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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bride-To-Be Missing; Battling Gas Prices; Kids, Credit

Aired April 28, 2005 - 06:31   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: Good morning to you. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."

Just about an hour ago, a big step for democracy in Iraq. The National Assembly approved a list of cabinet members for a new transitional government. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari proposed the nominees. He assumes his post with the creation of the cabinet.

No surprise here. Exxon-Mobil is reporting faster earnings growth in the first quarter, thanks to higher energy prices. The company is expected to report a 43-percent share jump in earnings.

A suspected serial arsonist is under arrest in Maryland. Law enforcement officials tell CNN that Thomas Sweatt confessed to setting 33 fires. The prosecutors believe he could be responsible for as many as 40 fires in the Washington area over the past two years.

To the forecast center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: This morning, we're following new developments on the bride-to-be that's gone missing in Georgia. Thirty-two-year-old Jennifer Wilbanks went jogging on Tuesday night, and she has not been seen or heard from since. Now, within the last 30 minutes, police have announced it's now a criminal case.

Joining me now from Duluth, Georgia, is CNN's Sarah Dorsey.

Of course, Ms. Wilbanks was supposed to get married on Saturday. Why do police think it's a criminal investigation now, Sarah?

SARAH DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's still up in the air, Carol. What we can tell you is that police said that we're going to reclassify this case as a criminal investigation, basically just because of the circumstances. She seemed to have disappeared. Everyone tells us it is very much out of character for her to do something like this without there being something wrong.

I can tell you that very little has changed here overnight besides the reclassification of that case. Thirty-two-year-old Jennifer Wilbanks is still missing. Yesterday evening, in fact, the large-scale search for the missing woman, whose wedding is scheduled for this Saturday, was called off. Authorities tell us a five-mile area around the home was searched, twice in fact, turning up no clue. Jennifer's step-brother did tell us the family is satisfied with the search, adding that it's like losing your keys. You can only turn your house upside down so many times. But he says the family will continue searching until Jennifer is found.

More than 250 searchers, both volunteers and law enforcement officers, helped look for the missing woman, but Jennifer Wilbanks is still missing. According to family members, she did go jogging Tuesday evening, which they say is not out of character for her. But what is out of character is that she never returned home. Family members say she left her car keys, money, cell phone and diamond rings at the home that she shared with her fiance. And Wilbanks has been engaged to him since August.

Law enforcement agents tell us there are no suspects at this time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Sarah, I was just wondering about her leaving her rings behind. Does she normally take her rings off when she exercises?

DORSEY: You know, the family has chosen not to comment a lot yesterday, so we didn't get the answer to that. But they are telling us, and so are police, that nothing that she left at the home was out of character for her. So, we're assuming that they also mean that that diamond ring was something that she did take off.

COSTELLO: Sarah Dorsey, you're going to be following this case all day long. We'll check back with you. Thank you.

DORSEY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: There's more on this case, too, coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING." Let's check in now with CNN's Bill Hemmer.

Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Hey, Carol. You used to live in Georgia, right, in the Atlanta area? You know that Chattahoochee River area. People jog there morning, noon and night. It's very popular...

COSTELLO: Beautiful trails along there, yes.

HEMMER: Very much so, too, right along the river there. And as the weather gets warmer and warmer as we move toward the summertime, you get more and more people who turn out there. So, that's the focus for the investigation for many now. And we'll talk with one of the police officers involved in that search. Does he think today that somebody was out there to harm Jennifer Wilbanks? He'll be our guest this morning.

Also on a much different topic, it is never too late to start planning for retirement. And apparently it's never too early either. In our special series today, meet a group of young people who learned from their parents' mistakes. Find out what they are doing today to make sure they're not worrying about retirement when they get older. You'll hear this story as our series continues this morning. Something tells me they're not relying on Social Security, Carol, but you'll get their story this morning.

COSTELLO: I don't think many people are these days, Bill.

HEMMER: I think you have a point there. See you at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: Maybe that's why President Bush is going to tackle Social Security and the record high gas prices tonight in a prime time news conference. The president is calling for the construction of new oil refineries and nuclear power plants. Plus, he wants to expand tax credits to people who own hybrid and fuel-cell cars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our demand for gasoline grows, which means we're relying more on foreign imports of refined product. To encourage the expansion of existing facilities, the EPA is simplifying rules and regulations. I will direct federal agencies to work with states to encourage the building of new refineries, on closed military facilities for example, and to simplify the permitting process for such construction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The president admits his plan will not affect today's sky-high gas prices.

Let's go live to Washington and CNN's Elaine Quijano.

Elaine, I find it kind of surprising that the president is going to hold a prime time news conference on these particular topics.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And tonight will only be the fourth time, really, that the president has held a prime time news conference in the East Room of the White House, a rare event certainly, but a chance to talk about what the White House says are those two important priorities: Social Security and energy.

And, of course, it was just yesterday that President Bush laid out some new initiatives on the energy front, as you mentioned, part of what the administration says is a comprehensive strategy to tackle the nation's energy needs. At the same time, though, officials here acknowledge that none of those proposals are designed to provide any immediate price relief. But they insist that these high prices didn't happen overnight and can't be brought down overnight.

This at the same time is going to be the third time in a little over a week that President Bush will be focusing the spotlight on the energy issue. Senior administration officials have acknowledged that these high prices could be a problem politically for President Bush. And, in fact, Democrats are taken the opportunity to criticize the administration, saying the president can and should do more.

Now, the other big issue is going to be Social Security. A senior administration official says that that issue is moving into a new phase. They were in the education phase, telling people that Social Security would run into problems. But Sunday marks the end of the administration's 60 cities in 60 days tour. That's where administration officials and the president himself were going out to talk to people across the country.

And this week, the Senate Finance Committee took up the issue on Capitol Hill.

Now, White House spokesman Scott McClellan says that the president tonight will go into more specifics than we've heard on how to fix Social Security's insolvency problems, lay out ideas for a bipartisan solution. But most polls have shown that Americans do not support the idea the president has been pushing; that is, carving out personal retirement accounts from within the Social Security system.

Nevertheless, the White House is characterizing that 60-day tour as a success, because they say younger Americans now recognize there's a problem with Social Security. So, we can expect to hear more specifics on that front tonight when the president holds his news conference -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm sure we will. Elaine Quijano reporting live.

And, again, CNN's live coverage of the president's news conference begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. He's expected to appear at the podium around 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

A federal judge will wait a few months to sentence the man convicted of plotting to blow up the Los Angeles Airport. The judge heard how Ahmed Ressam had cooperated with federal investigators. The so-called millennium terrorist was caught in December of 1999, trying to enter the United States with a trunk load of explosives.

Convicted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui told a judge if he is put to death, he wants to be buried outside of the United States. Moussaoui met with the judge before making his plea last week. He's the first person convicted in the U.S. for conspiracy in the 9/11 attacks.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, do your kids have credit cards? Helpful parents who want to teach healthy habits and prevent financial pitfalls.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The international markets are in positive territory this morning. Japan's Nikkei is up more than 3 points, the London FTSE up nearly 17, the German DAX is up over 10 points.

Checking money matters closer to home now. At what point do you trust your kid enough to give him or her a credit card?

J.J. Ramberg joins us now for some advice about how to make sure plastic doesn't break the bank or destroy their financial future.

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, or the parents' financial future, because, keep in mind, if the kid is under 18, the parent has to co-sign. But if that kid doesn't pay the bills, then guess who the creditors are coming after?

COSTELLO: Mommy and daddy.

RAMBERG: The parents, that's right. You certainly don't want a black mark just because you're trying to teach your kid a little bit about money, and you don't want someone running after you.

But the reason we're talking about this is because there's a new poll that came out from Junior Achievement. They went and polled the people who are in their program, and said, how many of you kids have credit cards? And they found out that over 11 percent of teenagers in their group had credit cards. And listen, if you're 13 or 14 years old, 6 percent of 13 to 14-year-old...

COSTELLO: Oh, come on! Why does a 13-year-old need a credit card?

RAMBERG: You know, I was trying to think what, in fact, they're going to be buying.

COSTELLO: Video games? I mean...

RAMBERG: I mean, you could buy so many things if you just had that in your pocket. I think it's also kind of a status symbol for a lot of kids.

COSTELLO: Yes.

RAMBERG: Anyhow, of course, it goes up by time kids are 18. They found out about 20 percent of that group. And then by college, if you ask some people by some surveys, 80 percent or 90 percent of college students have credit cards.

COSTELLO: That's because the credit card companies set up right in the university!

RAMBERG: In colleges. And marketing is a big deal for credit cards in colleges. And if you ask people, though -- I went and talked to a bunch of experts and said, is it really a good idea to get a 13- year-old a credit card? And you get responses across the gamut, because some people say, it's great to start teaching kids about money so early. That's a good way to start teaching them. Other people say, you're just setting yourself up for disaster, because of the things that you said. You're not responsible enough to figure out how...

COSTELLO: I know. Can't you put a limit on the credit card?

RAMBERG: Yes. So, here are some of the things. If, in fact, you're going to give your kid a credit card, all experts say just make sure you teach them about credit cards. So, teach them things like what is credit, what is an interest rate, what happens if you don't pay your credit card. Make sure they understand all of these things.

I found a good tool on the Web. It's at Kipplinger.com/tools. You can fill in what your balance is, what the interest rate is, and they'll explain to you, and it will come up, you know, do a calculation, and show you how long it will take to pay off that balance. So, it's good to just give actual numbers in front of your kids like that.

Another thing you can do is what you said. Get a load-limit credit card, so you kids don't go crazy.

And then finally, monitor the bills. So, even if your kid is 18, you might still want to have the bills come to you so...

COSTELLO: Oh, good idea.

RAMBERG: Yes, even if it's their own credit. I mean, all kids might not be very up for that. But, you know, certainly...

COSTELLO: Who cares!

RAMBERG: ... certainly when they're younger make sure that you're getting the bills and you're monitoring how much they're spending.

COSTELLO: See, I know firsthand, because I got a credit card for the first time when I was 19 and in college. And I promptly went into debt. The collection agency came. I had no idea of what I was doing.

RAMBERG: Knocking on your door.

COSTELLO: But it's dangerous.

RAMBERG: It is dangerous. I spoke to a marketing professor. We'll call him "Jim."

COSTELLO: Jim?

RAMBERG: He's a marketing professor at Baylor University. And what he said is, he did a study. He found out what we all sort of knew anyhow, but when you spend money with a credit card, you're not as careful as when you're spending cash.

COSTELLO: Heck no!

RAMBERG: And it's certainly something that happens with kids. You know, as you're an adult, you have a little bit more sense of -- and not all adults, of course. But as a kid, you really have less of a sense of that.

COSTELLO: Thank you very much, J.J. Interesting stuff this morning.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:47 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning. The Iraqi National Assembly has approved the cabinet nominees for a transitional government. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will assume his post with the creation of this new government.

In money news, there could be a new $1 coin in your pocket next year, gold, like the Sacagawea coin. Remember that and how long it lasted? Congress also has authorized the nation's first investment- grade 24-carat gold bullion coin.

In culture, Tom Cruise is in a hot, new relationship with actress Katie Holmes. Cruise's sister, who is also his publicist, says they've been dating for a few weeks now.

Chad, Chad, Chad, he's 42, she's 26.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know, but she is so beautiful. She is an amazing...

COSTELLO: What's that got to do with anything?

MYERS: I would date her if I wasn't married.

COSTELLO: She breaks the rule, though, doesn't she?

MYERS: She does -- 42 divided by 2 is 21 plus 7 is 28. You have to date somebody 28 or above, Tom.

COSTELLO: I'm sure they have many things in common.

In sports, Tim Duncan came up big as the San Antonio Spurs evened their playoff series with the Denver Nuggets. Duncan had 24 points in the 104-76 win. The series is now tied at one game apiece.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Now, the photos we're about to show you have not been doctored and they're not from movie crew cameras. We got these from the U.S. Army in Iraq.

Take a look at that. They show a dust storm sweeping the western part of that country. Do you see this, Chad?

MYERS: I do. It's amazing video. Sometimes you see these things in Arizona as well. A dying thunderstorm collapses. All the air rushes to the ground. And as that air hits the ground, it can't go down anymore, because the ground is in the way. It has to rush out. It's almost like dumping a bucket of water on the floor. Eventually, that water spreads out. Well, the air spread out yesterday. And, boy, some of the visibility was down to nothing.

COSTELLO: Technically, I guess it's called a downburst.

MYERS: There you go.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Huh.

Well, it's a story we all want to hear more about, the surrogate mother who gave up her $15,000 fee when she delivered quintuplets.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien joins us now for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

Don't you think you would have quintupled your fee? I mean, you're carrying five babies, right? Like, they should pay you more. But, no, of course, that's not what happened.

This morning, we've got that incredible story of that surrogate mom and those quintuplets. We're going to talk to her, ask her why she did what she did, also talk to the couple that now has gone from zero babies to five baby boys to take care of. We'll find how they're getting ready for the big day when they all come home.

Also, the high cost of dieting. A new survey shows that people on diet plans really spend as much as twice as much on food as non- dieters. We're going to take a look at how you can keep the costs down, make your diet more effective as well.

That's all ahead this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING" -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll be there. Thank you, Soledad.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 6:53 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

Sergeant Hasan Akbar is trying to avoid execution for killing fellow soldiers. So, today, he will make an un-sworn statement to the jury. Akbar was convicted last week of premeditated murder in the killings of two soldiers and the wounding of 14 more in Kuwait in March of 2003.

Remember those roaming Baltimore County buffalo? Who could forget? Well, the officers who have corralled them in a tennis court were saluted, and a poster has been commissioned celebrating Maryland's buffalo brigade.

And French and American researchers show they can work together to successfully clone a horse. Its name is Paris Texas. Texas A&M University says it's believed to be the first successful cloned horse in North America.

It's time to give away the mug, Chad.

MYERS: Yes, I have it right here over my shoulder, Carol, the DAYBREAK CNN coffee mug.

The questions from yesterday and now the ones for today. Here are the questions that we had for you yesterday. When does Florida's new deadly force law go into effect? And that is going to be October the 1st. And what is the name of the U.S. treasury secretary? We got a lot of Snows. No, no, no. Anna Cabral is the new U.S. treasury secretary.

And the winner, John Martin from Elkins, West Virginia. Congratulations, John.

Have you been paying attention today, John? You can still win another one if you'd like. You can enter as many times as you'd like.

The FAA rules require that you be at least how old to sit in an exit row of an airplane, though? Ben Mutzabaugh talked about that. And which port just became the first in the nation to scan all incoming cargo for radioactive material?

You have to be careful, because bananas show up as something bad. So, they have to -- but they already know that.

CNN.com/daybreak. What port is that? Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, I don't think Ben Mutzabaugh answered that first question.

MYERS: He didn't?

COSTELLO: So, we're just going to have to rely on your knowledge from the flight attendants that I know you listen to when you board that plane. Oh, it was on the bottom of our screen, I'm being told.

MYERS: Ha!

COSTELLO: So, there are no excuses. This is DAYBREAK for a Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

New this morning, Iraq's National Assembly approved a list of cabinet members for a transitional government. It comes three months after those national elections. It's the first government in Iraq formed in half-a-century by a democratic vote.

Police in suburban Atlanta say the search for a missing bride- to-be is now a criminal investigation. Jennifer Wilbanks went jogging on Tuesday. She's been missing ever since. The 32-year-old woman plans to be married on Saturday. Police say they found no trace of the woman, who was wearing a sweatshirt and pants.

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe is due back on the stand today. She told jurors she was not telling the truth when she praised Jackson in an interview she gave to help defend him from a damaging documentary.

(WEATHER REPORT) COSTELLO: From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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


Aired April 28, 2005 - 06:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."

Just about an hour ago, a big step for democracy in Iraq. The National Assembly approved a list of cabinet members for a new transitional government. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari proposed the nominees. He assumes his post with the creation of the cabinet.

No surprise here. Exxon-Mobil is reporting faster earnings growth in the first quarter, thanks to higher energy prices. The company is expected to report a 43-percent share jump in earnings.

A suspected serial arsonist is under arrest in Maryland. Law enforcement officials tell CNN that Thomas Sweatt confessed to setting 33 fires. The prosecutors believe he could be responsible for as many as 40 fires in the Washington area over the past two years.

To the forecast center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: This morning, we're following new developments on the bride-to-be that's gone missing in Georgia. Thirty-two-year-old Jennifer Wilbanks went jogging on Tuesday night, and she has not been seen or heard from since. Now, within the last 30 minutes, police have announced it's now a criminal case.

Joining me now from Duluth, Georgia, is CNN's Sarah Dorsey.

Of course, Ms. Wilbanks was supposed to get married on Saturday. Why do police think it's a criminal investigation now, Sarah?

SARAH DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's still up in the air, Carol. What we can tell you is that police said that we're going to reclassify this case as a criminal investigation, basically just because of the circumstances. She seemed to have disappeared. Everyone tells us it is very much out of character for her to do something like this without there being something wrong.

I can tell you that very little has changed here overnight besides the reclassification of that case. Thirty-two-year-old Jennifer Wilbanks is still missing. Yesterday evening, in fact, the large-scale search for the missing woman, whose wedding is scheduled for this Saturday, was called off. Authorities tell us a five-mile area around the home was searched, twice in fact, turning up no clue. Jennifer's step-brother did tell us the family is satisfied with the search, adding that it's like losing your keys. You can only turn your house upside down so many times. But he says the family will continue searching until Jennifer is found.

More than 250 searchers, both volunteers and law enforcement officers, helped look for the missing woman, but Jennifer Wilbanks is still missing. According to family members, she did go jogging Tuesday evening, which they say is not out of character for her. But what is out of character is that she never returned home. Family members say she left her car keys, money, cell phone and diamond rings at the home that she shared with her fiance. And Wilbanks has been engaged to him since August.

Law enforcement agents tell us there are no suspects at this time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Sarah, I was just wondering about her leaving her rings behind. Does she normally take her rings off when she exercises?

DORSEY: You know, the family has chosen not to comment a lot yesterday, so we didn't get the answer to that. But they are telling us, and so are police, that nothing that she left at the home was out of character for her. So, we're assuming that they also mean that that diamond ring was something that she did take off.

COSTELLO: Sarah Dorsey, you're going to be following this case all day long. We'll check back with you. Thank you.

DORSEY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: There's more on this case, too, coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING." Let's check in now with CNN's Bill Hemmer.

Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Hey, Carol. You used to live in Georgia, right, in the Atlanta area? You know that Chattahoochee River area. People jog there morning, noon and night. It's very popular...

COSTELLO: Beautiful trails along there, yes.

HEMMER: Very much so, too, right along the river there. And as the weather gets warmer and warmer as we move toward the summertime, you get more and more people who turn out there. So, that's the focus for the investigation for many now. And we'll talk with one of the police officers involved in that search. Does he think today that somebody was out there to harm Jennifer Wilbanks? He'll be our guest this morning.

Also on a much different topic, it is never too late to start planning for retirement. And apparently it's never too early either. In our special series today, meet a group of young people who learned from their parents' mistakes. Find out what they are doing today to make sure they're not worrying about retirement when they get older. You'll hear this story as our series continues this morning. Something tells me they're not relying on Social Security, Carol, but you'll get their story this morning.

COSTELLO: I don't think many people are these days, Bill.

HEMMER: I think you have a point there. See you at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: Maybe that's why President Bush is going to tackle Social Security and the record high gas prices tonight in a prime time news conference. The president is calling for the construction of new oil refineries and nuclear power plants. Plus, he wants to expand tax credits to people who own hybrid and fuel-cell cars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our demand for gasoline grows, which means we're relying more on foreign imports of refined product. To encourage the expansion of existing facilities, the EPA is simplifying rules and regulations. I will direct federal agencies to work with states to encourage the building of new refineries, on closed military facilities for example, and to simplify the permitting process for such construction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The president admits his plan will not affect today's sky-high gas prices.

Let's go live to Washington and CNN's Elaine Quijano.

Elaine, I find it kind of surprising that the president is going to hold a prime time news conference on these particular topics.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And tonight will only be the fourth time, really, that the president has held a prime time news conference in the East Room of the White House, a rare event certainly, but a chance to talk about what the White House says are those two important priorities: Social Security and energy.

And, of course, it was just yesterday that President Bush laid out some new initiatives on the energy front, as you mentioned, part of what the administration says is a comprehensive strategy to tackle the nation's energy needs. At the same time, though, officials here acknowledge that none of those proposals are designed to provide any immediate price relief. But they insist that these high prices didn't happen overnight and can't be brought down overnight.

This at the same time is going to be the third time in a little over a week that President Bush will be focusing the spotlight on the energy issue. Senior administration officials have acknowledged that these high prices could be a problem politically for President Bush. And, in fact, Democrats are taken the opportunity to criticize the administration, saying the president can and should do more.

Now, the other big issue is going to be Social Security. A senior administration official says that that issue is moving into a new phase. They were in the education phase, telling people that Social Security would run into problems. But Sunday marks the end of the administration's 60 cities in 60 days tour. That's where administration officials and the president himself were going out to talk to people across the country.

And this week, the Senate Finance Committee took up the issue on Capitol Hill.

Now, White House spokesman Scott McClellan says that the president tonight will go into more specifics than we've heard on how to fix Social Security's insolvency problems, lay out ideas for a bipartisan solution. But most polls have shown that Americans do not support the idea the president has been pushing; that is, carving out personal retirement accounts from within the Social Security system.

Nevertheless, the White House is characterizing that 60-day tour as a success, because they say younger Americans now recognize there's a problem with Social Security. So, we can expect to hear more specifics on that front tonight when the president holds his news conference -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm sure we will. Elaine Quijano reporting live.

And, again, CNN's live coverage of the president's news conference begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. He's expected to appear at the podium around 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

A federal judge will wait a few months to sentence the man convicted of plotting to blow up the Los Angeles Airport. The judge heard how Ahmed Ressam had cooperated with federal investigators. The so-called millennium terrorist was caught in December of 1999, trying to enter the United States with a trunk load of explosives.

Convicted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui told a judge if he is put to death, he wants to be buried outside of the United States. Moussaoui met with the judge before making his plea last week. He's the first person convicted in the U.S. for conspiracy in the 9/11 attacks.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, do your kids have credit cards? Helpful parents who want to teach healthy habits and prevent financial pitfalls.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The international markets are in positive territory this morning. Japan's Nikkei is up more than 3 points, the London FTSE up nearly 17, the German DAX is up over 10 points.

Checking money matters closer to home now. At what point do you trust your kid enough to give him or her a credit card?

J.J. Ramberg joins us now for some advice about how to make sure plastic doesn't break the bank or destroy their financial future.

J.J. RAMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, or the parents' financial future, because, keep in mind, if the kid is under 18, the parent has to co-sign. But if that kid doesn't pay the bills, then guess who the creditors are coming after?

COSTELLO: Mommy and daddy.

RAMBERG: The parents, that's right. You certainly don't want a black mark just because you're trying to teach your kid a little bit about money, and you don't want someone running after you.

But the reason we're talking about this is because there's a new poll that came out from Junior Achievement. They went and polled the people who are in their program, and said, how many of you kids have credit cards? And they found out that over 11 percent of teenagers in their group had credit cards. And listen, if you're 13 or 14 years old, 6 percent of 13 to 14-year-old...

COSTELLO: Oh, come on! Why does a 13-year-old need a credit card?

RAMBERG: You know, I was trying to think what, in fact, they're going to be buying.

COSTELLO: Video games? I mean...

RAMBERG: I mean, you could buy so many things if you just had that in your pocket. I think it's also kind of a status symbol for a lot of kids.

COSTELLO: Yes.

RAMBERG: Anyhow, of course, it goes up by time kids are 18. They found out about 20 percent of that group. And then by college, if you ask some people by some surveys, 80 percent or 90 percent of college students have credit cards.

COSTELLO: That's because the credit card companies set up right in the university!

RAMBERG: In colleges. And marketing is a big deal for credit cards in colleges. And if you ask people, though -- I went and talked to a bunch of experts and said, is it really a good idea to get a 13- year-old a credit card? And you get responses across the gamut, because some people say, it's great to start teaching kids about money so early. That's a good way to start teaching them. Other people say, you're just setting yourself up for disaster, because of the things that you said. You're not responsible enough to figure out how...

COSTELLO: I know. Can't you put a limit on the credit card?

RAMBERG: Yes. So, here are some of the things. If, in fact, you're going to give your kid a credit card, all experts say just make sure you teach them about credit cards. So, teach them things like what is credit, what is an interest rate, what happens if you don't pay your credit card. Make sure they understand all of these things.

I found a good tool on the Web. It's at Kipplinger.com/tools. You can fill in what your balance is, what the interest rate is, and they'll explain to you, and it will come up, you know, do a calculation, and show you how long it will take to pay off that balance. So, it's good to just give actual numbers in front of your kids like that.

Another thing you can do is what you said. Get a load-limit credit card, so you kids don't go crazy.

And then finally, monitor the bills. So, even if your kid is 18, you might still want to have the bills come to you so...

COSTELLO: Oh, good idea.

RAMBERG: Yes, even if it's their own credit. I mean, all kids might not be very up for that. But, you know, certainly...

COSTELLO: Who cares!

RAMBERG: ... certainly when they're younger make sure that you're getting the bills and you're monitoring how much they're spending.

COSTELLO: See, I know firsthand, because I got a credit card for the first time when I was 19 and in college. And I promptly went into debt. The collection agency came. I had no idea of what I was doing.

RAMBERG: Knocking on your door.

COSTELLO: But it's dangerous.

RAMBERG: It is dangerous. I spoke to a marketing professor. We'll call him "Jim."

COSTELLO: Jim?

RAMBERG: He's a marketing professor at Baylor University. And what he said is, he did a study. He found out what we all sort of knew anyhow, but when you spend money with a credit card, you're not as careful as when you're spending cash.

COSTELLO: Heck no!

RAMBERG: And it's certainly something that happens with kids. You know, as you're an adult, you have a little bit more sense of -- and not all adults, of course. But as a kid, you really have less of a sense of that.

COSTELLO: Thank you very much, J.J. Interesting stuff this morning.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:47 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning. The Iraqi National Assembly has approved the cabinet nominees for a transitional government. Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will assume his post with the creation of this new government.

In money news, there could be a new $1 coin in your pocket next year, gold, like the Sacagawea coin. Remember that and how long it lasted? Congress also has authorized the nation's first investment- grade 24-carat gold bullion coin.

In culture, Tom Cruise is in a hot, new relationship with actress Katie Holmes. Cruise's sister, who is also his publicist, says they've been dating for a few weeks now.

Chad, Chad, Chad, he's 42, she's 26.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know, but she is so beautiful. She is an amazing...

COSTELLO: What's that got to do with anything?

MYERS: I would date her if I wasn't married.

COSTELLO: She breaks the rule, though, doesn't she?

MYERS: She does -- 42 divided by 2 is 21 plus 7 is 28. You have to date somebody 28 or above, Tom.

COSTELLO: I'm sure they have many things in common.

In sports, Tim Duncan came up big as the San Antonio Spurs evened their playoff series with the Denver Nuggets. Duncan had 24 points in the 104-76 win. The series is now tied at one game apiece.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Now, the photos we're about to show you have not been doctored and they're not from movie crew cameras. We got these from the U.S. Army in Iraq.

Take a look at that. They show a dust storm sweeping the western part of that country. Do you see this, Chad?

MYERS: I do. It's amazing video. Sometimes you see these things in Arizona as well. A dying thunderstorm collapses. All the air rushes to the ground. And as that air hits the ground, it can't go down anymore, because the ground is in the way. It has to rush out. It's almost like dumping a bucket of water on the floor. Eventually, that water spreads out. Well, the air spread out yesterday. And, boy, some of the visibility was down to nothing.

COSTELLO: Technically, I guess it's called a downburst.

MYERS: There you go.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Huh.

Well, it's a story we all want to hear more about, the surrogate mother who gave up her $15,000 fee when she delivered quintuplets.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien joins us now for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

Don't you think you would have quintupled your fee? I mean, you're carrying five babies, right? Like, they should pay you more. But, no, of course, that's not what happened.

This morning, we've got that incredible story of that surrogate mom and those quintuplets. We're going to talk to her, ask her why she did what she did, also talk to the couple that now has gone from zero babies to five baby boys to take care of. We'll find how they're getting ready for the big day when they all come home.

Also, the high cost of dieting. A new survey shows that people on diet plans really spend as much as twice as much on food as non- dieters. We're going to take a look at how you can keep the costs down, make your diet more effective as well.

That's all ahead this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING" -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll be there. Thank you, Soledad.

This is DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 6:53 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

Sergeant Hasan Akbar is trying to avoid execution for killing fellow soldiers. So, today, he will make an un-sworn statement to the jury. Akbar was convicted last week of premeditated murder in the killings of two soldiers and the wounding of 14 more in Kuwait in March of 2003.

Remember those roaming Baltimore County buffalo? Who could forget? Well, the officers who have corralled them in a tennis court were saluted, and a poster has been commissioned celebrating Maryland's buffalo brigade.

And French and American researchers show they can work together to successfully clone a horse. Its name is Paris Texas. Texas A&M University says it's believed to be the first successful cloned horse in North America.

It's time to give away the mug, Chad.

MYERS: Yes, I have it right here over my shoulder, Carol, the DAYBREAK CNN coffee mug.

The questions from yesterday and now the ones for today. Here are the questions that we had for you yesterday. When does Florida's new deadly force law go into effect? And that is going to be October the 1st. And what is the name of the U.S. treasury secretary? We got a lot of Snows. No, no, no. Anna Cabral is the new U.S. treasury secretary.

And the winner, John Martin from Elkins, West Virginia. Congratulations, John.

Have you been paying attention today, John? You can still win another one if you'd like. You can enter as many times as you'd like.

The FAA rules require that you be at least how old to sit in an exit row of an airplane, though? Ben Mutzabaugh talked about that. And which port just became the first in the nation to scan all incoming cargo for radioactive material?

You have to be careful, because bananas show up as something bad. So, they have to -- but they already know that.

CNN.com/daybreak. What port is that? Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, I don't think Ben Mutzabaugh answered that first question.

MYERS: He didn't?

COSTELLO: So, we're just going to have to rely on your knowledge from the flight attendants that I know you listen to when you board that plane. Oh, it was on the bottom of our screen, I'm being told.

MYERS: Ha!

COSTELLO: So, there are no excuses. This is DAYBREAK for a Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

New this morning, Iraq's National Assembly approved a list of cabinet members for a transitional government. It comes three months after those national elections. It's the first government in Iraq formed in half-a-century by a democratic vote.

Police in suburban Atlanta say the search for a missing bride- to-be is now a criminal investigation. Jennifer Wilbanks went jogging on Tuesday. She's been missing ever since. The 32-year-old woman plans to be married on Saturday. Police say they found no trace of the woman, who was wearing a sweatshirt and pants.

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe is due back on the stand today. She told jurors she was not telling the truth when she praised Jackson in an interview she gave to help defend him from a damaging documentary.

(WEATHER REPORT) COSTELLO: From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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