at live pictures from Monaco as Prince Rainier's funeral procession gets under way. Europe's longest reigning monarch died last week of lung, heart and kidney failure. He was 81 years old.

In money news, there is a report today that IBM is considering a sizable restructuring after missing first quarter profit estimates by 5 cents a share. That report on Wall Street. It's going to be on "The Wall Street Journal's" Web site if you want to know more.

In culture, "Esquire" magazine did an online international poll asking women to rate President Bush's sex appeal. I don't know why, but anyway, the results are not flattering. He failed to register much more than a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10.

In sports, watch this once again, the Yankees and Red Sox last night at Fenway Park. You see Gary Sheffield there going after a ball. He says a fan hit him in the face. He threw a roundhouse punch. Then he goes back and starts yelling at the fan. Yankees players raced out of the dugout, but security quickly intervened. It did not turn out to be the equivalent of that big Pistons-Pacers basket brawl. But the fan, and not Sheffield, got ejected. And oh yes, Boston won the game 8 to 5.

That's our e-mail question this morning, you make the call: should Sheffield have been ejected for this behavior? DAYBREAK@CNN.com -- Chad.

MYERS: Got a great one from Ron (ph) in Billerica up in Massachusetts. He said I didn't see Sheffield's lip split. But if the lip is split, you must equip.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Absolutely. Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

And as you're pondering Gary Sheffield's behavior on the field, ponder this as well, Chad. If dogs could buy things, what would they buy?

CNN's Jeanne Moos has some suggestions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here boy! Come on, girl. Call your dog over to the TV so we can see if the CD lives up to its title, "Songs to Make Dogs Happy."

(MUSIC) MOOS: The creators say these songs were tested on doggy focus groups. But we found getting dogs to focus on music wasn't easy. But the CD's creators used more controlled focus groups, not to mention an animal communicator channeling their thoughts.

KIM OGDEN, PET COMMUNICATOR: I love this song, but I'd rather lick you.

MOOS: The result, a 12-song CD featuring numbers like "Squeaky- Deakey!"

Here at Biscuits & Bath doggy day care, we tested big dogs and little dogs.

SKIP HAYNES, RECORDED DOG SONGS: Yes, that's our No. 1 hit, yes.

MOOS: Skip Haynes created and performed "Songs to Make Dogs Happy."

HAYNES: We wrote a song that the entire lyrical content of the song is "you're a good dog," and dogs like to hear that.

MOOS (on camera): Let's try another track, see how you like this one? We don't like that one.

(voice-over): I couldn't fathom what Rudy here really thought, but pet communicator Kim Ogden says she can, word for word.

OGDEN: It's pleasant, but it's not the best thing I ever heard.

I am hearing them speak to me just like I'm having a conversation with an old friend.

MOOS: In English no less. Nutty as this sounds, Kim's supporters cite deeds like diagnosing animal ailments that are later confirmed by vets. Musically speaking...

OGDEN: Dogs love happy things. They love happy things.

MOOS: One adventurous dog seemed to want to turn down the volume. Sam the Beagle sent mixed signals, wagging his tail, but later...

(on camera): Are you growling? Did you I hear you growl? Why do you keep turning it off?

(voice-over): Sam even whacked the CD. You're a bad dog.

Was it the mushy music that inspired romance? But who needs all that fake panting, when you've got the real thing.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: We should have warned you that was PG rated. The surprising risk you may be taking by drinking too much water. New guidelines on how much you should drink if you're getting ready to exercise. And I know you're on that treadmill now. We'll give you the scoop ahead on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Health Headlines" for you this morning.

A Florida fish company involved in a total product recall has agreed to destroy its inventory. Smoked salmon and other fish products from SeaSpecialties may be contaminated with listeria. The company's Miami plant has been closed while officials work to comply with those federal health guidelines.

A new study of runners shows that too much water during exercise can actually be dangerous and even deadly. Research shows that too much water or sports drinks can dilute the blood and cause abnormally low blood sodium levels. Excess water can also gather in brain cells, which could cause breathing problems.

A federal judge in Utah overturned the year-old ban on the once popular herbal drug Ephedra. The judge ruled that the FDA did not adequately prove that dietary supplements were dangerous. The FDA and Justice Department are reviewing the court's ruling. It's unknown if or when Ephedra will return to the store shelves.

For more on this or any other health story, head to our Web site. The address, CNN.com/health.

Here is what we're working on for you that's all new in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

It's been a whale of a trip. We'll get the latest on the beluga who's made a bit of a blunder upriver.

And later, we'll meet some amazing kids who are getting some amazing help to look for a permanent mom and dad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's time to check out our "Web Clicks" this morning. We're always interested in what you're interested in on CNN.com.

So, Chad, the No. 1 story is this new twist on this finger found in Wendy's chili. Everybody is wondering where the finger came from.

MYERS: Right, remember a couple of days ago we were thinking or someone was thinking that the finger came from a lion park or some kind of...

COSTELLO: A leopard park, yes.

MYERS: A leopard park, somebody got their finger bitten off, or whatever, and it was taken to a Las Vegas hospital. Then that finger was lost. Well, as it turns out, the finger was -- the piece of finger was too small to be the one that was found in the Wendy's chili.

COSTELLO: So the search goes on for the person with the right missing finger.

MYERS: Wendy's is still offering that $50,000 reward for any information for this. But it's still a little shaky there.

COSTELLO: Yes, another story people are really into on CNN.com, MIT students pull prank on conference. This is pretty funny. It's a victory for pranksters. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a bunch of computer-generated gibberish masquerading as an academic paper has been accepted at a scientific conference. So they meant it as a joke, but this scientific conference said, hey, this is pretty good.

MYERS: You know I read scientific journals all the time when it comes to weather and stuff like that. But here's the name of the paper, "Rooter: A Methodology for the Typical Unification of Access Points and Redundancy." I have no idea what that is. Well clearly it's nothing because it was a fake.

COSTELLO: Well it was accepted, so maybe it really is something. Maybe they have something and they don't even know it.

Let's get to our e-mails now because we're getting so many.

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Our e-mail "Question of the Day," we're wondering if you think Gary Sheffield should have been thrown out of the game for throwing a roundhouse punch at a fan after the fan allegedly split his lip.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: He was catching a ball in right field, went to catch it, and supposedly this fan reached out and punched him.

MYERS: Now that is -- this is the first part of it now because you don't get to see it because now, now, now, now, now he's back there. But here is where the fan swipes his hand forward. And I think Gary didn't know what was going on. He was...

COSTELLO: Yes, but instead of throwing the ball in he starts to punch the fan?

MYERS: Well it seems like he should be in, you know, kind of in hot water with the Yankees for not throwing that ball in first, don't you think?

COSTELLO: Yes, because Varitek got a triple off that.

Anyway, let's get to some e-mails. This is from Susan (ph). Hi, DAYBREAK. No, I don't think Sheffield should have been ejected from the game. Why is the media blowing this way out of proportion? From what I saw, it didn't amount to much. MYERS: And here's a very astute Don (ph) from somewhere. Forget about the ejection, reward that female fan that was almost knocked over but didn't spill her beer.

COSTELLO: I love our viewers.

MYERS: I didn't see that one.

COSTELLO: This is from George (ph) from Clearwater, Florida. Sheffield acted appropriately. He did no more than most of us would have done in that situation. This time the ballplayer isn't the bad guy. I bet Chad would have jumped in the stands and clocked the guy.

MYERS: I don't know about that.

COSTELLO: Not our Chad.

MYERS: No.

COSTELLO: No, definitely not.

Do you have one more?

MYERS: I'm out of time.

COSTELLO: I know we're out of time. I wish we could read more. Thank you. Keep them coming. Maybe we'll fit some in in our 6:00 hour, which starts right now.

Straight-ahead on DAYBREAK, security for our skies, some measures beef up while others relax. So why is there no uniform code for airline safety?

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