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CNN Live At Daybreak
North Korea Missile Test; Prison Abuse Plea; Runaway Bride
Aired May 02, 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, North Korea tests its arsenal, raising nuclear concerns from Seoul to Washington.
Plus, the runaway Georgia bride. That's not a veil she's wearing. We'll have the latest on this bizarre story.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: George's answer to any problem at the ranch is to cut it down with a chainsaw.
(LAUGHTER)
BUSH: Which I think is why he and Cheney and Rumsfeld get along so well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Was she not funny? The first lady rocks Washington.
It is Monday, May 2. 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 most photographed woman in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, Private 1st Class Lynndie England, plans to plead guilty to reduced charges today. She's hoping to get a lighter sentence for her alleged role in abusing Iraqi detainees.
Insurgents have taken another hostage in Iraq. A newly released tape shows an Australian contractor at gunpoint pleading for coalition troops to leave Iraq to save his life. Australia's prime minister says he will not negotiate with terrorists.
Los Angeles authorities are investigating a series of freeway shootings. In the latest incident this weekend, a 19-year-old man says he was shot three times by men with shaved heads who pulled up aside his vehicle. Police don't know if the shootings are related.
Today the Italian government will release its version of the March checkpoint shooting in Iraq in which U.S. troops killed an Italian agent. The U.S. has cleared American forces of wrongdoing, but Italy disagrees with that conclusion. To the forecast center now.
Good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. Happy Monday.
COSTELLO: Ugh, yes.
MYERS: Did you have a good weekend at least?
COSTELLO: I did.
MYERS: It rained a little up there in New York, but...
COSTELLO: A little? It rained all weekend.
MYERS: A couple inches.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: I'm going to Miami.
MYERS: That sounds good.
COSTELLO: Right now.
MYERS: Connect in Atlanta and I'll get on the same plane, and we'll meet there tonight.
COSTELLO: I'm loving that.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You bet.
COSTELLO: We begin this morning with a CNN "Security Watch." North Korea fires a shot that's reverberating around the world. It was a short range missile test-fired from the communist nation. It landed in the Sea of Japan. It's a huge concern considering North Korea admits to having nuclear weapons.
Let's head live to CNN's Atika Shubert. She's in Tokyo this morning.
Tell us more.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Japan is actually playing down this event. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is traveling in Europe. And foreign minister Nobutaka Machimura is traveling in the United States. And neither has made a formal comment. Now, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Hiroyuki Hosoda, did make a comment very briefly to reporters, saying that he described the missile launch as a domestic military drill from North Korea, one -- a test of a very short range missile, something that was not an immediate security threat to Japan.
Certainly missile tests like this have been seen before. It's not a surprise to Japan. But again, because -- because North Korea announced in February that it does have nuclear weapons, it is a cause for some concern, and certainly is something that Japan monitors -- Carol.
COSTELLO: This has happened before, though. I mean, the North Koreans testing missiles.
SHUBERT: That's right. It happened in 2003 when Pyongyang was under quite a bit of pressure from the Bush administration.
And it also happened in 1998. And actually, the 1998 missile test is one that was quite alarming because it was a test of a long range missile called the Taepo Dong missile, and it actually flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. That was a big concern because it proved that North Korea could hit Japan and was also working on a longer range missile to hit United States shores.
And again, all of this underscores the fact that North Korea could well arm a missile with a nuclear warhead. But having said that, this is a very short range missile test. Again, something Japan says it's not particularly worried right now, even though it is keeping an eye on it.
COSTELLO: Atika Shubert live from Tokyo this morning. Thank you.
And by the way, that North Korean missile launch will certainly be discussed today when the United Nations gathers to review the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. U.S. negotiators want the month-long conference to focus on keeping North Korea and Iran from developing nuclear weapons. But non-nuclear states are targeting America and other powers that already have the bomb, accusing them of foot- dragging on disarmament. The goal of the treaty is complete disarmament worldwide.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
The second trial stemming from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal is set to begin tomorrow. But one of the scandal's most recognizable people is expected to make a deal today.
CNN's Susan Candiotti reports from Fort Hood, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PFC LYNNDIE ENGLAND, U.S. ARMY: You think you're taking the right road, and it ends up being the wrong one. So...
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lynndie England, now a young unwed mother after an affair at Abu Ghraib prison, wants to make a deal to avoid years behind bars herself. She was once called the poster child of the Iraqi prison scandal. Now the Army reservist from rural West Virginia is prepared to plead guilty, perhaps as early as today, in exchange for a shorter sentence.
England was a clerk, not a guard, at Abu Ghraib, and says she posed for the now infamous photos because her boyfriend, guard Charles Graner, asked her to do so. England talked about the photos in a Dutch television documentary.
In this one, seen holding a leash around a prisoner's neck, her defense? She was trying to help move him to another cell.
ENGLAND: It was a whole intimidation and tactic, you know? It was a mind game.
CANDIOTTI: And this photo, smiling, thumbs up, standing behind the notorious naked human pyramid.
ENGLAND: I thought it was odd, kind of weird. But it was kind of like, if everyone else is doing it, if they thought it was wrong then they would have stopped it.
CANDIOTTI: The charges England faces, from abuse to conspiracy, could spend her to prison for more than a decade. But in making a deal to plead guilty, she may wind up serving as little as two years.
(on camera): Susan Candiotti, CNN, Fort Hood, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: In other news "Across America" now, part of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport was shut down because of a suspicious rental truck parked in front of the terminal. A bomb-sniffing dog detected -- detected explosives in the truck, but they turned out to be fireworks and nitroglycerin pills.
Police say the truck renter was in too big of a hurry to return the truck to the rental company, so he just left it there. He will not face any charges, however.
Boston's mayor says a settlement is near in the case of a Red Sox fan who was killed during the post-game celebration last year. Twenty-one-year-old Victoria Snelgrove died after police hit her in the face with a pepper spray pellet. The payment to her parents is expected to be between $4 million and $7 million.
Two South Carolina teenagers are doing well after being stranded at sea for nearly a week. Rough waters pushed their small sailboat nearly 100 miles away from where they had started. Fishermen found them suffering from dehydration and sunburn after six days at sea.
Cape May, New Jersey, is moving into the modern age. The town has repealed its so-called Speedo ban. Skimpy bathing suits had been banned from the local beaches for more than 30 years, but locals say the ordinance was really enforced.
I'm just looking at those men. (LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Oh. That ban was enacted in the '60s after locals complained about gay men wearing skimpy suits. Now the complaints are about fat guys in their 50s who should not be wearing Speedos.
Oh. I'm going nowhere with that.
Anyway, forget Speedo bathing suits. Let's get to a story a lot of people are scratching their heads about, that runaway Georgia bride.
Our Charles Molineaux has an update on Jennifer Wilbanks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Off to the side, please.
CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At about the same time Jennifer Wilbanks had been scheduled to walk up the aisle she was hustling through an airport halfway across the country, covered in a blanket instead of a veil. Her disappearance Tuesday triggered a desperate search by police and volunteers in her home town of Duluth, Georgia.
Early Saturday, Wilbanks' family and her anxious fiance, John Mason, cheered at the news she had turned up safe with an incredible story. From this Albuquerque 7-Eleven, she called 911.
JENNIFER WILBANKS: I was kidnapped earlier this week and I'm here now.
MOLINEAUX: Within hours, celebration turned into shock when police announced she made the kidnapping up and had taken off to Las Vegas and then Albuquerque by bus.
CHIEF RAY SCHULTZ, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, POLICE: Agents and detectives learned that Ms. Wilbanks had become scared and concerned about her pending marriage and decided that she needed some time alone.
MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS' UNCLE: It has been determined that Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of.
MOLINEAUX: Wilbanks' mortified family lapsed into silence. Some neighbors were furious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very angry with her for doing that to her family and to the city of Duluth.
MOLINEAUX: And a source who has been briefed on the investigation tells CNN this may have been planned, that Wilbanks bought her bus ticket several days in advance, prearranged transportation to the bus station, and cut her hair to avoid being recognized. On Sunday, the congregation of the couple's church prayed for them. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously she was going through a lot of things that none of us knew about. And you -- there's a lot of people around her, and nobody saw that.
CHARLIE HALL, PARISHIONER: I'm happy that she's doing OK and the family can just work out what they need to. And it will be all right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: We want to talk about -- Chad, are you around? Chad, are you there?
MYERS: Yes, ma'am. Right here.
COSTELLO: I just wanted to talk about this, because we're wondering this morning whether charges should be brought against Jennifer Wilbanks. And I just want to read you something from our CNN wires.
MYERS: OK. Go ahead.
COSTELLO: The prosecutor in Atlanta said he would be less likely to bring charges against the runaway bride if authorities determine she left on the spur of the moment rather than if she planned her three-day disappearance in advance.
MYERS: Sure.
COSTELLO: But it appears this morning that she did plan it. So what should happen to her?
MYERS: Well, yes. I don't know exactly when she bought that bus ticket. And they're saying she bought it in advance.
So what does that mean? Does that mean an hour? Does that mean five hours? Does that mean -- did she buy it on a Sunday?
COSTELLO: I think it was a couple days, like a week.
MYERS: Yes. Well, then that's a problem.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: That is a -- and, you know, she sounded so convincing on that 911 call. Didn't she?
MYERS: Yes, she did.
COSTELLO: She was crying.
MYERS: And, you know, obviously this is kind of a closer story than maybe if you're living in Washington, D.C., or whatever. But I live in Atlanta. And this obviously happened in the Atlanta metro area.
The whole city was really looking for this woman, and it's a -- what should happen to this runaway bride? We want to know what you think. E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes. Should she have to repay the police department for the man hours they spent looking for her?
MYERS: That's a start.
COSTELLO: I don't know. We want to know what you think this morning. As you said, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
Still to come this hour, it's a parent's worst nightmare, but it's happening all too often.
Also, a friendly fire incident sparks some unfriendly words from Italy.
And does the first lady have a future in standup? She got a good start this weekend.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning, May 2.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: International markets mixed this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei down more than six points. The London FTSE up 11.5. The German DAX is up 43 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:15 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
North Korea test-fired a missile that fell into the Sea of Japan. But officials say the region (ph) says the test is not linked to North Korea's nuclear program. The test came just days after President Bush's address in which he said that multinational talks are needed.
Prosecutors still trying to determine whether to press charges against the so-called runaway bride. Police say Jennifer Wilbanks planned her disappearance several days before her wedding was supposed to take place. Of course that's our e-mail question this morning.
DAYBREAK@CNN.com. What do you think should happen to the runaway bride?
In money news, billionaire Warren Buffett is welcoming another billionaire onto his board. Shareholders of his company, Berkshire Hathaway, approved Microsoft's Bill Gates as a board member. Gates is the world's richest man, while Buffett is number two.
In culture, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" was number one with moviegoers over the weekend. The film which is based on the best-selling book pulled in $21.7 million. The other big debut was "XXX" sequel, which finished third.
In sports, coming around the turn, Jeff Gordon. He avoided a 25- car crash and a six-car crash with just two laps remaining to win NASCAR's Nextel Cup Aarons' 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway. Chad -- oh, look at that, Chad.
MYERS: You did that fairly well.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
MYERS: Yes, that Talladega was a mud hole after all that rain on Friday, into Saturday. So he didn't have too much trouble doing burn- outs out there in the mud.
Yes, his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, had a heck of a race. Wrecked 25 cars. That was amazing.
I don't know -- I don't know where Jimmie was. I love Jimmie Johnson as a driver, but he didn't show up yesterday. He caused both of those other crashes, in my opinion. But that is just my humble opinion -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, where's the -- I actually want to see the picture of the 25-car pileup. Do we have that?
MYERS: Well, there were two big ones. Here -- no, this isn't it.
There were two big ones, one in the front stretch, one in the back stretch. It just took out a bunch of great cards. Mike Wallace, the Lucas Oil car, had the best car he's ever been driving, period, and he was taken out in a crash.
It was a shame. It was just -- you know, when you get cars that are this close, going this fast, 190 miles an hour, a small bump is going to make a big difference. And it just made a bunch of -- we'll try to -- we'll queue that -- those crashes up. I know maybe some of you want to see them.
I enjoy seeing racing rather than just crashing. But that's just me.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Chad, we have the crash.
MYERS: Oh, we do?
COSTELLO: I know -- I know you say you only watch for the racing, but, you know...
MYERS: Let's watch this. This is -- this is the first one. Jimmie Johnson goes too far left, bumps into the corner panel of the Lucas Oil there, Mike Wallace's car, and causes this melee.
COSTELLO: Wow.
MYERS: So many great cars were taken out of this race. Look at this. It looks like a demolition derby. And now Jimmie Johnson bounces off the wall, bounces into -- I forget who was on his left -- and then causes another seven cars to crash. I don't know. I don't know. Whatever, Carol.
COSTELLO: That is something else though.
MYERS: Talladega is going to be Talladega until they can fix the restrictor plate problems and everybody realizes that. When you get the cars that are bunched up and that close together for that long, there's not much you can do about it.
COSTELLO: It sure makes the race exciting, though, doesn't it?
MYERS: You're not supposed to have dented cars in Talladega. You're supposed to have dented cars in Martinsville and Bristol and all those places. But you're not supposed to be hitting each other at 190 miles an hour.
COSTELLO: Well, at least no one was hurt. That's good.
MYERS: No one was hurt, absolutely. No cars flipped over, no one was hurt. There really were -- there really wasn't much damage to some of those cars. But...
COSTELLO: All right.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, a new video game that lets you play good cop-bad cop. It has family groups absolutely fuming. We will show you why.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Monday, May 2.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Did we get that song from your collection?
MYERS: I don't know -- I don't even know that song. I'm sorry.
COSTELLO: I love that. It fits right in with the "Late Night Laughs" segment.
MYERS: And...
COSTELLO: It's a little -- it's Big and Rich. That was the group singing that song, just so you want to...
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: And a cloud of dust, and hardy...
COSTELLO: Exactly.
Anyway, going back to the "Late Night Laughs" thing, it's from the weekend White House Correspondents Dinner. Did you see that?
MYERS: No. COSTELLO: I did. It was so funny. It's a big thing every year. Lots of poking fun, that sort of thing, correspondents in the audience, politicians on stage.
Among those at the podium, Cedric the Entertainer and Laura Bush. In the audience, Condoleezza Rice. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER: I love that name, Condoleezza. It's so soul (ph). You know, she's very professional.
But Condoleezza? Come on, right there. Condoleezza. No wonder she's in charge of security. That name right there, it would be like, "What? Condoleezza what?"
There's two people, though. You know, the name is broken down. There's the Condi, who's -- that's the person you see on television with the nice hair and very professional.
Then there's the Leezza...
(LAUGHTER
She's the one with her hair wrapped up on the phone with her girlfriend watching BET, talking about, "Girl, ain't that..."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Didn't you think that was funny?
MYERS: Not really.
COSTELLO: Did you hear Laura Bush? Did you hear her act?
MYERS: You know, you said that. You said I needed to listen to Laura Bush, because you said Laura Bush was very, very funny.
COSTELLO: Oh, she was.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: We're actually going to play some of her remarks later on in the show.
MYERS: Oh, OK.
COSTELLO: And we'll also examine why she took center stage at this event. Because it could have political purposes.
MYERS: Now, was this a Condoleezza Rice roast or was this...
COSTELLO: No, it was the White House Correspondents Dinner. You know, every year they have correspondents...
MYERS: Only you would care, because you're a reporter, Carol. It was on C-SPAN, for crying out loud! It wasn't on all the networks or anything, right? CBS didn't break into "Survivor."
COSTELLO: You know, you're lucky I'm in New York this morning, mister.
Let's head to our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers" right now.
The theme for this beauty pageant, Chad, in Thailand, big is beautiful.
MYERS: Oh.
COSTELLO: Twenty-four women took part in the annual Miss Jumbo Queen contest. That's what it's called. I ain't making it up.
The contest is aimed at raising awareness and money for the country's elephant -- this is terrible. The winner is an 18-year-old girl who weighed in at just a shade over 240 pounds.
MYERS: That's pretty...
COSTELLO: Well, that's awful.
Do you remember that little mother duck that took up residence in front of the U.S. Treasury building?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: All right. Well, she's been moved to a nearby park, along with her nine newly-hatched ducklings. The duck had become a tourist attraction while sitting on her eggs. But she's out of there now.
MYERS: Nine of them.
COSTELLO: This male goat -- male goat -- is gaining attention in eastern Indian for his rare ability to give milk.
MYERS: What?
COSTELLO: Villagers say the goat's milk is much better and more nutritious than regular cow's milk. The so-called he (ph) goat was originally scheduled for sacrifice, but its milk production has kept it alive for now.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: No comment on that, huh?
MYERS: I'm sorry. I just -- yes, you kind of got me on that one.
COSTELLO: All right. It's time to read some e-mail.
Our e-mail segment today centers on the runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... who -- I guess she just didn't want to get married and she ran away to Las Vegas for a night. And then she ended up in Albuquerque, where she made this 911 call and gave this fake story about being abducted. And we wondered what you thought should happen to her.
MYERS: We were all wondering just kind of around the campfire yesterday how long did it take her to actually get to Las Vegas. And how long was she on this bus? How long did she really not know that there was a nationwide search on to her? Because if she really didn't know, maybe that gives her a little bit of a break.
But, Carol, I got one from Brian in Wisconsin. "I totally agree with Carol on the subject. I think she should repay the taxpayers for all the man hours spent for that search. She lied by faking a 911 call, plus she had this all premeditated."
We don't know that yet. But we'll see. "There is much better ways of getting out of an engagement than how she handled this."
COSTELLO: That's for sure. You know, I just think of her poor fiance. How embarrassing for him.
OK. This is from Sandy from Orlando, Florida. "Heck, no, she shouldn't be charged for running away. Kids run away every day. The media is the culprit for grabbing on to a story like this and making it national news. She had no idea that this would make national news, which probably scared her into making up a big lie."
She's no kid. She's 32 years old. She's no kid.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: Allen from Fort Mill, "Good grief. The poor girl just didn't want to get married. She should be congratulated for coming to her senses."
MYERS: And from Stockton, California, I think the runaway bride should be charged. A 32-year-old citizen should be aware that the police has limited resources all across the country. She clearly wasted these resources. They could have been used to actually look for genuinely lost children or adults" -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you for your email this morning. Keep them coming, DAYBREAK@CNN.com. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired May 2, 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, North Korea tests its arsenal, raising nuclear concerns from Seoul to Washington.
Plus, the runaway Georgia bride. That's not a veil she's wearing. We'll have the latest on this bizarre story.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: George's answer to any problem at the ranch is to cut it down with a chainsaw.
(LAUGHTER)
BUSH: Which I think is why he and Cheney and Rumsfeld get along so well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Was she not funny? The first lady rocks Washington.
It is Monday, May 2. 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 most photographed woman in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, Private 1st Class Lynndie England, plans to plead guilty to reduced charges today. She's hoping to get a lighter sentence for her alleged role in abusing Iraqi detainees.
Insurgents have taken another hostage in Iraq. A newly released tape shows an Australian contractor at gunpoint pleading for coalition troops to leave Iraq to save his life. Australia's prime minister says he will not negotiate with terrorists.
Los Angeles authorities are investigating a series of freeway shootings. In the latest incident this weekend, a 19-year-old man says he was shot three times by men with shaved heads who pulled up aside his vehicle. Police don't know if the shootings are related.
Today the Italian government will release its version of the March checkpoint shooting in Iraq in which U.S. troops killed an Italian agent. The U.S. has cleared American forces of wrongdoing, but Italy disagrees with that conclusion. To the forecast center now.
Good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol. Happy Monday.
COSTELLO: Ugh, yes.
MYERS: Did you have a good weekend at least?
COSTELLO: I did.
MYERS: It rained a little up there in New York, but...
COSTELLO: A little? It rained all weekend.
MYERS: A couple inches.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: I'm going to Miami.
MYERS: That sounds good.
COSTELLO: Right now.
MYERS: Connect in Atlanta and I'll get on the same plane, and we'll meet there tonight.
COSTELLO: I'm loving that.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You bet.
COSTELLO: We begin this morning with a CNN "Security Watch." North Korea fires a shot that's reverberating around the world. It was a short range missile test-fired from the communist nation. It landed in the Sea of Japan. It's a huge concern considering North Korea admits to having nuclear weapons.
Let's head live to CNN's Atika Shubert. She's in Tokyo this morning.
Tell us more.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Japan is actually playing down this event. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is traveling in Europe. And foreign minister Nobutaka Machimura is traveling in the United States. And neither has made a formal comment. Now, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Hiroyuki Hosoda, did make a comment very briefly to reporters, saying that he described the missile launch as a domestic military drill from North Korea, one -- a test of a very short range missile, something that was not an immediate security threat to Japan.
Certainly missile tests like this have been seen before. It's not a surprise to Japan. But again, because -- because North Korea announced in February that it does have nuclear weapons, it is a cause for some concern, and certainly is something that Japan monitors -- Carol.
COSTELLO: This has happened before, though. I mean, the North Koreans testing missiles.
SHUBERT: That's right. It happened in 2003 when Pyongyang was under quite a bit of pressure from the Bush administration.
And it also happened in 1998. And actually, the 1998 missile test is one that was quite alarming because it was a test of a long range missile called the Taepo Dong missile, and it actually flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean. That was a big concern because it proved that North Korea could hit Japan and was also working on a longer range missile to hit United States shores.
And again, all of this underscores the fact that North Korea could well arm a missile with a nuclear warhead. But having said that, this is a very short range missile test. Again, something Japan says it's not particularly worried right now, even though it is keeping an eye on it.
COSTELLO: Atika Shubert live from Tokyo this morning. Thank you.
And by the way, that North Korean missile launch will certainly be discussed today when the United Nations gathers to review the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. U.S. negotiators want the month-long conference to focus on keeping North Korea and Iran from developing nuclear weapons. But non-nuclear states are targeting America and other powers that already have the bomb, accusing them of foot- dragging on disarmament. The goal of the treaty is complete disarmament worldwide.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
The second trial stemming from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal is set to begin tomorrow. But one of the scandal's most recognizable people is expected to make a deal today.
CNN's Susan Candiotti reports from Fort Hood, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PFC LYNNDIE ENGLAND, U.S. ARMY: You think you're taking the right road, and it ends up being the wrong one. So...
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lynndie England, now a young unwed mother after an affair at Abu Ghraib prison, wants to make a deal to avoid years behind bars herself. She was once called the poster child of the Iraqi prison scandal. Now the Army reservist from rural West Virginia is prepared to plead guilty, perhaps as early as today, in exchange for a shorter sentence.
England was a clerk, not a guard, at Abu Ghraib, and says she posed for the now infamous photos because her boyfriend, guard Charles Graner, asked her to do so. England talked about the photos in a Dutch television documentary.
In this one, seen holding a leash around a prisoner's neck, her defense? She was trying to help move him to another cell.
ENGLAND: It was a whole intimidation and tactic, you know? It was a mind game.
CANDIOTTI: And this photo, smiling, thumbs up, standing behind the notorious naked human pyramid.
ENGLAND: I thought it was odd, kind of weird. But it was kind of like, if everyone else is doing it, if they thought it was wrong then they would have stopped it.
CANDIOTTI: The charges England faces, from abuse to conspiracy, could spend her to prison for more than a decade. But in making a deal to plead guilty, she may wind up serving as little as two years.
(on camera): Susan Candiotti, CNN, Fort Hood, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: In other news "Across America" now, part of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport was shut down because of a suspicious rental truck parked in front of the terminal. A bomb-sniffing dog detected -- detected explosives in the truck, but they turned out to be fireworks and nitroglycerin pills.
Police say the truck renter was in too big of a hurry to return the truck to the rental company, so he just left it there. He will not face any charges, however.
Boston's mayor says a settlement is near in the case of a Red Sox fan who was killed during the post-game celebration last year. Twenty-one-year-old Victoria Snelgrove died after police hit her in the face with a pepper spray pellet. The payment to her parents is expected to be between $4 million and $7 million.
Two South Carolina teenagers are doing well after being stranded at sea for nearly a week. Rough waters pushed their small sailboat nearly 100 miles away from where they had started. Fishermen found them suffering from dehydration and sunburn after six days at sea.
Cape May, New Jersey, is moving into the modern age. The town has repealed its so-called Speedo ban. Skimpy bathing suits had been banned from the local beaches for more than 30 years, but locals say the ordinance was really enforced.
I'm just looking at those men. (LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Oh. That ban was enacted in the '60s after locals complained about gay men wearing skimpy suits. Now the complaints are about fat guys in their 50s who should not be wearing Speedos.
Oh. I'm going nowhere with that.
Anyway, forget Speedo bathing suits. Let's get to a story a lot of people are scratching their heads about, that runaway Georgia bride.
Our Charles Molineaux has an update on Jennifer Wilbanks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Off to the side, please.
CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At about the same time Jennifer Wilbanks had been scheduled to walk up the aisle she was hustling through an airport halfway across the country, covered in a blanket instead of a veil. Her disappearance Tuesday triggered a desperate search by police and volunteers in her home town of Duluth, Georgia.
Early Saturday, Wilbanks' family and her anxious fiance, John Mason, cheered at the news she had turned up safe with an incredible story. From this Albuquerque 7-Eleven, she called 911.
JENNIFER WILBANKS: I was kidnapped earlier this week and I'm here now.
MOLINEAUX: Within hours, celebration turned into shock when police announced she made the kidnapping up and had taken off to Las Vegas and then Albuquerque by bus.
CHIEF RAY SCHULTZ, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, POLICE: Agents and detectives learned that Ms. Wilbanks had become scared and concerned about her pending marriage and decided that she needed some time alone.
MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS' UNCLE: It has been determined that Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of.
MOLINEAUX: Wilbanks' mortified family lapsed into silence. Some neighbors were furious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very angry with her for doing that to her family and to the city of Duluth.
MOLINEAUX: And a source who has been briefed on the investigation tells CNN this may have been planned, that Wilbanks bought her bus ticket several days in advance, prearranged transportation to the bus station, and cut her hair to avoid being recognized. On Sunday, the congregation of the couple's church prayed for them. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously she was going through a lot of things that none of us knew about. And you -- there's a lot of people around her, and nobody saw that.
CHARLIE HALL, PARISHIONER: I'm happy that she's doing OK and the family can just work out what they need to. And it will be all right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: We want to talk about -- Chad, are you around? Chad, are you there?
MYERS: Yes, ma'am. Right here.
COSTELLO: I just wanted to talk about this, because we're wondering this morning whether charges should be brought against Jennifer Wilbanks. And I just want to read you something from our CNN wires.
MYERS: OK. Go ahead.
COSTELLO: The prosecutor in Atlanta said he would be less likely to bring charges against the runaway bride if authorities determine she left on the spur of the moment rather than if she planned her three-day disappearance in advance.
MYERS: Sure.
COSTELLO: But it appears this morning that she did plan it. So what should happen to her?
MYERS: Well, yes. I don't know exactly when she bought that bus ticket. And they're saying she bought it in advance.
So what does that mean? Does that mean an hour? Does that mean five hours? Does that mean -- did she buy it on a Sunday?
COSTELLO: I think it was a couple days, like a week.
MYERS: Yes. Well, then that's a problem.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: That is a -- and, you know, she sounded so convincing on that 911 call. Didn't she?
MYERS: Yes, she did.
COSTELLO: She was crying.
MYERS: And, you know, obviously this is kind of a closer story than maybe if you're living in Washington, D.C., or whatever. But I live in Atlanta. And this obviously happened in the Atlanta metro area.
The whole city was really looking for this woman, and it's a -- what should happen to this runaway bride? We want to know what you think. E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes. Should she have to repay the police department for the man hours they spent looking for her?
MYERS: That's a start.
COSTELLO: I don't know. We want to know what you think this morning. As you said, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
Still to come this hour, it's a parent's worst nightmare, but it's happening all too often.
Also, a friendly fire incident sparks some unfriendly words from Italy.
And does the first lady have a future in standup? She got a good start this weekend.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning, May 2.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: International markets mixed this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei down more than six points. The London FTSE up 11.5. The German DAX is up 43 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:15 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
North Korea test-fired a missile that fell into the Sea of Japan. But officials say the region (ph) says the test is not linked to North Korea's nuclear program. The test came just days after President Bush's address in which he said that multinational talks are needed.
Prosecutors still trying to determine whether to press charges against the so-called runaway bride. Police say Jennifer Wilbanks planned her disappearance several days before her wedding was supposed to take place. Of course that's our e-mail question this morning.
DAYBREAK@CNN.com. What do you think should happen to the runaway bride?
In money news, billionaire Warren Buffett is welcoming another billionaire onto his board. Shareholders of his company, Berkshire Hathaway, approved Microsoft's Bill Gates as a board member. Gates is the world's richest man, while Buffett is number two.
In culture, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" was number one with moviegoers over the weekend. The film which is based on the best-selling book pulled in $21.7 million. The other big debut was "XXX" sequel, which finished third.
In sports, coming around the turn, Jeff Gordon. He avoided a 25- car crash and a six-car crash with just two laps remaining to win NASCAR's Nextel Cup Aarons' 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway. Chad -- oh, look at that, Chad.
MYERS: You did that fairly well.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
MYERS: Yes, that Talladega was a mud hole after all that rain on Friday, into Saturday. So he didn't have too much trouble doing burn- outs out there in the mud.
Yes, his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, had a heck of a race. Wrecked 25 cars. That was amazing.
I don't know -- I don't know where Jimmie was. I love Jimmie Johnson as a driver, but he didn't show up yesterday. He caused both of those other crashes, in my opinion. But that is just my humble opinion -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, where's the -- I actually want to see the picture of the 25-car pileup. Do we have that?
MYERS: Well, there were two big ones. Here -- no, this isn't it.
There were two big ones, one in the front stretch, one in the back stretch. It just took out a bunch of great cards. Mike Wallace, the Lucas Oil car, had the best car he's ever been driving, period, and he was taken out in a crash.
It was a shame. It was just -- you know, when you get cars that are this close, going this fast, 190 miles an hour, a small bump is going to make a big difference. And it just made a bunch of -- we'll try to -- we'll queue that -- those crashes up. I know maybe some of you want to see them.
I enjoy seeing racing rather than just crashing. But that's just me.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Chad, we have the crash.
MYERS: Oh, we do?
COSTELLO: I know -- I know you say you only watch for the racing, but, you know...
MYERS: Let's watch this. This is -- this is the first one. Jimmie Johnson goes too far left, bumps into the corner panel of the Lucas Oil there, Mike Wallace's car, and causes this melee.
COSTELLO: Wow.
MYERS: So many great cars were taken out of this race. Look at this. It looks like a demolition derby. And now Jimmie Johnson bounces off the wall, bounces into -- I forget who was on his left -- and then causes another seven cars to crash. I don't know. I don't know. Whatever, Carol.
COSTELLO: That is something else though.
MYERS: Talladega is going to be Talladega until they can fix the restrictor plate problems and everybody realizes that. When you get the cars that are bunched up and that close together for that long, there's not much you can do about it.
COSTELLO: It sure makes the race exciting, though, doesn't it?
MYERS: You're not supposed to have dented cars in Talladega. You're supposed to have dented cars in Martinsville and Bristol and all those places. But you're not supposed to be hitting each other at 190 miles an hour.
COSTELLO: Well, at least no one was hurt. That's good.
MYERS: No one was hurt, absolutely. No cars flipped over, no one was hurt. There really were -- there really wasn't much damage to some of those cars. But...
COSTELLO: All right.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, a new video game that lets you play good cop-bad cop. It has family groups absolutely fuming. We will show you why.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Monday, May 2.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Did we get that song from your collection?
MYERS: I don't know -- I don't even know that song. I'm sorry.
COSTELLO: I love that. It fits right in with the "Late Night Laughs" segment.
MYERS: And...
COSTELLO: It's a little -- it's Big and Rich. That was the group singing that song, just so you want to...
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: And a cloud of dust, and hardy...
COSTELLO: Exactly.
Anyway, going back to the "Late Night Laughs" thing, it's from the weekend White House Correspondents Dinner. Did you see that?
MYERS: No. COSTELLO: I did. It was so funny. It's a big thing every year. Lots of poking fun, that sort of thing, correspondents in the audience, politicians on stage.
Among those at the podium, Cedric the Entertainer and Laura Bush. In the audience, Condoleezza Rice. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER: I love that name, Condoleezza. It's so soul (ph). You know, she's very professional.
But Condoleezza? Come on, right there. Condoleezza. No wonder she's in charge of security. That name right there, it would be like, "What? Condoleezza what?"
There's two people, though. You know, the name is broken down. There's the Condi, who's -- that's the person you see on television with the nice hair and very professional.
Then there's the Leezza...
(LAUGHTER
She's the one with her hair wrapped up on the phone with her girlfriend watching BET, talking about, "Girl, ain't that..."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Didn't you think that was funny?
MYERS: Not really.
COSTELLO: Did you hear Laura Bush? Did you hear her act?
MYERS: You know, you said that. You said I needed to listen to Laura Bush, because you said Laura Bush was very, very funny.
COSTELLO: Oh, she was.
MYERS: All right.
COSTELLO: We're actually going to play some of her remarks later on in the show.
MYERS: Oh, OK.
COSTELLO: And we'll also examine why she took center stage at this event. Because it could have political purposes.
MYERS: Now, was this a Condoleezza Rice roast or was this...
COSTELLO: No, it was the White House Correspondents Dinner. You know, every year they have correspondents...
MYERS: Only you would care, because you're a reporter, Carol. It was on C-SPAN, for crying out loud! It wasn't on all the networks or anything, right? CBS didn't break into "Survivor."
COSTELLO: You know, you're lucky I'm in New York this morning, mister.
Let's head to our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers" right now.
The theme for this beauty pageant, Chad, in Thailand, big is beautiful.
MYERS: Oh.
COSTELLO: Twenty-four women took part in the annual Miss Jumbo Queen contest. That's what it's called. I ain't making it up.
The contest is aimed at raising awareness and money for the country's elephant -- this is terrible. The winner is an 18-year-old girl who weighed in at just a shade over 240 pounds.
MYERS: That's pretty...
COSTELLO: Well, that's awful.
Do you remember that little mother duck that took up residence in front of the U.S. Treasury building?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: All right. Well, she's been moved to a nearby park, along with her nine newly-hatched ducklings. The duck had become a tourist attraction while sitting on her eggs. But she's out of there now.
MYERS: Nine of them.
COSTELLO: This male goat -- male goat -- is gaining attention in eastern Indian for his rare ability to give milk.
MYERS: What?
COSTELLO: Villagers say the goat's milk is much better and more nutritious than regular cow's milk. The so-called he (ph) goat was originally scheduled for sacrifice, but its milk production has kept it alive for now.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: No comment on that, huh?
MYERS: I'm sorry. I just -- yes, you kind of got me on that one.
COSTELLO: All right. It's time to read some e-mail.
Our e-mail segment today centers on the runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks...
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... who -- I guess she just didn't want to get married and she ran away to Las Vegas for a night. And then she ended up in Albuquerque, where she made this 911 call and gave this fake story about being abducted. And we wondered what you thought should happen to her.
MYERS: We were all wondering just kind of around the campfire yesterday how long did it take her to actually get to Las Vegas. And how long was she on this bus? How long did she really not know that there was a nationwide search on to her? Because if she really didn't know, maybe that gives her a little bit of a break.
But, Carol, I got one from Brian in Wisconsin. "I totally agree with Carol on the subject. I think she should repay the taxpayers for all the man hours spent for that search. She lied by faking a 911 call, plus she had this all premeditated."
We don't know that yet. But we'll see. "There is much better ways of getting out of an engagement than how she handled this."
COSTELLO: That's for sure. You know, I just think of her poor fiance. How embarrassing for him.
OK. This is from Sandy from Orlando, Florida. "Heck, no, she shouldn't be charged for running away. Kids run away every day. The media is the culprit for grabbing on to a story like this and making it national news. She had no idea that this would make national news, which probably scared her into making up a big lie."
She's no kid. She's 32 years old. She's no kid.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: Allen from Fort Mill, "Good grief. The poor girl just didn't want to get married. She should be congratulated for coming to her senses."
MYERS: And from Stockton, California, I think the runaway bride should be charged. A 32-year-old citizen should be aware that the police has limited resources all across the country. She clearly wasted these resources. They could have been used to actually look for genuinely lost children or adults" -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thank you for your email this morning. Keep them coming, DAYBREAK@CNN.com. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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