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CNN Live At Daybreak

Moussaoui Plea; Deadly Attack; Down to Business

Aired April 22, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, a downed helicopter on a grassy plain north of Baghdad. The atrocities of war up close, taped by insurgents.
Plus, in Kansas, thunderstorms, large hail, heavy rain and this. We'll talk to the man who caught this monster twister on tape.

And the doctor is in. I'll talk to NBA legend Julius Erving about roundball and heartache.

It's Friday, April 22. This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

"Now in the News," the only person charged in the United States in connection with the 9/11 attacks is expected to plead guilty today. Zacarias Moussaoui will appear in a Virginia courtroom this afternoon. We'll have a full report just about a minute from now.

At the Vatican right now, newly named Pope Benedict XVI begins meeting with the College of Cardinals, the men who voted him into office.

And around the world people are celebrating the 35th annual Earth Day today. President Bush will mark the day with a speech at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

To the forecast center and Chad.

Good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

Our top story this morning, Zacarias Moussaoui. Sources tell CNN that Moussaoui will plead guilty to an indictment involving the terrorist attacks in September of 2001. Our national correspondent, Bob Franken, has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the federal courthouse just nine miles from where a hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, Zacarias Moussaoui will plead guilty this afternoon to six charges growing out of the attacks, if he keeps his word. He's changed his mind before.

BERNARD GRIMM, ATTORNEY: The problem is, in representing Mr. Moussaoui, it's like -- it's essentially a 24-hour time bomb. You don't know when it's going to explode.

FRANKEN: Moussaoui used to be called the 20th hijacker, although never by prosecutors. He was already under arrest on that September 11 after erratic behavior at a Minnesota flight training school. But officials in Washington refused to allow a search of his laptop computer in spite of various warnings he had ties to al Qaeda, and despite the fact he had paid for the instruction with close to $7,000 in cash.

Different theories of his involvement include the possibility he was a potential replacement hijack pilot on 9/11, or that he was preparing to take part in the second wave of attacks. His defense lawyers continue to object to the finding by Judge Leonie Brinkema, who he's frequently ridiculed, that Moussaoui is now mentally competent to plead guilty to charges that carry the death penalty. Execution could be up to a jury.

PETER WHITE, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: This is a very unusual death penalty in that Zacarias Moussaoui didn't kill anyone. Zacarias Moussaoui was in jail, in fact, when September 11 happened.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: If Moussaoui enters a guilty plea and it's accepted, there will be a separate penalty phase. A jury will be picked to determine if he gets the death penalty or life in prison.

At three different hospitals suspicious people have been found poking around pretending to be unannounced inspectors, fake hospital inspectors. "The Washington Post" reports that these fake inspectors have been discovered in Boston, Detroit and Los Angeles. FBI and Homeland Security agents are now investigating.

In each case, the impostors were stopped by security guards or hospital staff. The national organization that does perform unannounced hospital inspections is now sending inspectors with additional identification.

In Colorado, a lawyer for three activists say the Secret Service is investigating whether a man at a President Bush event was impersonating an agent. The activists were removed from the event last month by the man dressed in a dark suit and wearing an ear piece. The agency that protects the president says it has determined the man was a staff member with the host committee.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

To Iraq now, and some gruesome images from a downed commercial helicopter. Six Americans were killed, along with three Bulgarians and two from Fiji. As CNN's Aaron Brown reports, insurgents videotaped the disturbing aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened north of Baghdad. Insurgents taped the aftermath. At least 10 people died, including six American contractors, men who act as bodyguards for diplomats and others.

The camera takes us on a grisly tour of the wreckage, of the carnage. The circumstances, though, of what comes next are in question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand up. Stand up.

BROWN: Unmistakably, an injured man is first interrogated, then helped to his feet. "Weapons, weapons?" they ask. He's unarmed.

Then, after the camera zooms in to get a better view, he's ordered to run.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go!

BROWN: "Go! Go!" they say. Then they open fire, something they wanted to show. But we don't and won't. So we stopped the video here.

Still unclear whether the victim being executed was in fact a victim of the crash. Or was this video of another execution, another atrocity in the war, edited together for additional propaganda?

Aaron Brown, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The president of Blackwater Security Consulting issued a statement saying, "This is a very sad day for the Blackwater family. We lost seven of our friends to attacks by terrorists in Iraq, and our thoughts and prayers go out to their family members." And you might assume from that statement that some of those who died in that helicopter downing were from that contracting company.

We're going to talk much more about this in the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK. Octavia Nasr, our Arab affairs editor, will be along to tell us more about this group, tell us more about this videotape and who's airing it in its entirety.

Let's talk about the pope now.

Pope Benedict XVI is taking care of a little papal business right now as he gets ready for his installation on Sunday. Let's head live now to CNN's Jennifer Eccleston. She's in Rome.

Good morning.

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. That's right. Pope Benedict XVI's public schedule is beginning to go up, as you can see. At this hour, he is meeting with all the cardinals in the College of Cardinals, even those over the age of 80 who were not able to take part in the conclave.

Now, this meeting is taking place in the Sala Clementina in the Apostolic Palace. This is the room where Pope John Paul II's body lie in state during that private audience just after his death.

You can see the pope there wearing his white Catholic (ph), looking very relaxed in all the faces there of the cardinals who are a part of this meeting.

The person that introduced him was the secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. He said, "We hope you can imitate the work of St. Benedict." That's of course the man he took his name from. He is now known as Benedict XVI, the founder of the monasticism in Catholicism, one of the Catholic Church's oldest Christian orders. And once Cardinal Sodano made that statement, all of the cardinals there were in a round of applause.

And as you know, on Sunday we will have the installation mass of Pope Benedict XVI, his first public liturgy since becoming pope. And the preparations are under way for that massive event. We will expect tens of thousands of people to take part -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jennifer Eccleston live from Rome this morning. Thank you.

More news "Across America" for you now.

The investigation into a fatal mobile home fire in Arkansas is expected to last well into next week. Five children and one adult were killed in Wednesday's blaze. Fire experts combed through what was left of the home, looking for clues. Grief counselors will be on hand when the local school district resumes classes this morning.

A Washington woman has set a new standard for dissatisfied customers. Unhappy with her haircut, she allegedly shot her stylist's car and robbed the hair salon. Police say she used money from the robbery to pay for a new hairdo at a rival salon. She now faces robbery and malicious mischief charges.

The woman who claimed she found a finger in her Wendy's chili is now under arrest. Police will not comment on the reason for her arrest, but a news conference is scheduled for this afternoon. I believe it's at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

Sales at Wendy's restaurants in northern California have dropped dramatically since the woman said she found the finger. She apparently has a history of making claims against big companies. So that news conference will be mighty interesting.

Several homes in Kansas damaged or destroyed after a tornado touches down in the southeastern part of the state. Joining me now to talk about the twister is storm chaser Reed Timmer. And I want to bring Chad in with us, too, Tim...

MYERS: Right here, Carol.

COSTELLO: ... because -- you got some incredible pictures, Reed.

REED TIMMER, STORM CHASER: Oh, thank you.

COSTELLO: Tell us how you happened to pawn these pictures. Where were you exactly?

TIMMER: Well, initially, we were in southeast Kansas. And we saw this storm to our south, and it was beautiful. It had a beautiful, nice, crisp (INAUDIBLE) and everything.

And so we headed south and punched through the core and had -- got pelted by baseball-size hail. And as we continued south we saw some rapid rotation in the wall cloud, and just headed east and the funnel came down very slowly. A very skinny, beautiful white tornado.

And again, there was baseball-size hail being swung around the tornado. I forgot to wear my bike helmet, so we were a little bit worried about the hail.

But, yes, it was a beautiful tornado. And it's a good thing that it was out of our open terrain.

COSTELLO: Chad, he called it a "beautiful tornado."

MYERS: Yes, well, that's a storm chaser's term. It wouldn't be beautiful to that guy who has that house living right there.

Hey, Reed, I want -- I want -- you know, we've all watched this movie "Twister" and all that. I want you to tell people -- I know you do this not for a living so much, but as a hobby as well -- how you take care of yourself and why Joe Doe should not just drive out there and looking for tornadoes. There's a lot to this process, isn't there?

TIMMER: Yes, that's not a good idea, because we knew exactly where this tornado was moving and where the storm was moving. And we understand super cell structure very well. We've been doing this for nine years now.

So it's definitely not something that if you don't understand tornadoes and super cell structures, it's not something you can do. Because you can get in big trouble.

MYERS: Were you in contact with a TV station, the Weather Service? Who were you talking to, to get that information?

TIMMER: Well, we actually have -- we're on the SKYWARN Spotter Network. So when we see these tornadoes touch down, we report them through the Hamm radio network. So people that hear tornado warnings, with concerns for a tornado touchdown will take those a lot more seriously. MYERS: Hey, Reed, I know this looks like a one -- or maybe, you know, from a zero to a one. And eventually there were some terms out of this storm called "large tornado on the ground." And I was actually watching it from home, watching the radar.

It was a phenomenal circulation. Then another storm smashed into it from the south.

TIMMER: Yes.

MYERS: Probably wrapped that tornado in rain.

TIMMER: Exactly.

MYERS: How big do you think this tornado got?

TIMMER: This tornado was really skinny at the bottom, but that can be deceiving. Because even though it's a small tornado, the circulation on the ground, as you can see, is very violent.

MYERS: Yes.

TIMMER: So I would say the winds were actually a lot stronger. But this tornado was probably only a few hundred yards wide at the widest.

MYERS: OK.

Go ahead.

COSTELLO: I have two more -- two questions.

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Number one, you said the hail was pelting you in the head and you had this helmet on. How fast would that hail be traveling?

TIMMER: No, the hail actually never made contact with us, luckily.

COSTELLO: OK.

TIMMER: But we're actually not worried about the tornado. When you're out there videotaping it, you're more worried about the lightning and the hail that's following, because we were actually a safe distance from the tornado.

I mean, the hail can be gigantic with these super cells. I've seen hail larger than softball size before. And it's pretty -- it happens.

COSTELLO: And Chad, I wanted to ask you, was there any damage from this tornado or injuries to people?

MYERS: Well, the good news is this one was really over open territory. It was headed to Lamar, Missouri, from here if it didn't get interrupted by that other storm. It tried to make a cell merger with it and kind of drowned it out and stayed in Kansas. A lot of open land here.

Reed, I've got one quick question for you now. Where are you going today?

TIMMER: Probably nowhere today. I've been up for about 42 straight hours.

MYERS: Oh, OK.

TIMMER: So I'll probably catch a little sleep.

MYERS: All right. Well, if you get yourself to Alabama, I can help you chase some storms there today.

TIMMER: Yes, that's be awesome.

COSTELLO: Oh my goodness.

All right. Reed Timmer, thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

And Chad, thanks to you as well.

MYERS: You bet.

COSTELLO: Let's switch gears here and have a little Friday fun. Do you know anybody who's about to have a baby?

MYERS: Well, I just had one.

COSTELLO: You did. And I know how difficult it was to choose a name for you and Sally.

MYERS: Oh, it took 10 months.

COSTELLO: It did. It's a difficult thing.

MYERS: It took longer than the baby.

COSTELLO: I know. I know. And it's like you have to figure out things like, should I name the baby after a person, should I come up with some imagined name, should I make up my own name?

You've probably seen those baby naming books.

MYERS: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

MYERS: I have plenty of those.

COSTELLO: Have you seen this one, though, Chad?

MYERS: No.

COSTELLO: It's called "The Worst Baby Name Book Ever." We're going to talk to the author...

MYERS: I needed that.

COSTELLO: It is the funniest book. It really is.

MYERS: That's a pretty good picture, too.

COSTELLO: So we wanted to have like some fun with our email question today. So we're asking you this morning, what is the worst baby name you've ever heard? Maybe it's the one your parents saddled you with.

We want to know. DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

And just to appease the person stuck with a name less than melodic, we're giving away an extra mug today.

MYERS: Oh!

COSTELLO: So if you're...

MYERS: Hey, Bill, George, anything but Sue! How do you do?

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: I remember that song.

MYERS: A little Johnny Cash.

COSTELLO: Johnny Cash.

Anyway, if you can come up with the worst name, we will send you one of our treasured DAYBREAK mugs.

MYERS: Awesome.

COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

Still to come, what goes through the mind of a sex offender. With the spate of recent abductions, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a profile of a pedophile. His own words in 17 minutes.

And it's being touted as a breakthrough in forecasting, the strength of hurricanes this year. Chad will have details in four minutes.

And with the NBA playoffs set to tip off tomorrow, fans in playoff cities can see some NBA legends on parade.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: The international markets all looking brighter this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei is up by 61 points. The London FTSE up just a smidgen. And the German DAX is higher by 32 points.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:18 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

New Pope Benedict XVI is meeting with the College of Cardinals today. He's preparing for this weekend's events, which include Sunday's installation mass.

In money news, things seem to be going well at Google. The company's first quarter profits are up six-fold, and even outpaced analysts' expectations. Google's stock has more than doubled since the company went public last year.

In culture, Bugs Bunny and friends are part of a special show at a Pennsylvania art museum. The James A. Michener Museum is showcasing items from the early days of Looney Tunes. The exhibit includes drawings and sales from some of those original cartoons.

I think they're cute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUGS BUNNY: What's up, doc?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In sports, one day after missing the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers jettison general manager Jim Paxson. Also gone, the interim head coach, Brendan Malone. Now the Cavs need to rebuild the front office before they can search for players to complement star LeBron James.

You know, Chad, I talked to Dr. J. yesterday.

MYERS: You did?

COSTELLO: Yes. We're going to be seeing that interview later. And he was talking about the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. And he says, "Maybe this is the best thing for LeBron James," because it humbles him...

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: ... and teaches him to take hardship. And maybe it's a blessing in disguise, although they fired all those people because of it.

MYERS: Well, I think LeBron has a long career coming anyway.

COSTELLO: I think he does.

MYERS: He's still pretty young. Yes.

COSTELLO: What is he, 19 or 20 now?

MYERS: He'll make up for it -- exactly.

Hey, want to do a forecast?

COSTELLO: Yes, that would be great.

MYERS: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: When it comes to airport security these days, nobody goes undetected, even penguins. Oh, that's so strong. The story of Pet and Penny straight ahead.

And our DAYBREAK email "Question of the Morning." We want to have fun this morning, because, after all, it is Friday. What is the worst baby name you have ever heard? Let us know. DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

And you are watching DAYBREAK for Friday, April 22.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I was just reading some of the worst baby names ever.

MYERS: I haven't gotten on there yet.

COSTELLO: Porchia Mercedes Lexis Rodriguez (ph). That's pretty bad. DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

For more laughs, it's time for "Late Night Laughs."

MYERS: Jay Leno.

COSTELLO: Jay Leno. We have lots of Jay Leno this morning. Incase you missed it, yesterday was Queen Elizabeth's birthday.

MYERS: Seventy-nine.

COSTELLO: Seventy-nine. That, and another major event of the day did not slip by Jay Leno.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": And happy birthday Queen Elizabeth. Seventy-nine years old, the queen today.

(APPLAUSE)

Seventy-nine years old. She is in great shape. She does not look a day older than Camilla. You know? She looks terrific. (LAUGHTER)

And congratulations to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. Did you hear about this? According to "PEOPLE" magazine, Ben is now engaged to Jennifer. How about that?

(APPLAUSE)

Yes. I'm real excited. Yes. It was made official today when a puff of white smoke was released at the home -- at the home of Matt Damon, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That was pretty good. I'm happy for Ben Affleck. Don't you think they're a great couple?

MYERS: Who? Ben and Jen?

COSTELLO: Yes, but not Jennifer Lopez.

MYERS: Oh.

COSTELLO: Jennifer Garner.

MYERS: Oh, see.

COSTELLO: Do you know who she is?

MYERS: I don't think so.

COSTELLO: OK. No need to talk to you anymore then.

MYERS: I don't know entertainment news. See, there's that show -- "Showbiz Tonight," whatever they've got on Headline News. I'm never going to be a guest.

COSTELLO: No, I don't think you are.

MYERS: I'm safe on that one.

COSTELLO: I'm going to send you a primer on pop culture.

Chad, I think it's time to get to our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers" now.

MYERS: Some good ones this morning.

COSTELLO: All right.

Will the real candidate for mayor please step forward? In San Antonio, Julian Castro was running for mayor. Julian is the one on the right. But in a big downtown parade this week he sent his twin brother as a stand-in and no one noticed. We'll talk to the brothers about the incident. That's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING" at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. Of course that's about 90 minutes from now.

This may be taking airport security too far. After all, penguins don't even have pockets. Look at them walking through the gate.

These little guys traveled from Texas to Colorado for a kids' career day appearance. But we're guessing the career they were promoting was zookeeper and not penguin.

MYERS: It does look like the Denver airport going through...

COSTELLO: Is that not the cutest?

MYERS: ... going through security.

COSTELLO: The penguins were fine. They didn't have to pat them down.

MYERS: Oh, good.

COSTELLO: The only official "Star Wars" convention is under way in Indianapolis. More than 22,000 Chewbaccas and Darth Vaders are expected to attend. And it looks like there's already one too many Jar Jar Binks.

That's a terrible character.

The highlight of this convention...

MYERS: Ooh!

COSTELLO: ... "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, who will speak on Saturday.

Do you know Jar Jar Binks?

MYERS: Yes, I do know some "Star Wars" stuff.

COSTELLO: Oh, I knew -- see, I was -- I knew you were nerdy enough to know that.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: And I mean that in the most loving way.

MYERS: I only know artificial characters, not real ones.

COSTELLO: I see.

Here's what's all new in the next half-hour of DAYBREAK.

The sexiest jobs. We'll tell you who hosts the competition in a survey. And who may be feeling a little sick about their ranking. And a reminder. Our email "Question of the Morning," what is the worst baby name you have ever heard? If you have the worst, we'll send you a mug. Email us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 22, 2005 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, a downed helicopter on a grassy plain north of Baghdad. The atrocities of war up close, taped by insurgents.
Plus, in Kansas, thunderstorms, large hail, heavy rain and this. We'll talk to the man who caught this monster twister on tape.

And the doctor is in. I'll talk to NBA legend Julius Erving about roundball and heartache.

It's Friday, April 22. This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

"Now in the News," the only person charged in the United States in connection with the 9/11 attacks is expected to plead guilty today. Zacarias Moussaoui will appear in a Virginia courtroom this afternoon. We'll have a full report just about a minute from now.

At the Vatican right now, newly named Pope Benedict XVI begins meeting with the College of Cardinals, the men who voted him into office.

And around the world people are celebrating the 35th annual Earth Day today. President Bush will mark the day with a speech at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

To the forecast center and Chad.

Good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

Our top story this morning, Zacarias Moussaoui. Sources tell CNN that Moussaoui will plead guilty to an indictment involving the terrorist attacks in September of 2001. Our national correspondent, Bob Franken, has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the federal courthouse just nine miles from where a hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon on September 11, Zacarias Moussaoui will plead guilty this afternoon to six charges growing out of the attacks, if he keeps his word. He's changed his mind before.

BERNARD GRIMM, ATTORNEY: The problem is, in representing Mr. Moussaoui, it's like -- it's essentially a 24-hour time bomb. You don't know when it's going to explode.

FRANKEN: Moussaoui used to be called the 20th hijacker, although never by prosecutors. He was already under arrest on that September 11 after erratic behavior at a Minnesota flight training school. But officials in Washington refused to allow a search of his laptop computer in spite of various warnings he had ties to al Qaeda, and despite the fact he had paid for the instruction with close to $7,000 in cash.

Different theories of his involvement include the possibility he was a potential replacement hijack pilot on 9/11, or that he was preparing to take part in the second wave of attacks. His defense lawyers continue to object to the finding by Judge Leonie Brinkema, who he's frequently ridiculed, that Moussaoui is now mentally competent to plead guilty to charges that carry the death penalty. Execution could be up to a jury.

PETER WHITE, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: This is a very unusual death penalty in that Zacarias Moussaoui didn't kill anyone. Zacarias Moussaoui was in jail, in fact, when September 11 happened.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: If Moussaoui enters a guilty plea and it's accepted, there will be a separate penalty phase. A jury will be picked to determine if he gets the death penalty or life in prison.

At three different hospitals suspicious people have been found poking around pretending to be unannounced inspectors, fake hospital inspectors. "The Washington Post" reports that these fake inspectors have been discovered in Boston, Detroit and Los Angeles. FBI and Homeland Security agents are now investigating.

In each case, the impostors were stopped by security guards or hospital staff. The national organization that does perform unannounced hospital inspections is now sending inspectors with additional identification.

In Colorado, a lawyer for three activists say the Secret Service is investigating whether a man at a President Bush event was impersonating an agent. The activists were removed from the event last month by the man dressed in a dark suit and wearing an ear piece. The agency that protects the president says it has determined the man was a staff member with the host committee.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

To Iraq now, and some gruesome images from a downed commercial helicopter. Six Americans were killed, along with three Bulgarians and two from Fiji. As CNN's Aaron Brown reports, insurgents videotaped the disturbing aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AARON BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened north of Baghdad. Insurgents taped the aftermath. At least 10 people died, including six American contractors, men who act as bodyguards for diplomats and others.

The camera takes us on a grisly tour of the wreckage, of the carnage. The circumstances, though, of what comes next are in question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stand up. Stand up.

BROWN: Unmistakably, an injured man is first interrogated, then helped to his feet. "Weapons, weapons?" they ask. He's unarmed.

Then, after the camera zooms in to get a better view, he's ordered to run.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go! Go!

BROWN: "Go! Go!" they say. Then they open fire, something they wanted to show. But we don't and won't. So we stopped the video here.

Still unclear whether the victim being executed was in fact a victim of the crash. Or was this video of another execution, another atrocity in the war, edited together for additional propaganda?

Aaron Brown, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The president of Blackwater Security Consulting issued a statement saying, "This is a very sad day for the Blackwater family. We lost seven of our friends to attacks by terrorists in Iraq, and our thoughts and prayers go out to their family members." And you might assume from that statement that some of those who died in that helicopter downing were from that contracting company.

We're going to talk much more about this in the 6:00 hour of DAYBREAK. Octavia Nasr, our Arab affairs editor, will be along to tell us more about this group, tell us more about this videotape and who's airing it in its entirety.

Let's talk about the pope now.

Pope Benedict XVI is taking care of a little papal business right now as he gets ready for his installation on Sunday. Let's head live now to CNN's Jennifer Eccleston. She's in Rome.

Good morning.

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. That's right. Pope Benedict XVI's public schedule is beginning to go up, as you can see. At this hour, he is meeting with all the cardinals in the College of Cardinals, even those over the age of 80 who were not able to take part in the conclave.

Now, this meeting is taking place in the Sala Clementina in the Apostolic Palace. This is the room where Pope John Paul II's body lie in state during that private audience just after his death.

You can see the pope there wearing his white Catholic (ph), looking very relaxed in all the faces there of the cardinals who are a part of this meeting.

The person that introduced him was the secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. He said, "We hope you can imitate the work of St. Benedict." That's of course the man he took his name from. He is now known as Benedict XVI, the founder of the monasticism in Catholicism, one of the Catholic Church's oldest Christian orders. And once Cardinal Sodano made that statement, all of the cardinals there were in a round of applause.

And as you know, on Sunday we will have the installation mass of Pope Benedict XVI, his first public liturgy since becoming pope. And the preparations are under way for that massive event. We will expect tens of thousands of people to take part -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jennifer Eccleston live from Rome this morning. Thank you.

More news "Across America" for you now.

The investigation into a fatal mobile home fire in Arkansas is expected to last well into next week. Five children and one adult were killed in Wednesday's blaze. Fire experts combed through what was left of the home, looking for clues. Grief counselors will be on hand when the local school district resumes classes this morning.

A Washington woman has set a new standard for dissatisfied customers. Unhappy with her haircut, she allegedly shot her stylist's car and robbed the hair salon. Police say she used money from the robbery to pay for a new hairdo at a rival salon. She now faces robbery and malicious mischief charges.

The woman who claimed she found a finger in her Wendy's chili is now under arrest. Police will not comment on the reason for her arrest, but a news conference is scheduled for this afternoon. I believe it's at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

Sales at Wendy's restaurants in northern California have dropped dramatically since the woman said she found the finger. She apparently has a history of making claims against big companies. So that news conference will be mighty interesting.

Several homes in Kansas damaged or destroyed after a tornado touches down in the southeastern part of the state. Joining me now to talk about the twister is storm chaser Reed Timmer. And I want to bring Chad in with us, too, Tim...

MYERS: Right here, Carol.

COSTELLO: ... because -- you got some incredible pictures, Reed.

REED TIMMER, STORM CHASER: Oh, thank you.

COSTELLO: Tell us how you happened to pawn these pictures. Where were you exactly?

TIMMER: Well, initially, we were in southeast Kansas. And we saw this storm to our south, and it was beautiful. It had a beautiful, nice, crisp (INAUDIBLE) and everything.

And so we headed south and punched through the core and had -- got pelted by baseball-size hail. And as we continued south we saw some rapid rotation in the wall cloud, and just headed east and the funnel came down very slowly. A very skinny, beautiful white tornado.

And again, there was baseball-size hail being swung around the tornado. I forgot to wear my bike helmet, so we were a little bit worried about the hail.

But, yes, it was a beautiful tornado. And it's a good thing that it was out of our open terrain.

COSTELLO: Chad, he called it a "beautiful tornado."

MYERS: Yes, well, that's a storm chaser's term. It wouldn't be beautiful to that guy who has that house living right there.

Hey, Reed, I want -- I want -- you know, we've all watched this movie "Twister" and all that. I want you to tell people -- I know you do this not for a living so much, but as a hobby as well -- how you take care of yourself and why Joe Doe should not just drive out there and looking for tornadoes. There's a lot to this process, isn't there?

TIMMER: Yes, that's not a good idea, because we knew exactly where this tornado was moving and where the storm was moving. And we understand super cell structure very well. We've been doing this for nine years now.

So it's definitely not something that if you don't understand tornadoes and super cell structures, it's not something you can do. Because you can get in big trouble.

MYERS: Were you in contact with a TV station, the Weather Service? Who were you talking to, to get that information?

TIMMER: Well, we actually have -- we're on the SKYWARN Spotter Network. So when we see these tornadoes touch down, we report them through the Hamm radio network. So people that hear tornado warnings, with concerns for a tornado touchdown will take those a lot more seriously. MYERS: Hey, Reed, I know this looks like a one -- or maybe, you know, from a zero to a one. And eventually there were some terms out of this storm called "large tornado on the ground." And I was actually watching it from home, watching the radar.

It was a phenomenal circulation. Then another storm smashed into it from the south.

TIMMER: Yes.

MYERS: Probably wrapped that tornado in rain.

TIMMER: Exactly.

MYERS: How big do you think this tornado got?

TIMMER: This tornado was really skinny at the bottom, but that can be deceiving. Because even though it's a small tornado, the circulation on the ground, as you can see, is very violent.

MYERS: Yes.

TIMMER: So I would say the winds were actually a lot stronger. But this tornado was probably only a few hundred yards wide at the widest.

MYERS: OK.

Go ahead.

COSTELLO: I have two more -- two questions.

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: Number one, you said the hail was pelting you in the head and you had this helmet on. How fast would that hail be traveling?

TIMMER: No, the hail actually never made contact with us, luckily.

COSTELLO: OK.

TIMMER: But we're actually not worried about the tornado. When you're out there videotaping it, you're more worried about the lightning and the hail that's following, because we were actually a safe distance from the tornado.

I mean, the hail can be gigantic with these super cells. I've seen hail larger than softball size before. And it's pretty -- it happens.

COSTELLO: And Chad, I wanted to ask you, was there any damage from this tornado or injuries to people?

MYERS: Well, the good news is this one was really over open territory. It was headed to Lamar, Missouri, from here if it didn't get interrupted by that other storm. It tried to make a cell merger with it and kind of drowned it out and stayed in Kansas. A lot of open land here.

Reed, I've got one quick question for you now. Where are you going today?

TIMMER: Probably nowhere today. I've been up for about 42 straight hours.

MYERS: Oh, OK.

TIMMER: So I'll probably catch a little sleep.

MYERS: All right. Well, if you get yourself to Alabama, I can help you chase some storms there today.

TIMMER: Yes, that's be awesome.

COSTELLO: Oh my goodness.

All right. Reed Timmer, thank you for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

And Chad, thanks to you as well.

MYERS: You bet.

COSTELLO: Let's switch gears here and have a little Friday fun. Do you know anybody who's about to have a baby?

MYERS: Well, I just had one.

COSTELLO: You did. And I know how difficult it was to choose a name for you and Sally.

MYERS: Oh, it took 10 months.

COSTELLO: It did. It's a difficult thing.

MYERS: It took longer than the baby.

COSTELLO: I know. I know. And it's like you have to figure out things like, should I name the baby after a person, should I come up with some imagined name, should I make up my own name?

You've probably seen those baby naming books.

MYERS: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

MYERS: I have plenty of those.

COSTELLO: Have you seen this one, though, Chad?

MYERS: No.

COSTELLO: It's called "The Worst Baby Name Book Ever." We're going to talk to the author...

MYERS: I needed that.

COSTELLO: It is the funniest book. It really is.

MYERS: That's a pretty good picture, too.

COSTELLO: So we wanted to have like some fun with our email question today. So we're asking you this morning, what is the worst baby name you've ever heard? Maybe it's the one your parents saddled you with.

We want to know. DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

And just to appease the person stuck with a name less than melodic, we're giving away an extra mug today.

MYERS: Oh!

COSTELLO: So if you're...

MYERS: Hey, Bill, George, anything but Sue! How do you do?

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: I remember that song.

MYERS: A little Johnny Cash.

COSTELLO: Johnny Cash.

Anyway, if you can come up with the worst name, we will send you one of our treasured DAYBREAK mugs.

MYERS: Awesome.

COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

Still to come, what goes through the mind of a sex offender. With the spate of recent abductions, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a profile of a pedophile. His own words in 17 minutes.

And it's being touted as a breakthrough in forecasting, the strength of hurricanes this year. Chad will have details in four minutes.

And with the NBA playoffs set to tip off tomorrow, fans in playoff cities can see some NBA legends on parade.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: The international markets all looking brighter this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei is up by 61 points. The London FTSE up just a smidgen. And the German DAX is higher by 32 points.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:18 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

New Pope Benedict XVI is meeting with the College of Cardinals today. He's preparing for this weekend's events, which include Sunday's installation mass.

In money news, things seem to be going well at Google. The company's first quarter profits are up six-fold, and even outpaced analysts' expectations. Google's stock has more than doubled since the company went public last year.

In culture, Bugs Bunny and friends are part of a special show at a Pennsylvania art museum. The James A. Michener Museum is showcasing items from the early days of Looney Tunes. The exhibit includes drawings and sales from some of those original cartoons.

I think they're cute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUGS BUNNY: What's up, doc?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In sports, one day after missing the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers jettison general manager Jim Paxson. Also gone, the interim head coach, Brendan Malone. Now the Cavs need to rebuild the front office before they can search for players to complement star LeBron James.

You know, Chad, I talked to Dr. J. yesterday.

MYERS: You did?

COSTELLO: Yes. We're going to be seeing that interview later. And he was talking about the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. And he says, "Maybe this is the best thing for LeBron James," because it humbles him...

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: ... and teaches him to take hardship. And maybe it's a blessing in disguise, although they fired all those people because of it.

MYERS: Well, I think LeBron has a long career coming anyway.

COSTELLO: I think he does.

MYERS: He's still pretty young. Yes.

COSTELLO: What is he, 19 or 20 now?

MYERS: He'll make up for it -- exactly.

Hey, want to do a forecast?

COSTELLO: Yes, that would be great.

MYERS: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: When it comes to airport security these days, nobody goes undetected, even penguins. Oh, that's so strong. The story of Pet and Penny straight ahead.

And our DAYBREAK email "Question of the Morning." We want to have fun this morning, because, after all, it is Friday. What is the worst baby name you have ever heard? Let us know. DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

And you are watching DAYBREAK for Friday, April 22.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I was just reading some of the worst baby names ever.

MYERS: I haven't gotten on there yet.

COSTELLO: Porchia Mercedes Lexis Rodriguez (ph). That's pretty bad. DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

For more laughs, it's time for "Late Night Laughs."

MYERS: Jay Leno.

COSTELLO: Jay Leno. We have lots of Jay Leno this morning. Incase you missed it, yesterday was Queen Elizabeth's birthday.

MYERS: Seventy-nine.

COSTELLO: Seventy-nine. That, and another major event of the day did not slip by Jay Leno.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": And happy birthday Queen Elizabeth. Seventy-nine years old, the queen today.

(APPLAUSE)

Seventy-nine years old. She is in great shape. She does not look a day older than Camilla. You know? She looks terrific. (LAUGHTER)

And congratulations to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. Did you hear about this? According to "PEOPLE" magazine, Ben is now engaged to Jennifer. How about that?

(APPLAUSE)

Yes. I'm real excited. Yes. It was made official today when a puff of white smoke was released at the home -- at the home of Matt Damon, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That was pretty good. I'm happy for Ben Affleck. Don't you think they're a great couple?

MYERS: Who? Ben and Jen?

COSTELLO: Yes, but not Jennifer Lopez.

MYERS: Oh.

COSTELLO: Jennifer Garner.

MYERS: Oh, see.

COSTELLO: Do you know who she is?

MYERS: I don't think so.

COSTELLO: OK. No need to talk to you anymore then.

MYERS: I don't know entertainment news. See, there's that show -- "Showbiz Tonight," whatever they've got on Headline News. I'm never going to be a guest.

COSTELLO: No, I don't think you are.

MYERS: I'm safe on that one.

COSTELLO: I'm going to send you a primer on pop culture.

Chad, I think it's time to get to our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers" now.

MYERS: Some good ones this morning.

COSTELLO: All right.

Will the real candidate for mayor please step forward? In San Antonio, Julian Castro was running for mayor. Julian is the one on the right. But in a big downtown parade this week he sent his twin brother as a stand-in and no one noticed. We'll talk to the brothers about the incident. That's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING" at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. Of course that's about 90 minutes from now.

This may be taking airport security too far. After all, penguins don't even have pockets. Look at them walking through the gate.

These little guys traveled from Texas to Colorado for a kids' career day appearance. But we're guessing the career they were promoting was zookeeper and not penguin.

MYERS: It does look like the Denver airport going through...

COSTELLO: Is that not the cutest?

MYERS: ... going through security.

COSTELLO: The penguins were fine. They didn't have to pat them down.

MYERS: Oh, good.

COSTELLO: The only official "Star Wars" convention is under way in Indianapolis. More than 22,000 Chewbaccas and Darth Vaders are expected to attend. And it looks like there's already one too many Jar Jar Binks.

That's a terrible character.

The highlight of this convention...

MYERS: Ooh!

COSTELLO: ... "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, who will speak on Saturday.

Do you know Jar Jar Binks?

MYERS: Yes, I do know some "Star Wars" stuff.

COSTELLO: Oh, I knew -- see, I was -- I knew you were nerdy enough to know that.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: And I mean that in the most loving way.

MYERS: I only know artificial characters, not real ones.

COSTELLO: I see.

Here's what's all new in the next half-hour of DAYBREAK.

The sexiest jobs. We'll tell you who hosts the competition in a survey. And who may be feeling a little sick about their ranking. And a reminder. Our email "Question of the Morning," what is the worst baby name you have ever heard? If you have the worst, we'll send you a mug. Email us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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