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CNN Live At Daybreak
Bombings in Iraq; President on Point; Missing Georgia Woman
Aired April 29, 2005 - 5:00 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: One of several explosions this morning straight ahead on DAYBREAK. A major eruption of violence in Baghdad.
Plus, Social Security, gas prices, Russia, John Bolton, you name it. The president touched on it during his news conference. If you missed it, we've got the highlights for you.
Also, a wedding delayed. Fears rise as police in suburban Atlanta are looking for that missing bride-to-be.
And a new relationship, and boy is it attracting a lot of paparazzi. Hollywood's latest "in" couple, Tom and Katie.
It's Friday, April 29. 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," in Washington, how does $2.6 trillion sound? Yes, indeed, big bucks. That's the 2006 fiscal year budget blueprint approved by Congress.
Among the provisions, $35 billion in spending cuts and $70 billion in tax cuts over five years. Now all they have to do is work out the details.
CNN has learned that the Shuttle Discovery will not be lifting off in May as originally planned. Concerns over the foam insulation on the external fuel tanks led t the delay. The launch has been pushed back until at least July.
And you'll hear from a real-life survivor today. The Colorado skier who was stranded in the wilderness for eight days with a broken leg speaks out at a hospital this afternoon.
To the forecast now and Chad.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. Nice day for you today.
COSTELLO: Can't wait.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: Sure.
COSTELLO: Now to our top story: bomb after bomb after bomb in Iraq. All together, nine car bombs have killed 17 people today. More than 70 others are wounded. Most of the blast targeted at Iraqi soldiers.
Just last night in a televised news conference, President Bush talked of progress being made in Iraq despite that increase in insurgent attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The more secure Iraq becomes as a result of the hard work of Iraqi security forces, the more confidence the people will have in the process and the more isolated the terrorists will become. But Iraq is -- they've got people there they are willing to kill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But the future might not look so secure this morning. Let's head live to Baghdad and Ryan Chilcote for more on those nine car bombs this morning.
Ryan, bring us up to date on the latest.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, as the president said, there are still plenty more people in Iraq willing to kill. We start in eastern Baghdad.
Just a couple hours ago there, a double bombing. One bomb goes off. And as a Reuters crew films, another bombing. Now, that -- a total of four Iraqi policeman wounded in that attack.
And then in the north of Baghdad another series of car bombings. Four car bombs going off there.
Iraqi police telling us that in northern Baghdad those bombs were detonated by suicide bombers. All of them taking place within just minutes of one another. All of them taking place within a square mile of one another. A total of 13 killed in northern Baghdad. A total of more than 50 wounded.
And then southeast of Baghdad, in its immediate vicinity, in a place called Medonin (ph), three more car bombs. A total at least of four killed there, another 13 wounded.
The targets in all these cases appear to be Iraqi security forces. And all in all today, a total of 10 bombings. Nine of those, as you said, car bombings. At least -- Iraqi police are telling us, at least -- at least 17 killed, another 71 wounded -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ryan Chilcote live from Baghdad this morning. Iraq isn't the only major issue on the president's mind. Your money is. The president wants to increase Social Security benefits for low-income people at the expense of the rich. And on the issue of soaring gas prices, he says don't expect any quick fix.
CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush focusing on pocketbook issues: gas prices and Social Security, at one point endorsing a plan for Social Security change.
BUSH: So I propose a Social Security system in the future where benefits for low-income workers will grow faster than benefits for people who are better off.
MALVEAUX: The rare primetime press conference comes after the president spent the last two months crisscrossing the country to sell his plan to allow younger retirees to invest a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes into private investment accounts. But polls have shown Americans are growing increasingly resistant to the idea. And Mr. Bush's approval rating is at an all-time low.
But, still, the president refused to back down on the issue of private accounts.
BUSH: I feel strongly that there needs to be voluntary personal savings accounts as a part of the Social Security system.
MALVEAUX: Mr. Bush also wanted to convince Americans he, too, was concerned about soaring gas prices, even if there was little he could do about it.
BUSH: Listen, the energy bill is -- is certainly no quick fix. You can't wave a magic wand. I wish I could.
MALVEAUX: Mr. Bush also addressed foreign policy issues, such as the nuclear ambitions of North Korea, the volatility of Iraq, and Russia's intent to sell short-range missiles to Syria.
BUSH: I will work closely with the Russians on the -- on the issue of vehicle-mounted weaponry to Syria. We didn't appreciate that, but we made ourselves clear.
MALVEAUX: The president addressed the controversy surrounding his choice for U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
BUSH: John Bolton is a blunt guy. Sometimes people say I'm a little too blunt. John Bolton can get the job done at the United Nations.
MALVEAUX (on camera): It was a news conference that generated little news. But it did signal to Republicans to stand strong as issues as broad as John Bolton's nomination, to Social Security. Friday, President Bush travels to northern Virginia to continue to sell his Social Security plan.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Talk about the time of the president's news conference, because that even made news. It was originally scheduled for 8:30 -- that's Eastern time -- in the p.m., but then the White House moved it back 30 minutes after the White House learned that some networks were not going to carry it.
Because you know, Chad, it is May sweeps.
MYERS: Oh, yes. Big numbers.
COSTELLO: Big numbers. And Thursday's a big advertising night for television stations.
MYERS: Sure. Paris Hilton was on with "Interns." Couldn't -- couldn't miss that.
COSTELLO: Actually, the president even alluded to the situation at the end of his news conference, saying he didn't want to cut into upcoming TV shows for the sake of the economy. But it was too late. Because you know what? NBC broke away early to air its popular reality show, "The Apprentice."
Because the president's news conference went beyond 9:00 p.m. Eastern. The network said it would be too hard to carry the entire news conference, so it went to "The Apprentice."
CBS cut out early for "Survivor." And FOX's Shepard Smith abruptly cut into the president's answer of the final question to shift away to Paris Hilton and "The Simple Life: Interns."
Of the major networks, only ABC covered the president's entire news conference.
MYERS: So...
COSTELLO: And that brings us to our email "Question of the Morning."
MYERS: Were you mad, or were you not mad? Should the major networks carry a president's entire news conference live? Or should we just get pieces -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, you know what I think. It should be carried in its entirety. I'm telling you.
MYERS: Well, it seems how that's how they got their license, isn't it?
COSTELLO: I just don't get it. I mean, how can you cut away from the president to go to Paris Hilton and "The Simple Life"?
MYERS: Well, because -- well...
COSTELLO: I guess -- yes. DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Tell us what you think, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
In other news "Across America" this morning, a California man could face the death penalty after being convicted for the murder of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. The Runnion case grabbed national headlines back in 2002 when she was abducted and killed. The same jury will decide Alejandro Avila's fate during the penalty phase, which is set to begin on Wednesday.
A manager at a Denny's restaurant in south Florida faces a lawsuit for alleging comparing a group of customers to Osama bin Laden. Seven men of Middle Eastern descent filed a $28 million discrimination suit against the manager and the restaurant. Denny's says they investigated the claims and found no wrongdoing.
A Minnesota woman is recovering in the hospital after she was attacked by four tigers. Police say she was apparently cleaning one of the tiger cages when one of the animals pounced. She suffered wounds to her leg and neck. The owner of the property could face charges for having more than three tigers at his home.
Police in the town of Oviedo, Florida, are considering a plan to arm residents with radar guns. They're hoping that community participation will cut down on the number of speeders. Offenders would be given warnings by police, but no tickets would be issued by the citizen patrol. They would just write down your license plate number and hand it over to police.
Her wedding day is tomorrow, and there is still no word on the missing bride-to-be. Was it foul play or cold feet?
The search for the Georgia woman is now a criminal investigation, so let's head live to the Atlanta suburb of Duluth and reporter Terry Mann of CNN affiliate WSB.
Good morning.
TERRY MANN, REPORTER, WSB: Good morning, Carol.
A search team will be going out once again this morning. And this will be day three of the search for 32-year-old Jennifer Wilbanks.
Now, Wilbanks disappeared on Tuesday night after she went out for a jog here in Duluth, Georgia. Now, day two of the search yesterday ended very much like day one ended, with no sign of Jennifer Wilbanks. But searchers did find a sweatshirt, sweatpants and a clump of hair. Those items were sent off to the crime lab to determine if they even belonged to the missing woman.
Another issue that came up during yesterday's news conference is whether or not Wilbanks' fiance, John mason, will submit to a lie detector test. Police say he will announce today at 1:00 if he will take a polygraph test or not. A disappearance like this is very rare for Duluth. This is a community about 30 minutes' drive from Atlanta. And the community is very much involved and behind the search to find this woman.
She was to be married on Saturday, tomorrow. And family members are still holding out hope that that wedding will still take place. Six hundred people are invited to the wedding. But, again, right now no sign of Jennifer Wilbanks. And another search team will begin at 8:00 this morning, made up of members of law enforcement only today, searching for the 32-year-old woman.
Reporting live in Duluth, Georgia, I'm Terry Mann for CNN.
COSTELLO: Terry, I have a question for you. Those sweatpants and that clump of hair, where did investigators find those things?
MANN: They would not be specific about the exact location. Probably not wanting to give away too much information about the investigation.
COSTELLO: Did they find them outside, though, like along the path that she jogged?
MANN: Yes. They've searched a five-mile area the first day, and then they extended that a couple more miles the second day.
And these are areas that are wooded areas, areas with tall grass, weeds, and a plant known as kudzu that grows wild and grows everywhere here in Georgia. And it's very thick. And searchers can spend a lot of time looking for anything in kudzu.
COSTELLO: Terry Mann reporting live for us from Duluth, Georgia, this morning. We appreciate it.
Former Democratic senator and a Republican favorite, Zell Miller of Georgia, is in a northeast Georgia hospital this morning. Miller was taken to that hospital in Gainesville last night.
The outspoken Miller upset Democrats last year for supporting President Bush and being a key speaker at the GOP convention. Miller is in stable but guarded condition. No details about his illness have been released.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, the defense gets some help from a witness for the prosecution. We'll look at the latest twists and turns in the Michael Jackson case at 18 minutes past.
And in most marriages, couples promise to be faithful. But how hard is it to keep that promise? We'll find out at 23 minutes past.
And Tom Cruise has a new honey. We'll see which young lady -- notice I said "young" -- the Hollywood hunk is dating. Actually, we already know that. But we have new pictures for you.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time now for our market watch. The international markets are in positive territory this morning.
Japan's Nikkei closes up four points. Britain's FTSE is up nearly 15 points. The German DAX is up about four.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:16 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is in the West Bank city of Ramallah this hour. He's meeting with Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Putin is the first Kremlin leader to visit Israel and the Palestinian territory.
A military jury in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, has sentenced Sergeant Hasan Akbar to death for attacking his fellow soldiers in Kuwait just before the Iraq war. Two officers were killed.
In money news, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 128 points on Thursday. It was the fifth triple-digit loss in the last two weeks. Stocks dipped after a lower-than-expected Gross domestic Product report.
In culture, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue wiped away the last of the so-called Jim Crow laws from the state's books. Those laws included language that allowed forms of racial segregation. None of those laws had been enforced for decades.
In sports, the New Jersey Nets came close but were unable to hold off the Miami Heat in game three of their playoff series. The Heat won 108-105 in double overtime to take a three games to none lead in the seven-game series.
To the forecast center now and Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad. That's a look at the latest headlines this morning.
The ex turns the tables on prosecutors in the Michael Jackson trial. The pop star's former wife has wrapped up two days of surprising testimony. We get details from CNN's Ted Rowlands at the Santa Maria, California, Courthouse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Debbie Rowe was expected to be one of the prosecution's best witnesses. Instead, she may have ended up being one of their worst.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They put her on, and it's like looking at a light at the end of the tunnel. And that light is not the end of the tunnel, but it's a train coming right at the prosecution. And that train was being driven by Debbie Rowe. She was devastating.
ROWLANDS: Prosecutors said Rowe was important to their case because she would tie Michael Jackson to a group of alleged co- conspirators. Instead, she said the people around Jackson were "opportunistic vultures" and were probably keeping information from him so they could profit at his expense.
At one point, Rowe broke down crying as she looked at Jackson and described him as a "kind, generous to a fault, great father." She said, "There are two Michaels, my Michael and the one everyone else sees."
ANDREW COHEN, LEGAL ANALYST: And then a prosecution witness, an ex-wife who ought to have a grudge to bear, comes forward and essentially endorses the defense's theory. It's absolutely stunning.
ROWLANDS: Rowe did testify that she thought that her participation in a taped interview designed to rebut allegations about Jackson would lead to Jackson allowing her to see her children for the first time in three years.
In the morning, Jackson's defense team filed a motion to throw Rowe's testimony out. But by the end of cross-examination, Thomas Mesereau smiled and told the judge he was withdrawing that motion.
(on camera): Prosecutors were expected to finish their case by the end of the week. They now say it will take them at least until next Tuesday.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Birds do it, bees do it, it's the most natural thing in the world. That's right, we're talking sex just ahead. But we're going to look at what makes it unique for us human types.
And here's the big question: is monogamy realistic?
And later, talk about a toll. We'll meet a baby who just wasn't going to wait in line for anybody.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Friday, April 29.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Man, I'm a newlywed. I don't even want to talk about this. But we must.
We're asking the question this morning, to cheat or not to cheat. For many people, there is no question.
Many experts agree that infidelity isn't a choice, but a need. And if we take any lessons from the animal kingdom, that may well be true.
CNN's Kathy Slobogin takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to be taking a train ride through the zoo. I would say penguins are probably the most romantic animal in the zoo.
KATHY SLOBOGIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Penguins in love. They look innocent enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they have a month of foreplay.
SLOBOGIN: But looks are deceiving, according to zookeeper Jane Bellini (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a penguin we named Joan Collins who would literally sachet in front of the burrows where pairs are sitting on their eggs. And the males, you would watch them come out. And they go out, schtup Joan in the hall and then pick up a pound freund (ph) and carry it back to the nest, acting like, that's where I've been.
SLOBOGIN: And penguins aren't the only ones. It turns out most animals are cheating on the side.
DAVID BARASH, ZOOLOGIST: I'd have to say, a species that doesn't cheat is exceedingly rare.
SLOBOGIN: Zoologist David Barash, and his wife, psychiatrist Judith Lipton (ph), have studied monogamy in the animal kingdom. You may be surprised by how little of it they found.
BARASH: I know of one species of animal that I can be fairly confident, in fact quite confident, is monogamous. And that is a flatworm that lives as a parasite in the intestines of fish.
SLOBOGIN: In fact, the desire to stray in both animals and humans may be deeply imprinted on our psyches. Part of the instinct to survive.
Anthropologist Helen Fischer.
HELEN FISCHER, ANTHROPOLOGIST: And what Darwin said was, if you have four children and I have no children, you live on and I die out. So who breeds, who reproduces, who passes their genes to the next generation survives. Men seem to have a tendency to sleep around with a lot of different women so that they could pass more of their genes into the next generation.
SLOBOGIN: And women?
FISCHER: When a woman sleeps around, she can collect extra resources for the children that she has. So through millions of years of having genetic payoffs to both men and women, we evolved whatever it is in the man and female brain to be somewhat adulterous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: If you're intrigued, be sure to check out CNN this weekend. "CNN PRESENTS Infidelity" looks at why people cheat and whether or not infidelity is OK.
I think I can answer that question right now, Chad.
MYERS: That would be a no?
COSTELLO: That would be a no.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Although, I'd like to say that I waited so long to get married because in 10 years we'll both be so old we won't even want to cheat. We won't have the energy.
Anyway, the "CNN PRESENTS" comes your way on Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, and it should be quite interesting.
Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers."
A bird that was thought to be extinct has apparently turned up in Arkansas.
MYERS: They still have some video from 1910 or something.
COSTELLO: This is not a dodo bird. It's the ivory-billed woodpecker. The bird has been missing for about 60 years, but now scientists wonder if they could become extinct again because so far they've only found male birds.
Now, how is that possible?
MYERS: Guess what, Carol. There's a female out there somewhere, OK?
COSTELLO: There's got to be.
MYERS: This is about the birds and the bees, and it's a bird.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
Oh, this baby is doing fine this morning after being born in the -- there's the baby. Born in the back of a taxicab in the Lincoln Tunnel.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: The mother went into labor as the cab passed the tollbooth. Several port authority officers and several tunnel attendants helped to deliver the 7 pound 3 ounce baby. The parents have not chosen a name yet.
MYERS: I picked a name for it.
COSTELLO: What?
MYERS: 75 Cent. A little better than 50 Cent.
COSTELLO: As opposed to 50 Cent?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Right.
Here's a picture of a member of the U.S. Navy's elite Leapfrog Parachute Team practicing for a special show this weekend. Take a look at that.
The Air and Sea Show in Fort Lauderdale...
MYERS: What am I looking at?
COSTELLO: ... is one of the biggest in the country. Well, they have a special colored smoke coming out. Isn't that cool?
MYERS: Oh. Oh, I thought...
COSTELLO: Get with the program.
MYERS: Well, I'm sorry, Carol. My TVs in here are black and white. I can see it looks like -- it looks like Dale Earnhardt III there -- oh, I see it.
COSTELLO: You see it now?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK.
Among the scheduled events is a performance by the Air Force Thunderbirds and simulated (INAUDIBLE) invasion by the Marines.
MYERS: Oh. Oh, the Fort Lauderdale Air Show is always amazing. People line up on that beach for hours and hours and hours. Good stuff.
COSTELLO: I know. They take some chances, don't they?
Time for some "Late Night Laughs."
MYERS: Ooh.
COSTELLO: David Letterman poking fun at himself. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: How about that "PEOPLE" magazine, ladies and gentlemen? Their 50 most beautiful people, did you see that? Wasn't that fantastic? And... (LAUGHTER)
And thank you to the "PEOPLE" folks. I once again made the list. It was very exciting for me.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. I was -- I was right between Korean dictator Kim Jong-il and that Orrick vacuum cleaner guy. And you Kim Jong-il's father, Mentally-il.
And listen to this. Brad Pitt was named sexiest male -- sexiest male. Now, tell me something, ladies and gentlemen, how does that troll keep beating me out?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Jay Leno, on the other hand, takes aim at the Bush administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: And they were working. They did as much as they could get gas out of -- as much gas out of the prince's pocket.
Did you see it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
LENO: Did you see it? Did you see how Bush distracted him? Well, take a look. Watch it.
Now, watch. This is very clever. Now, see, watch.
Bush greets him here. Now look, keeps him busy. Now keep your eye on Dick Cheney. Keep your eye -- watch what he...
(LAUGHING)
You see? Now you go lower there. You see? Watch this. You see what I'm saying?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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Aired April 29, 2005 - 5:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: One of several explosions this morning straight ahead on DAYBREAK. A major eruption of violence in Baghdad.
Plus, Social Security, gas prices, Russia, John Bolton, you name it. The president touched on it during his news conference. If you missed it, we've got the highlights for you.
Also, a wedding delayed. Fears rise as police in suburban Atlanta are looking for that missing bride-to-be.
And a new relationship, and boy is it attracting a lot of paparazzi. Hollywood's latest "in" couple, Tom and Katie.
It's Friday, April 29. 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," in Washington, how does $2.6 trillion sound? Yes, indeed, big bucks. That's the 2006 fiscal year budget blueprint approved by Congress.
Among the provisions, $35 billion in spending cuts and $70 billion in tax cuts over five years. Now all they have to do is work out the details.
CNN has learned that the Shuttle Discovery will not be lifting off in May as originally planned. Concerns over the foam insulation on the external fuel tanks led t the delay. The launch has been pushed back until at least July.
And you'll hear from a real-life survivor today. The Colorado skier who was stranded in the wilderness for eight days with a broken leg speaks out at a hospital this afternoon.
To the forecast now and Chad.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. Nice day for you today.
COSTELLO: Can't wait.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: Sure.
COSTELLO: Now to our top story: bomb after bomb after bomb in Iraq. All together, nine car bombs have killed 17 people today. More than 70 others are wounded. Most of the blast targeted at Iraqi soldiers.
Just last night in a televised news conference, President Bush talked of progress being made in Iraq despite that increase in insurgent attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The more secure Iraq becomes as a result of the hard work of Iraqi security forces, the more confidence the people will have in the process and the more isolated the terrorists will become. But Iraq is -- they've got people there they are willing to kill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But the future might not look so secure this morning. Let's head live to Baghdad and Ryan Chilcote for more on those nine car bombs this morning.
Ryan, bring us up to date on the latest.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, as the president said, there are still plenty more people in Iraq willing to kill. We start in eastern Baghdad.
Just a couple hours ago there, a double bombing. One bomb goes off. And as a Reuters crew films, another bombing. Now, that -- a total of four Iraqi policeman wounded in that attack.
And then in the north of Baghdad another series of car bombings. Four car bombs going off there.
Iraqi police telling us that in northern Baghdad those bombs were detonated by suicide bombers. All of them taking place within just minutes of one another. All of them taking place within a square mile of one another. A total of 13 killed in northern Baghdad. A total of more than 50 wounded.
And then southeast of Baghdad, in its immediate vicinity, in a place called Medonin (ph), three more car bombs. A total at least of four killed there, another 13 wounded.
The targets in all these cases appear to be Iraqi security forces. And all in all today, a total of 10 bombings. Nine of those, as you said, car bombings. At least -- Iraqi police are telling us, at least -- at least 17 killed, another 71 wounded -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ryan Chilcote live from Baghdad this morning. Iraq isn't the only major issue on the president's mind. Your money is. The president wants to increase Social Security benefits for low-income people at the expense of the rich. And on the issue of soaring gas prices, he says don't expect any quick fix.
CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush focusing on pocketbook issues: gas prices and Social Security, at one point endorsing a plan for Social Security change.
BUSH: So I propose a Social Security system in the future where benefits for low-income workers will grow faster than benefits for people who are better off.
MALVEAUX: The rare primetime press conference comes after the president spent the last two months crisscrossing the country to sell his plan to allow younger retirees to invest a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes into private investment accounts. But polls have shown Americans are growing increasingly resistant to the idea. And Mr. Bush's approval rating is at an all-time low.
But, still, the president refused to back down on the issue of private accounts.
BUSH: I feel strongly that there needs to be voluntary personal savings accounts as a part of the Social Security system.
MALVEAUX: Mr. Bush also wanted to convince Americans he, too, was concerned about soaring gas prices, even if there was little he could do about it.
BUSH: Listen, the energy bill is -- is certainly no quick fix. You can't wave a magic wand. I wish I could.
MALVEAUX: Mr. Bush also addressed foreign policy issues, such as the nuclear ambitions of North Korea, the volatility of Iraq, and Russia's intent to sell short-range missiles to Syria.
BUSH: I will work closely with the Russians on the -- on the issue of vehicle-mounted weaponry to Syria. We didn't appreciate that, but we made ourselves clear.
MALVEAUX: The president addressed the controversy surrounding his choice for U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
BUSH: John Bolton is a blunt guy. Sometimes people say I'm a little too blunt. John Bolton can get the job done at the United Nations.
MALVEAUX (on camera): It was a news conference that generated little news. But it did signal to Republicans to stand strong as issues as broad as John Bolton's nomination, to Social Security. Friday, President Bush travels to northern Virginia to continue to sell his Social Security plan.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Talk about the time of the president's news conference, because that even made news. It was originally scheduled for 8:30 -- that's Eastern time -- in the p.m., but then the White House moved it back 30 minutes after the White House learned that some networks were not going to carry it.
Because you know, Chad, it is May sweeps.
MYERS: Oh, yes. Big numbers.
COSTELLO: Big numbers. And Thursday's a big advertising night for television stations.
MYERS: Sure. Paris Hilton was on with "Interns." Couldn't -- couldn't miss that.
COSTELLO: Actually, the president even alluded to the situation at the end of his news conference, saying he didn't want to cut into upcoming TV shows for the sake of the economy. But it was too late. Because you know what? NBC broke away early to air its popular reality show, "The Apprentice."
Because the president's news conference went beyond 9:00 p.m. Eastern. The network said it would be too hard to carry the entire news conference, so it went to "The Apprentice."
CBS cut out early for "Survivor." And FOX's Shepard Smith abruptly cut into the president's answer of the final question to shift away to Paris Hilton and "The Simple Life: Interns."
Of the major networks, only ABC covered the president's entire news conference.
MYERS: So...
COSTELLO: And that brings us to our email "Question of the Morning."
MYERS: Were you mad, or were you not mad? Should the major networks carry a president's entire news conference live? Or should we just get pieces -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, you know what I think. It should be carried in its entirety. I'm telling you.
MYERS: Well, it seems how that's how they got their license, isn't it?
COSTELLO: I just don't get it. I mean, how can you cut away from the president to go to Paris Hilton and "The Simple Life"?
MYERS: Well, because -- well...
COSTELLO: I guess -- yes. DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Tell us what you think, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
In other news "Across America" this morning, a California man could face the death penalty after being convicted for the murder of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. The Runnion case grabbed national headlines back in 2002 when she was abducted and killed. The same jury will decide Alejandro Avila's fate during the penalty phase, which is set to begin on Wednesday.
A manager at a Denny's restaurant in south Florida faces a lawsuit for alleging comparing a group of customers to Osama bin Laden. Seven men of Middle Eastern descent filed a $28 million discrimination suit against the manager and the restaurant. Denny's says they investigated the claims and found no wrongdoing.
A Minnesota woman is recovering in the hospital after she was attacked by four tigers. Police say she was apparently cleaning one of the tiger cages when one of the animals pounced. She suffered wounds to her leg and neck. The owner of the property could face charges for having more than three tigers at his home.
Police in the town of Oviedo, Florida, are considering a plan to arm residents with radar guns. They're hoping that community participation will cut down on the number of speeders. Offenders would be given warnings by police, but no tickets would be issued by the citizen patrol. They would just write down your license plate number and hand it over to police.
Her wedding day is tomorrow, and there is still no word on the missing bride-to-be. Was it foul play or cold feet?
The search for the Georgia woman is now a criminal investigation, so let's head live to the Atlanta suburb of Duluth and reporter Terry Mann of CNN affiliate WSB.
Good morning.
TERRY MANN, REPORTER, WSB: Good morning, Carol.
A search team will be going out once again this morning. And this will be day three of the search for 32-year-old Jennifer Wilbanks.
Now, Wilbanks disappeared on Tuesday night after she went out for a jog here in Duluth, Georgia. Now, day two of the search yesterday ended very much like day one ended, with no sign of Jennifer Wilbanks. But searchers did find a sweatshirt, sweatpants and a clump of hair. Those items were sent off to the crime lab to determine if they even belonged to the missing woman.
Another issue that came up during yesterday's news conference is whether or not Wilbanks' fiance, John mason, will submit to a lie detector test. Police say he will announce today at 1:00 if he will take a polygraph test or not. A disappearance like this is very rare for Duluth. This is a community about 30 minutes' drive from Atlanta. And the community is very much involved and behind the search to find this woman.
She was to be married on Saturday, tomorrow. And family members are still holding out hope that that wedding will still take place. Six hundred people are invited to the wedding. But, again, right now no sign of Jennifer Wilbanks. And another search team will begin at 8:00 this morning, made up of members of law enforcement only today, searching for the 32-year-old woman.
Reporting live in Duluth, Georgia, I'm Terry Mann for CNN.
COSTELLO: Terry, I have a question for you. Those sweatpants and that clump of hair, where did investigators find those things?
MANN: They would not be specific about the exact location. Probably not wanting to give away too much information about the investigation.
COSTELLO: Did they find them outside, though, like along the path that she jogged?
MANN: Yes. They've searched a five-mile area the first day, and then they extended that a couple more miles the second day.
And these are areas that are wooded areas, areas with tall grass, weeds, and a plant known as kudzu that grows wild and grows everywhere here in Georgia. And it's very thick. And searchers can spend a lot of time looking for anything in kudzu.
COSTELLO: Terry Mann reporting live for us from Duluth, Georgia, this morning. We appreciate it.
Former Democratic senator and a Republican favorite, Zell Miller of Georgia, is in a northeast Georgia hospital this morning. Miller was taken to that hospital in Gainesville last night.
The outspoken Miller upset Democrats last year for supporting President Bush and being a key speaker at the GOP convention. Miller is in stable but guarded condition. No details about his illness have been released.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, the defense gets some help from a witness for the prosecution. We'll look at the latest twists and turns in the Michael Jackson case at 18 minutes past.
And in most marriages, couples promise to be faithful. But how hard is it to keep that promise? We'll find out at 23 minutes past.
And Tom Cruise has a new honey. We'll see which young lady -- notice I said "young" -- the Hollywood hunk is dating. Actually, we already know that. But we have new pictures for you.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time now for our market watch. The international markets are in positive territory this morning.
Japan's Nikkei closes up four points. Britain's FTSE is up nearly 15 points. The German DAX is up about four.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:16 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is in the West Bank city of Ramallah this hour. He's meeting with Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Putin is the first Kremlin leader to visit Israel and the Palestinian territory.
A military jury in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, has sentenced Sergeant Hasan Akbar to death for attacking his fellow soldiers in Kuwait just before the Iraq war. Two officers were killed.
In money news, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 128 points on Thursday. It was the fifth triple-digit loss in the last two weeks. Stocks dipped after a lower-than-expected Gross domestic Product report.
In culture, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue wiped away the last of the so-called Jim Crow laws from the state's books. Those laws included language that allowed forms of racial segregation. None of those laws had been enforced for decades.
In sports, the New Jersey Nets came close but were unable to hold off the Miami Heat in game three of their playoff series. The Heat won 108-105 in double overtime to take a three games to none lead in the seven-game series.
To the forecast center now and Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad. That's a look at the latest headlines this morning.
The ex turns the tables on prosecutors in the Michael Jackson trial. The pop star's former wife has wrapped up two days of surprising testimony. We get details from CNN's Ted Rowlands at the Santa Maria, California, Courthouse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Debbie Rowe was expected to be one of the prosecution's best witnesses. Instead, she may have ended up being one of their worst.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They put her on, and it's like looking at a light at the end of the tunnel. And that light is not the end of the tunnel, but it's a train coming right at the prosecution. And that train was being driven by Debbie Rowe. She was devastating.
ROWLANDS: Prosecutors said Rowe was important to their case because she would tie Michael Jackson to a group of alleged co- conspirators. Instead, she said the people around Jackson were "opportunistic vultures" and were probably keeping information from him so they could profit at his expense.
At one point, Rowe broke down crying as she looked at Jackson and described him as a "kind, generous to a fault, great father." She said, "There are two Michaels, my Michael and the one everyone else sees."
ANDREW COHEN, LEGAL ANALYST: And then a prosecution witness, an ex-wife who ought to have a grudge to bear, comes forward and essentially endorses the defense's theory. It's absolutely stunning.
ROWLANDS: Rowe did testify that she thought that her participation in a taped interview designed to rebut allegations about Jackson would lead to Jackson allowing her to see her children for the first time in three years.
In the morning, Jackson's defense team filed a motion to throw Rowe's testimony out. But by the end of cross-examination, Thomas Mesereau smiled and told the judge he was withdrawing that motion.
(on camera): Prosecutors were expected to finish their case by the end of the week. They now say it will take them at least until next Tuesday.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Santa Maria, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Birds do it, bees do it, it's the most natural thing in the world. That's right, we're talking sex just ahead. But we're going to look at what makes it unique for us human types.
And here's the big question: is monogamy realistic?
And later, talk about a toll. We'll meet a baby who just wasn't going to wait in line for anybody.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Friday, April 29.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Man, I'm a newlywed. I don't even want to talk about this. But we must.
We're asking the question this morning, to cheat or not to cheat. For many people, there is no question.
Many experts agree that infidelity isn't a choice, but a need. And if we take any lessons from the animal kingdom, that may well be true.
CNN's Kathy Slobogin takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to be taking a train ride through the zoo. I would say penguins are probably the most romantic animal in the zoo.
KATHY SLOBOGIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Penguins in love. They look innocent enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they have a month of foreplay.
SLOBOGIN: But looks are deceiving, according to zookeeper Jane Bellini (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a penguin we named Joan Collins who would literally sachet in front of the burrows where pairs are sitting on their eggs. And the males, you would watch them come out. And they go out, schtup Joan in the hall and then pick up a pound freund (ph) and carry it back to the nest, acting like, that's where I've been.
SLOBOGIN: And penguins aren't the only ones. It turns out most animals are cheating on the side.
DAVID BARASH, ZOOLOGIST: I'd have to say, a species that doesn't cheat is exceedingly rare.
SLOBOGIN: Zoologist David Barash, and his wife, psychiatrist Judith Lipton (ph), have studied monogamy in the animal kingdom. You may be surprised by how little of it they found.
BARASH: I know of one species of animal that I can be fairly confident, in fact quite confident, is monogamous. And that is a flatworm that lives as a parasite in the intestines of fish.
SLOBOGIN: In fact, the desire to stray in both animals and humans may be deeply imprinted on our psyches. Part of the instinct to survive.
Anthropologist Helen Fischer.
HELEN FISCHER, ANTHROPOLOGIST: And what Darwin said was, if you have four children and I have no children, you live on and I die out. So who breeds, who reproduces, who passes their genes to the next generation survives. Men seem to have a tendency to sleep around with a lot of different women so that they could pass more of their genes into the next generation.
SLOBOGIN: And women?
FISCHER: When a woman sleeps around, she can collect extra resources for the children that she has. So through millions of years of having genetic payoffs to both men and women, we evolved whatever it is in the man and female brain to be somewhat adulterous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: If you're intrigued, be sure to check out CNN this weekend. "CNN PRESENTS Infidelity" looks at why people cheat and whether or not infidelity is OK.
I think I can answer that question right now, Chad.
MYERS: That would be a no?
COSTELLO: That would be a no.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Although, I'd like to say that I waited so long to get married because in 10 years we'll both be so old we won't even want to cheat. We won't have the energy.
Anyway, the "CNN PRESENTS" comes your way on Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, and it should be quite interesting.
Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers."
A bird that was thought to be extinct has apparently turned up in Arkansas.
MYERS: They still have some video from 1910 or something.
COSTELLO: This is not a dodo bird. It's the ivory-billed woodpecker. The bird has been missing for about 60 years, but now scientists wonder if they could become extinct again because so far they've only found male birds.
Now, how is that possible?
MYERS: Guess what, Carol. There's a female out there somewhere, OK?
COSTELLO: There's got to be.
MYERS: This is about the birds and the bees, and it's a bird.
COSTELLO: Exactly.
Oh, this baby is doing fine this morning after being born in the -- there's the baby. Born in the back of a taxicab in the Lincoln Tunnel.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: The mother went into labor as the cab passed the tollbooth. Several port authority officers and several tunnel attendants helped to deliver the 7 pound 3 ounce baby. The parents have not chosen a name yet.
MYERS: I picked a name for it.
COSTELLO: What?
MYERS: 75 Cent. A little better than 50 Cent.
COSTELLO: As opposed to 50 Cent?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Right.
Here's a picture of a member of the U.S. Navy's elite Leapfrog Parachute Team practicing for a special show this weekend. Take a look at that.
The Air and Sea Show in Fort Lauderdale...
MYERS: What am I looking at?
COSTELLO: ... is one of the biggest in the country. Well, they have a special colored smoke coming out. Isn't that cool?
MYERS: Oh. Oh, I thought...
COSTELLO: Get with the program.
MYERS: Well, I'm sorry, Carol. My TVs in here are black and white. I can see it looks like -- it looks like Dale Earnhardt III there -- oh, I see it.
COSTELLO: You see it now?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: OK.
Among the scheduled events is a performance by the Air Force Thunderbirds and simulated (INAUDIBLE) invasion by the Marines.
MYERS: Oh. Oh, the Fort Lauderdale Air Show is always amazing. People line up on that beach for hours and hours and hours. Good stuff.
COSTELLO: I know. They take some chances, don't they?
Time for some "Late Night Laughs."
MYERS: Ooh.
COSTELLO: David Letterman poking fun at himself. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, TALK SHOW HOST: How about that "PEOPLE" magazine, ladies and gentlemen? Their 50 most beautiful people, did you see that? Wasn't that fantastic? And... (LAUGHTER)
And thank you to the "PEOPLE" folks. I once again made the list. It was very exciting for me.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. I was -- I was right between Korean dictator Kim Jong-il and that Orrick vacuum cleaner guy. And you Kim Jong-il's father, Mentally-il.
And listen to this. Brad Pitt was named sexiest male -- sexiest male. Now, tell me something, ladies and gentlemen, how does that troll keep beating me out?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Jay Leno, on the other hand, takes aim at the Bush administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: And they were working. They did as much as they could get gas out of -- as much gas out of the prince's pocket.
Did you see it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
LENO: Did you see it? Did you see how Bush distracted him? Well, take a look. Watch it.
Now, watch. This is very clever. Now, see, watch.
Bush greets him here. Now look, keeps him busy. Now keep your eye on Dick Cheney. Keep your eye -- watch what he...
(LAUGHING)
You see? Now you go lower there. You see? Watch this. You see what I'm saying?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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