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CNN Live At Daybreak
BTK Suspect in Court Today; 'Jessica's Law'; Wild Horses
Aired May 03, 2005 - 06:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: 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 Iraq this morning, the U.S. military has found the body of a pilot from one of two missing Marine fighter jets. The search goes on for the second pilot. Military sources tell CNN they believe the jets collided in midair in bad weather.
Another step forward for Iraq. The new Iraqi government is expected to complete the naming of outstanding ministry posts this morning. After that, the new government will be officially sworn in.
Jury selection begins today in the sentencing phase of the Lynndie England trial. The Army reservist entered a guilty plea for her part in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. CNN has learned that she could face as few as two years in prison.
To the forecast center now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: The man suspected of being the BTK killer is expected back in court today, but this time he will finally have to enter a plea in the case.
CNN's Jonathan Freed is in Wichita. He joins us live now.
Good morning -- Jonathan.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, the people of Wichita, Kansas, are really hoping to find out this morning if that man accused of being the BTK serial killer is going to go to trial, plead guilty or plead no contest.
Now, Dennis Rader is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder in this case that spans 30 years. Not very much is known about the case against Rader, Carol, partly because the court filings since his arrest in late February had been sealed, mostly at the request of the district attorney.
Late last week, though, after news organizations challenged the need for the secrecy in court, the judge unsealed some of the documents, including a list of more than 200 prosecution witnesses. But the probable cause affidavit, which is the document that outlines why the authorities believe that Dennis Rader is BTK and went ahead with that arrest, that remains sealed by law.
Now, Rader is a 60-year-old former city compliance officer and dog catcher in a Wichita suburb. And that's called Park City. And, again, he is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder.
From 1974 to 1991, the BTK strangler struck fear in this city with a series of killings, and most of those victims were women -- Carol.
COSTELLO: A question about the witness list, those 200 people. Anybody really interesting on it, intriguing?
FREED: Well, mostly people that you would expect. Some of the testimony, it has been so long. Some of the people have actually passed away, and they have their testimony recorded by other means. A number of people that are expected to be called include some local reporters here in town, because part of the BTK's MO over the years was to send those messages to the media. So, the media was really intimately involved in the story without trying to become part of the story. It's been a very delicate balancing act for local media, both print and broadcast, over the last 30 years.
COSTELLO: It should be interesting later today. Jonathan Freed live in Wichita this morning.
It's called Jessica's Law, and it is designed to prevent other children from dying like she did. It is one of the most aggressive laws in the country when it comes to monitoring convicted child molesters. It requires satellite tracking devices to be worn for life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: Florida has some of the toughest laws in the country as it relates to sexual predators and sexual offenders. And this bill will make our laws even tougher. And I think it is right and just that that is the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That law signed by Jeb Bush in Florida.
We want to know more about this law named after Jessica Lunsford who was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a known sex offender.
Live from Tallahassee, Marc Caputo from the "Miami Herald."
Good morning, Marc.
MARC CAPUTO, "MIAMI HERALD": Good morning, Carol. How are you?
COSTELLO: I'm fine. Thanks for joining us.
This law goes into effect in September. Is it retroactive? Are they going to put these tracking devices on every sex offender out there in Florida?
CAPUTO: Well, no, it's not retroactive. Lawmakers said that that might have been unconstitutional. And it probably would have broken the bank. I understand Florida has 30,000 registered sex offenders, although this wouldn't apply to all sex offenders. Mainly it's the predators that they're really after, and the predators are those who commit very violent crimes, crimes against children.
COSTELLO: How much is this going to cost exactly? You've mentioned it's going to be quite expensive.
CAPUTO: Well, for what it is now, they're looking at about $15 million a year once everything is ramped up. And, again, most of that cost is just to purchase and maintain satellite tracking devices, the global positioning system devices that are to be worn.
COSTELLO: So, these satellite tracking devices, offenders are going to wear them around their ankle. Can't they take them off?
CAPUTO: Well, they can. However, there will be an alert that kind of goes into Sex Offender Central if it happens. And the offender would then be charged with a third-degree felony and likely then would just be locked away for the rest of his life. So, he would have to obviously think about doing that before actually committing it, because now it will be a new crime.
The law makes a variety of other things a crime, specifically relating to the Jessica Lunsford Act would require probation officials to check sex offender registry -- again, there's 30,000 people on it -- to make sure that the person that's on probation is not a sex offender. The probation officer didn't do that in Couey's case, and some say, well, perhaps he could have been caught had they realized that he was a sex offender and in the area.
COSTELLO: Marc, is the law being legally challenged at all?
CAPUTO: Not right now. The ACLU has been pretty muted. Usually, if there's a constitutional flaw, you'll hear from them. But, you know, this was proposed and passed very quickly in this legislative session, because not only did you have Jessica Lunsford disappear and wind up dead, but also Sarah Lunde. They both are from the greater Tampa Bay area, and they both happened within days of each other. This was right after the Terri Schiavo case.
So, the legislature was already a little spooked out and wanted to get to work. And, as you said, this law was act was signed into law yesterday, and there's only about four days left in the lawmaking session. And lawmakers said they really didn't need to do anything more.
COSTELLO: Marc Caputo from the "Miami Herald" joining us this morning. Thank you.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, the fight to find safe homes for wild horses. We'll look at why it's causing the government so much grief.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Mixed markets right now around the world. Tokyo's Nikkei down more than 6 points, the London FTSE up nearly 53 -- actually up nearly 54 points, and the German DAX is up around 12.5.
Florida's move against sex offenders has us all wondering how far we need to go to protect our children. We just talked about Jessica's Law in Florida. "AMERICAN MORNING" will have more on this story.
Bill Hemmer joins us now for more.
Good morning.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Carol, good morning to you.
Governor Bush, again, signing that into law yesterday. What does the state now have to do to make sure it actually keeps kids safe there? And Florida, really, Carol, as you know, has been in the spotlight now for months. We'll talk to victims' advocate Marc Klaas about this. The key word in this entire story, Carol, is "enforcement." How do the authorities do it in Florida? So, we'll talk to Klaas about that this morning.
Also, a rather unlikely alliance between McDonald's and a famous diet expert. Dr. Dean Ornish (ph) joins us today, telling us why he's teaming up with the golden arches. Apparently, he wants fries with that. But everyone is not so convinced about the health effects here, so we'll try and pick his brain a little bit about what he's hearing. You know, so often we hear now about these fast food restaurants going to a healthier fare and a healthier menu. And McDonald's is trying to do it. You hear a few others out there, too. So, we'll see if anyone is paying attention on the consumer end. I would hit the salad bar and be done with it.
COSTELLO: I know. You order the apples at McDonald's or the fries.
HEMMER: What's that again?
COSTELLO: Well, you order the apples at McDonald's because, you know, they're now offering apples you can dip in caramel sauce.
HEMMER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Or do you order the fries that you can dip in ketchup? I take the fries.
HEMMER: Wash it down with a chocolate milkshake?
COSTELLO: Exactly. We look forward to that. Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: See you in 15 minutes.
COSTELLO: It was meant to save wild mustangs from certain slaughter. The federal government decided to sell the horses to Indian tribes for $1 apiece, because Indians revere horses. They would provide them a safe haven. But somehow, dozens of those mustangs ended up in the slaughterhouse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (voice over): These wild mustangs are a symbol of the Old West. But, believe it or not, a growing number of the once revered creatures are ending up on dinner tables throughout the world. That fact is not lost on the U.S. government, which is responsible for the horses' well-being.
Last month, the government stopped its program aimed at finding suitable homes for the horses. That decision came after around 40 of the animals ended up at a slaughterhouse near Chicago.
The government's program called for some of the country's 37,000 wild horses to be sold. The price: $1 apiece. The mustangs that were put up for sale were all over 10 years old and considered unadoptable.
The plan was to sell the horses to people who knew how to handle and care for them. Among those who bought the mustangs were two groups of Native Americans. But the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota turned around and traded their old government horses for younger models. And it was many of those horses that ended up at the slaughterhouse door.
Other groups are still fighting for the mustangs' survival. They're raising money to buy acres of fruited plain to allow the wild mustangs of America's past to play under our spacious skies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now, keep in mind, not all of the horses that were sold ended up at the slaughterhouse. Hundreds have been given good homes. Many of the wild mustangs were purchased by three affiliated tribes of North Dakota.
Their chairman Tex Hall joins us live now.
Good morning, sir.
TEX HALL, PRES., NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: First of all, tell us why the mustang is such a revered horse.
HALL: Well, I believe, Carol, that many of us in Indian country believe that many of these wild ponies are actually descendants of actual tribes from the Sitting Bull band from the Chief Joseph band and many of the chiefs. These are the original Indian ponies that exist that are called these wild mustangs today.
COSTELLO: So, I know the Indians want to preserve these horses. So, it must have been thrilling for you to hear the federal government was going to sell these mustangs for a dollar apiece to Indian tribes. How many were bought?
HALL: Well, I know that it's about 240, Carol, that our tribe, the three affiliated tribes of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara at Fort Berthold, purchased for a dollar apiece, and the Rosebud tribe, I know it was like 209, and about the same for the Comanche tribe. And we all are totally excited about providing a permanent home for these indigenous ponies.
COSTELLO: And that was the deal, so that these horses wouldn't end up at the slaughterhouse; yet, 200 or so of them did. How did that come to happen?
HALL: Well, I actually think it was a much smaller amount than that, Carol. It was about 87 from the Rosebud. And the Rosebud had no intentions. They simply wanted to trade for these older horses, of course, that were given to them for a dollar a head for younger horses for their troubled youth and their gangs. But instead, a broker got those horses, and then sold them to slaughter.
So, the Rosebud tribe has come back and asked a tribal resolution that forbids any horse to be resold for slaughter. So, that's been taken care of. But it was never their intention...
COSTELLO: So, you're saying, sir, that the broker kind of snookered them?
HALL: I think so. You know, Carol, I think that, you know, the broker obviously wanted to, you know, trade for money and to upgrade these horses. And the Rosebud tribe simply wanted to trade for younger horses. Their intention was never to go to slaughter. It was the broker that actually ended up doing that.
COSTELLO: I'm kind of fuzzy on whether the Indian tribes could actually sell the horses that they bought from the government for a dollar.
HALL: Well, again, Carol, the intention was to trade, and it wasn't to sell for profit or to sell for slaughter. It was simply to trade. And so, obviously, there must have been a broker that agreed to that, but instead went and sold the horses.
So, in my tribe, again, our tribe, we have a committee that approves these horses to go out to various tribal ranches within our reservation. And those ranches then will take care of them. And, of course, their forbid to sell for slaughter as well, because the goal here is to provide a permanent home.
COSTELLO: Right, exactly.
HALL: And we have many tribal ranches that are willing to do that.
COSTELLO: The federal government says it had temporarily stopped selling these horses to Indian tribes. Has that started up again? HALL: Well, I certainly hope it will, and I think certainly it will real soon, Carol, because there's a number of horses, there was like 8,400 total. And there's like 56 million acres in Indian country, and many of the tribes such as ours are willing and able to provide for these horses. So, I certainly hope so.
COSTELLO: Tex Hall joining us live this morning. Thank you.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, a big day ahead for some very resilient dolphins. That story is next.
But first, a look at some people. It's time to say happy birthday on this day, May 3.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: All week, "AMERICAN MORNING" is looking at the problems the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are causing for American soldiers at home. So, let's check in with CNN's Soledad O'Brien for a look at what's on tap for today.
Good morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.
This morning, we're going to meet an Army reservist in a different kind of war now. He sued one of the biggest companies in the world, IBM. He says his bosses there fired him because of his military obligations, but they tell a very different story involving his behavior. That's ahead in our special series. It's called "Battle Fatigue."
Also, just a few days until Mother's Day. So, what's the price of motherhood outside of other sleeplessness all the time? The folks at salary.com calculated a salary for all the work that stay-at-home moms do. We're going to have that surprising figure. We'll tell you how they came up with it as well. I'll give you a little hint: It's a lot of money.
That's ahead this morning, Carol, on "AMERICAN MORNING" at the top of the hour.
COSTELLO: And it should be.
O'BRIEN: That's right.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Soledad.
It is 6:53 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.
He's done a lot of traveling to push for Social Security reform, and now President Bush has more road trips ahead. Today, he's heading to a Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi, to push his plan for personal retirement accounts.
Former President Clinton is joining forces with the American Heart Association. Today, they're announcing a major initiative to combat childhood obesity. Officials say it's one of the nation's most pressing health issues.
And finally, round-the-clock from hundreds of volunteers, that's what these dolphins got, and it's paid off. Seven dolphins are being released off the Florida coast today two months after they stranded themselves in shallow water. Two dozen other dolphins died. But there's happy news for those that are going to swim off to see once again.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And they find out, as it turns out, most of those dolphins end up staying right around where they were rehabbed usually. They are not going too far, because they really appreciate what all of those folks have done for them. So...
COSTELLO: They've established a relationship, and there's food there for the taking.
MYERS: Well, of course, now they have to get back into a pack, so that they can relearn how to re-feed out there, too, Carol.
So here we go. Let's give away a DAYBREAK coffee mug for today. Where did the North Korea missile land that was shot off? That was in the Sea of Japan. And how many arrests have been made in that Massachusetts buried treasure case? The answer there is four.
And from Lubbock, Texas, our winner, Monty Strauss. Monty, congratulations.
Here are your questions for today. The federal government sold wild horses to Indian tribes for what price? And where is Hilton's new underwater restaurant? Did we talk about that?
COSTELLO: Yes, we did.
MYERS: Well, I missed that. I guess I won't be getting a DAYBREAK coffee mug today. If you know the answers, CNN.com/daybreak.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: "Now in the News."
The U.S. military has found the body of a pilot from one of two Marine fighter jets that apparently collided over Iraq. The search goes on for the second pilot. Navy officials tell CNN they believe the FA-18s crashed into each other in bad weather during a routine mission.
The fed is expected to raise a key interest rate again today. The quarter-point jump would bring the federal funds lending rate to 3 percent. That would be up a full 2 percentage points since last June. In Wichita, Kansas, the man suspected of being the BTK serial killer heads to court in four-and-a-half hours. Dennis Rader is expected to plead not guilty to charges he strangled 10 people.
Got brakes? If you own a GM pickup or sport utility vehicle you might not. The government has launched an investigation into possible problems with the antilock brakes in more than one million of those GM vehicles. The model years in question are from 1999 through 2002.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Hey, Carol, I've been working on some things on my BlackBerry here.
COSTELLO: Oh.
MYERS: Atlanta to Vegas, bus ticket, 162 bucks. Room in Vegas, 89 bucks. Bus ticket back to Albuquerque, $95. Not having to say "I do," priceless.
COSTELLO: I can tell you worked on that all morning long.
MYERS: I really did.
COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired May 3, 2005 - 06:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: 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 Iraq this morning, the U.S. military has found the body of a pilot from one of two missing Marine fighter jets. The search goes on for the second pilot. Military sources tell CNN they believe the jets collided in midair in bad weather.
Another step forward for Iraq. The new Iraqi government is expected to complete the naming of outstanding ministry posts this morning. After that, the new government will be officially sworn in.
Jury selection begins today in the sentencing phase of the Lynndie England trial. The Army reservist entered a guilty plea for her part in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. CNN has learned that she could face as few as two years in prison.
To the forecast center now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: The man suspected of being the BTK killer is expected back in court today, but this time he will finally have to enter a plea in the case.
CNN's Jonathan Freed is in Wichita. He joins us live now.
Good morning -- Jonathan.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, the people of Wichita, Kansas, are really hoping to find out this morning if that man accused of being the BTK serial killer is going to go to trial, plead guilty or plead no contest.
Now, Dennis Rader is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder in this case that spans 30 years. Not very much is known about the case against Rader, Carol, partly because the court filings since his arrest in late February had been sealed, mostly at the request of the district attorney.
Late last week, though, after news organizations challenged the need for the secrecy in court, the judge unsealed some of the documents, including a list of more than 200 prosecution witnesses. But the probable cause affidavit, which is the document that outlines why the authorities believe that Dennis Rader is BTK and went ahead with that arrest, that remains sealed by law.
Now, Rader is a 60-year-old former city compliance officer and dog catcher in a Wichita suburb. And that's called Park City. And, again, he is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder.
From 1974 to 1991, the BTK strangler struck fear in this city with a series of killings, and most of those victims were women -- Carol.
COSTELLO: A question about the witness list, those 200 people. Anybody really interesting on it, intriguing?
FREED: Well, mostly people that you would expect. Some of the testimony, it has been so long. Some of the people have actually passed away, and they have their testimony recorded by other means. A number of people that are expected to be called include some local reporters here in town, because part of the BTK's MO over the years was to send those messages to the media. So, the media was really intimately involved in the story without trying to become part of the story. It's been a very delicate balancing act for local media, both print and broadcast, over the last 30 years.
COSTELLO: It should be interesting later today. Jonathan Freed live in Wichita this morning.
It's called Jessica's Law, and it is designed to prevent other children from dying like she did. It is one of the most aggressive laws in the country when it comes to monitoring convicted child molesters. It requires satellite tracking devices to be worn for life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: Florida has some of the toughest laws in the country as it relates to sexual predators and sexual offenders. And this bill will make our laws even tougher. And I think it is right and just that that is the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That law signed by Jeb Bush in Florida.
We want to know more about this law named after Jessica Lunsford who was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a known sex offender.
Live from Tallahassee, Marc Caputo from the "Miami Herald."
Good morning, Marc.
MARC CAPUTO, "MIAMI HERALD": Good morning, Carol. How are you?
COSTELLO: I'm fine. Thanks for joining us.
This law goes into effect in September. Is it retroactive? Are they going to put these tracking devices on every sex offender out there in Florida?
CAPUTO: Well, no, it's not retroactive. Lawmakers said that that might have been unconstitutional. And it probably would have broken the bank. I understand Florida has 30,000 registered sex offenders, although this wouldn't apply to all sex offenders. Mainly it's the predators that they're really after, and the predators are those who commit very violent crimes, crimes against children.
COSTELLO: How much is this going to cost exactly? You've mentioned it's going to be quite expensive.
CAPUTO: Well, for what it is now, they're looking at about $15 million a year once everything is ramped up. And, again, most of that cost is just to purchase and maintain satellite tracking devices, the global positioning system devices that are to be worn.
COSTELLO: So, these satellite tracking devices, offenders are going to wear them around their ankle. Can't they take them off?
CAPUTO: Well, they can. However, there will be an alert that kind of goes into Sex Offender Central if it happens. And the offender would then be charged with a third-degree felony and likely then would just be locked away for the rest of his life. So, he would have to obviously think about doing that before actually committing it, because now it will be a new crime.
The law makes a variety of other things a crime, specifically relating to the Jessica Lunsford Act would require probation officials to check sex offender registry -- again, there's 30,000 people on it -- to make sure that the person that's on probation is not a sex offender. The probation officer didn't do that in Couey's case, and some say, well, perhaps he could have been caught had they realized that he was a sex offender and in the area.
COSTELLO: Marc, is the law being legally challenged at all?
CAPUTO: Not right now. The ACLU has been pretty muted. Usually, if there's a constitutional flaw, you'll hear from them. But, you know, this was proposed and passed very quickly in this legislative session, because not only did you have Jessica Lunsford disappear and wind up dead, but also Sarah Lunde. They both are from the greater Tampa Bay area, and they both happened within days of each other. This was right after the Terri Schiavo case.
So, the legislature was already a little spooked out and wanted to get to work. And, as you said, this law was act was signed into law yesterday, and there's only about four days left in the lawmaking session. And lawmakers said they really didn't need to do anything more.
COSTELLO: Marc Caputo from the "Miami Herald" joining us this morning. Thank you.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, the fight to find safe homes for wild horses. We'll look at why it's causing the government so much grief.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Mixed markets right now around the world. Tokyo's Nikkei down more than 6 points, the London FTSE up nearly 53 -- actually up nearly 54 points, and the German DAX is up around 12.5.
Florida's move against sex offenders has us all wondering how far we need to go to protect our children. We just talked about Jessica's Law in Florida. "AMERICAN MORNING" will have more on this story.
Bill Hemmer joins us now for more.
Good morning.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Carol, good morning to you.
Governor Bush, again, signing that into law yesterday. What does the state now have to do to make sure it actually keeps kids safe there? And Florida, really, Carol, as you know, has been in the spotlight now for months. We'll talk to victims' advocate Marc Klaas about this. The key word in this entire story, Carol, is "enforcement." How do the authorities do it in Florida? So, we'll talk to Klaas about that this morning.
Also, a rather unlikely alliance between McDonald's and a famous diet expert. Dr. Dean Ornish (ph) joins us today, telling us why he's teaming up with the golden arches. Apparently, he wants fries with that. But everyone is not so convinced about the health effects here, so we'll try and pick his brain a little bit about what he's hearing. You know, so often we hear now about these fast food restaurants going to a healthier fare and a healthier menu. And McDonald's is trying to do it. You hear a few others out there, too. So, we'll see if anyone is paying attention on the consumer end. I would hit the salad bar and be done with it.
COSTELLO: I know. You order the apples at McDonald's or the fries.
HEMMER: What's that again?
COSTELLO: Well, you order the apples at McDonald's because, you know, they're now offering apples you can dip in caramel sauce.
HEMMER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Or do you order the fries that you can dip in ketchup? I take the fries.
HEMMER: Wash it down with a chocolate milkshake?
COSTELLO: Exactly. We look forward to that. Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: See you in 15 minutes.
COSTELLO: It was meant to save wild mustangs from certain slaughter. The federal government decided to sell the horses to Indian tribes for $1 apiece, because Indians revere horses. They would provide them a safe haven. But somehow, dozens of those mustangs ended up in the slaughterhouse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (voice over): These wild mustangs are a symbol of the Old West. But, believe it or not, a growing number of the once revered creatures are ending up on dinner tables throughout the world. That fact is not lost on the U.S. government, which is responsible for the horses' well-being.
Last month, the government stopped its program aimed at finding suitable homes for the horses. That decision came after around 40 of the animals ended up at a slaughterhouse near Chicago.
The government's program called for some of the country's 37,000 wild horses to be sold. The price: $1 apiece. The mustangs that were put up for sale were all over 10 years old and considered unadoptable.
The plan was to sell the horses to people who knew how to handle and care for them. Among those who bought the mustangs were two groups of Native Americans. But the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota turned around and traded their old government horses for younger models. And it was many of those horses that ended up at the slaughterhouse door.
Other groups are still fighting for the mustangs' survival. They're raising money to buy acres of fruited plain to allow the wild mustangs of America's past to play under our spacious skies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now, keep in mind, not all of the horses that were sold ended up at the slaughterhouse. Hundreds have been given good homes. Many of the wild mustangs were purchased by three affiliated tribes of North Dakota.
Their chairman Tex Hall joins us live now.
Good morning, sir.
TEX HALL, PRES., NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: First of all, tell us why the mustang is such a revered horse.
HALL: Well, I believe, Carol, that many of us in Indian country believe that many of these wild ponies are actually descendants of actual tribes from the Sitting Bull band from the Chief Joseph band and many of the chiefs. These are the original Indian ponies that exist that are called these wild mustangs today.
COSTELLO: So, I know the Indians want to preserve these horses. So, it must have been thrilling for you to hear the federal government was going to sell these mustangs for a dollar apiece to Indian tribes. How many were bought?
HALL: Well, I know that it's about 240, Carol, that our tribe, the three affiliated tribes of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara at Fort Berthold, purchased for a dollar apiece, and the Rosebud tribe, I know it was like 209, and about the same for the Comanche tribe. And we all are totally excited about providing a permanent home for these indigenous ponies.
COSTELLO: And that was the deal, so that these horses wouldn't end up at the slaughterhouse; yet, 200 or so of them did. How did that come to happen?
HALL: Well, I actually think it was a much smaller amount than that, Carol. It was about 87 from the Rosebud. And the Rosebud had no intentions. They simply wanted to trade for these older horses, of course, that were given to them for a dollar a head for younger horses for their troubled youth and their gangs. But instead, a broker got those horses, and then sold them to slaughter.
So, the Rosebud tribe has come back and asked a tribal resolution that forbids any horse to be resold for slaughter. So, that's been taken care of. But it was never their intention...
COSTELLO: So, you're saying, sir, that the broker kind of snookered them?
HALL: I think so. You know, Carol, I think that, you know, the broker obviously wanted to, you know, trade for money and to upgrade these horses. And the Rosebud tribe simply wanted to trade for younger horses. Their intention was never to go to slaughter. It was the broker that actually ended up doing that.
COSTELLO: I'm kind of fuzzy on whether the Indian tribes could actually sell the horses that they bought from the government for a dollar.
HALL: Well, again, Carol, the intention was to trade, and it wasn't to sell for profit or to sell for slaughter. It was simply to trade. And so, obviously, there must have been a broker that agreed to that, but instead went and sold the horses.
So, in my tribe, again, our tribe, we have a committee that approves these horses to go out to various tribal ranches within our reservation. And those ranches then will take care of them. And, of course, their forbid to sell for slaughter as well, because the goal here is to provide a permanent home.
COSTELLO: Right, exactly.
HALL: And we have many tribal ranches that are willing to do that.
COSTELLO: The federal government says it had temporarily stopped selling these horses to Indian tribes. Has that started up again? HALL: Well, I certainly hope it will, and I think certainly it will real soon, Carol, because there's a number of horses, there was like 8,400 total. And there's like 56 million acres in Indian country, and many of the tribes such as ours are willing and able to provide for these horses. So, I certainly hope so.
COSTELLO: Tex Hall joining us live this morning. Thank you.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, a big day ahead for some very resilient dolphins. That story is next.
But first, a look at some people. It's time to say happy birthday on this day, May 3.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: All week, "AMERICAN MORNING" is looking at the problems the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are causing for American soldiers at home. So, let's check in with CNN's Soledad O'Brien for a look at what's on tap for today.
Good morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.
This morning, we're going to meet an Army reservist in a different kind of war now. He sued one of the biggest companies in the world, IBM. He says his bosses there fired him because of his military obligations, but they tell a very different story involving his behavior. That's ahead in our special series. It's called "Battle Fatigue."
Also, just a few days until Mother's Day. So, what's the price of motherhood outside of other sleeplessness all the time? The folks at salary.com calculated a salary for all the work that stay-at-home moms do. We're going to have that surprising figure. We'll tell you how they came up with it as well. I'll give you a little hint: It's a lot of money.
That's ahead this morning, Carol, on "AMERICAN MORNING" at the top of the hour.
COSTELLO: And it should be.
O'BRIEN: That's right.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Soledad.
It is 6:53 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.
He's done a lot of traveling to push for Social Security reform, and now President Bush has more road trips ahead. Today, he's heading to a Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi, to push his plan for personal retirement accounts.
Former President Clinton is joining forces with the American Heart Association. Today, they're announcing a major initiative to combat childhood obesity. Officials say it's one of the nation's most pressing health issues.
And finally, round-the-clock from hundreds of volunteers, that's what these dolphins got, and it's paid off. Seven dolphins are being released off the Florida coast today two months after they stranded themselves in shallow water. Two dozen other dolphins died. But there's happy news for those that are going to swim off to see once again.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And they find out, as it turns out, most of those dolphins end up staying right around where they were rehabbed usually. They are not going too far, because they really appreciate what all of those folks have done for them. So...
COSTELLO: They've established a relationship, and there's food there for the taking.
MYERS: Well, of course, now they have to get back into a pack, so that they can relearn how to re-feed out there, too, Carol.
So here we go. Let's give away a DAYBREAK coffee mug for today. Where did the North Korea missile land that was shot off? That was in the Sea of Japan. And how many arrests have been made in that Massachusetts buried treasure case? The answer there is four.
And from Lubbock, Texas, our winner, Monty Strauss. Monty, congratulations.
Here are your questions for today. The federal government sold wild horses to Indian tribes for what price? And where is Hilton's new underwater restaurant? Did we talk about that?
COSTELLO: Yes, we did.
MYERS: Well, I missed that. I guess I won't be getting a DAYBREAK coffee mug today. If you know the answers, CNN.com/daybreak.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: "Now in the News."
The U.S. military has found the body of a pilot from one of two Marine fighter jets that apparently collided over Iraq. The search goes on for the second pilot. Navy officials tell CNN they believe the FA-18s crashed into each other in bad weather during a routine mission.
The fed is expected to raise a key interest rate again today. The quarter-point jump would bring the federal funds lending rate to 3 percent. That would be up a full 2 percentage points since last June. In Wichita, Kansas, the man suspected of being the BTK serial killer heads to court in four-and-a-half hours. Dennis Rader is expected to plead not guilty to charges he strangled 10 people.
Got brakes? If you own a GM pickup or sport utility vehicle you might not. The government has launched an investigation into possible problems with the antilock brakes in more than one million of those GM vehicles. The model years in question are from 1999 through 2002.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Hey, Carol, I've been working on some things on my BlackBerry here.
COSTELLO: Oh.
MYERS: Atlanta to Vegas, bus ticket, 162 bucks. Room in Vegas, 89 bucks. Bus ticket back to Albuquerque, $95. Not having to say "I do," priceless.
COSTELLO: I can tell you worked on that all morning long.
MYERS: I really did.
COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.
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