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CNN Live At Daybreak

Iraq Attack; Stretched Too Thin?

Aired May 04, 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, blood in the streets of Iraq. A massive attack causes massive casualties.
Plus, they've gotten their sea legs back. A long-awaited homecoming for some flippered friends.

And it's not an itsy-bitsy bikini, but it sure packs a lot of sex appeal. Ooh, does it ever.

It's Wednesday, May 4. 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," a suicide bombing in northern Iraq has killed at least 45 people and wounded 200. It happened about three-and-a- half hours ago in the Kurdish city of Erbil. The bomber targeted a large crowd of police recruits.

The latest hostage crisis in Iraq is sure to be on Condoleezza Rice's agenda today. The secretary of state meets with Australia's foreign minister at noon Eastern. He's been urging Iraqi insurgents to free an Australian contractor they'd abducted.

President Bush makes the new pitch for his remodeled Social Security plan. He talks to Latino business leaders in Washington this morning. The president revamped his plan amid Democratic criticism, but the White House says he's still open to other options.

And TV talk show host Montel Williams goes to Capitol Hill this afternoon. He and some lawmakers are introducing legislation to protect medical marijuana patients from getting arrested. Williams has multiple sclerosis and uses medical marijuana to treat the pain.

And prosecutors are close to resting their case in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. They're calling their last scheduled witness this morning. A source familiar with the case says actor Macaulay Culkin will be among the first defense witnesses.

To the forecast center now and Chad.

Good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I thought we had that same story yesterday. They're going to call their last witness today. Didn't we?

COSTELLO: No, Macaulay Culkin will be called for the defense.

MYERS: The first. The first one.

COSTELLO: Right.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: Right.

MYERS: But it's just -- I just thought we were halfway done yesterday. And now it's like, no, not quite.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: That sounds good. Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Dozens dead, hundreds more wounded. It is another bloody day in Iraq. A suicide bomber wipes out young police recruits.

Let's head live to Baghdad and Ryan Chilcote.

Tell us about it, Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol.

Sad news. This is the most lethal attack we've seen in Iraq in at least two months, a suicide bomber blowing himself up among a crowd of young Iraqi police recruits in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. It is a Kurdish city.

The suicide bomber blew himself up as these people were gathering to sign up for Iraq's fledgling police force. Law enforcement officials at this point telling us at least 47 killed, about 100 wounded -- Carol.

COSTELLO: This is the latest in a string of violent attacks, Ryan. Is anything more being done to protect these police recruits from maybe Iraqi security forces? Although they're under attack themselves.

CHILCOTE: That's right. You know, they generally try and protect these recruitment centers as well as they can. It's not clear how this suicide bomber with these explosives laced on him was able to penetrate into the compound -- that's what one official is telling us -- into the compound, where these -- some 300 young Iraqi men had gathered. But, you know, recruitment centers are frequently attacked.

Earlier I mentioned this was the biggest attack in Iraq in two months. That attack was also an attack on Iraqi -- Iraqi security forces, again on a recruitment center. But more than 100 killed in that one. That was in the city of Hillah.

So, you know, Iraq's security forces know that these are vulnerable targets, that these sites, these recruitment centers, are frequently -- frequently targeted by insurgents. It's not clear how in this case they were unsuccessful in stopping the suicide bomber -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Ryan Chilcote live in Baghdad this morning.

A lot more money for the war effort is moving quickly through Congress. House and Senate negotiators have agreed on a huge supplemental spending bill, plus an extra $82 billion into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A vote is expected in the House tomorrow and in the Senate next week. The bill would boost the death benefit for troops to $100,000 from $12,000, and it would hike the maximum life insurance benefit to $400,000 from $250,000.

The measure also contains more than $4 billion in other international spending. That includes $592 million to build a new U.S. embassy in Baghdad, $680 million for peacekeeping in Sudan, Haiti and other hotspots, and $1.7 billion for anti-terror and anti-drug programs in Afghanistan.

So a lot of money, a lot of troops. Are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan stretching the U.S. military too far? President Bush says no. But a report from one of his top generals may suggest otherwise.

CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The report is classified but its conclusions are simply common sense, say Pentagon officials, who argue it's self-evident that with nearly 160,000 U.S. troops tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan another war would be harder to fight.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: The timelines may have to be extended. We may have to use additional resources. But it doesn't matter, because we are going to be successful in the end.

MCINTYRE: In his required annual risk assessment report to Congress, Myers warned the U.S. military could not respond with as much speed and precision to a major new threat, that another war would have significantly extended timelines and run the risk of higher casualties and collateral damage. That sounds different from what Myers has told President Bush; namely, that the war in Iraq is not hamstringing the U.S. military.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the answer is, no, he doesn't feel we're limited. He feels like we've got plenty of capacity.

MCINTYRE: Myers argues it's not inconsistent to say, while winning a future war may take longer, victory is still certain, even in a major conflict with, say, Korea or Iran.

MYERS: We will be successful and we'll prevail. And there should be no doubt about it. And that's the bottom line.

MCINTYRE: But critics in Congress are already citing Myers' report as one more sign the U.S. military is too small.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: We need to increase the size of our armed forces by probably 15,000 to 25,000 a year for the next several years to make sure that our state of readiness is what it should be to protect the country.

MCINTYRE (on camera): But increasing the size of the U.S. military as casualties mount in Iraq is becoming harder by the day. For the past three months, the Army, and to a lesser extent, the Marines, have both missed their recruiting goals. And the trend for this month is down, too.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: In other news "Across America" now, a Philadelphia police officer has been taken off the street after he appears to beat a burglary suspect after a chase. The incident caught on tape by a local news helicopter. Police have launched an internal investigation.

Police in four states are searching for a missing college student. The family of 22-year-old Patrick Welsh last heard from him April 15 after he arrived in New York City. Welsh had taken a train from New York University in Pennsylvania. Police say his cell phone was used three days after his arrival by a homeless man who called his relatives in New Jersey.

A licensed plastic surgeon and his brother were both arrested after nearly three dozen people claimed they were responsible for disfiguring operations. The brother had been arrested before for practicing medicine without a license. The new charges include causing great bodily harm. A $10 million lawsuit has already been filed.

Texas has moved closer to a ban on some cheerleading routines. The State House passed a bill which calls for an end to so-called sexually suggestive performances at school-sponsored events. But the bill doesn't spell out what's considered suggestive. One state representative says the dances result in pregnancies and the spread of AIDS.

Coming up, wish you could prepare your kids for a worst-case scenario behind the wheel? There's an extreme driving lesson that does just that. We'll check it out at 30 past the hour.

At 18 minutes before the hour we'll take you to an extreme rescue effort. Rescuers work around the clock to save beached dolphins.

And just before the top of the hour, are you ready for summer? We'll help you get ready with a look at some swimsuit fashions that absolutely nobody in real life can wear. But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The international markets looking a bit brighter this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei closed -- is closed today, actually. So no numbers to give you from there. But the London FTSE is up by nearly 13 points, the German DAX up by almost 12.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:12 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets today with Australia's foreign minister. They're expected to discuss the Australian hostage taken in Iraq, as well as a plan to restart nuclear talks with North Korea.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says al Qaeda is still a threat in the United States. He was responding to recent reports that the terror group was concentrating its efforts on overseas targets.

In money news, as expected, the Fed has raised a key lending rate by another quarter point to 3 percent. That's the eighth increase since last June. The Fed is trying to keep inflation in check.

In culture, a new look behind the scenes at the classic movie "The Wizard of Oz." "Memories of a Munchkin" was written by Meinhart Raabe. He's the one who announced the death of the wicked witch of the east.

And in sports, the Detroit Pistons moved one step closer to defending their NBA title by beating the 76ers in overtime. The 97-92 win moves the Pistons to the next round, where they will meet the winner of the Pacers-Celtic series.

At least they've been exciting games this year, Chad.

MYERS: Is that not over yet?

COSTELLO: Chad.

MYERS: Hey, Carol, do you...

COSTELLO: It went into overtime. It was exciting.

MYERS: ... do you know what Saturday is?

COSTELLO: Something about NASCAR?

MYERS: It's the Run for the Roses, Carol, the Kentucky Derby.

COSTELLO: Oh.

MYERS: The weather looks good in Louisville, Kentucky.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you. Oh, Chad...

MYERS: Yes?

COSTELLO: ... don't go away, because, you know, we always make fun of you because you know absolutely nothing about pop culture.

MYERS: Oh, of course.

COSTELLO: Of course. Well, we wanted to run a quiz by you, because we found this quiz in "The Washington Post."

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: And if you take it and pass it, you're in on the "it" shows on TV.

MYERS: Ooh. I go to bed at 7:30, Carol.

COSTELLO: But I know you TiVo some things.

MYERS: I TiVo "American Idol," surprisingly or not. That's kind of scary. I scare myself.

COSTELLO: We're going to be talking about that in the 6:00 hour.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Scandal, the alleged scandal.

MYERS: Oh, yes, yes.

COSTELLO: Anyway, but now we're going to give you part of this quiz. Of course ABC's "Desperate Housewives" is one of the hottest new shows. You know what "Desperate Housewives" is, right?

MYERS: Yes. Laura Bush, Mrs. Bush, she wanted to be one, right?

COSTELLO: Well, she said she was one. Although it turns out she never watched the show.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: But here is the first question.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Are you ready? Who did Ryan O'Neal play on "Desperate Housewives" and why is that name significant?

MYERS: You know, I do know that it had something to do with "Peyton Place." But I don't know the right answer.

COSTELLO: That's a good guess. OK.

MYERS: Go ahead.

COSTELLO: Here's the answer.

MYERS: Go ahead.

COSTELLO: The answer is Rodney. That was the character he played, the same name of O'Neal's character in "Peyton Place."

MYERS: There you go.

COSTELLO: So you got that part right.

MYERS: Yes. I got that part right.

COSTELLO: I love that. OK. Here's the second question.

MYERS: Half credit.

COSTELLO: Here's the second question.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: In a flashback on "Lost," Charlie dates a woman whose father is buying what kind of corporation?

MYERS: It's a paper mill of some sort.

COSTELLO: How did you know that?

MYERS: It's a paper something. Is it a paper factory?

COSTELLO: Look, it's blowing up.

MYERS: That's the plane.

COSTELLO: No, that's one -- that's a plane crash on the island, I know.

MYERS: It's something to do with office space, too, right?

COSTELLO: The paper part is right. A paper company in Slaugh. The BBC hit "The Office" takes place at a paper company in Slaugh.

Is that the -- OK.

MYERS: Yes, yes, yes.

COSTELLO: Is that the right answer to that question?

MYERS: I don't think so, but I was close. I'll take half credit. So, so far, I got 50 percent. That's still a D.

COSTELLO: Wait a minute. I don't think that's the right answer to that question. We're going to check that out and we'll get back to you.

MYERS: If we grade on a curve, I'm still getting a B.

COSTELLO: Yes. I think I got an F.

MYERS: Hey, you know what, though, Carol? I have some NASCAR questions for you.

COSTELLO: OK.

MYERS: To see if you're a redneck. How's that?

COSTELLO: OK.

MYERS: Here's the first one. What driver won 200 Winston cup races?

COSTELLO: Richard Petty.

MYERS: Ding, ding, ding, ding. Correct.

COSTELLO: Oh god.

MYERS: The second one, what car was -- what restaurant sponsored the Alan Kulwicki car before the obvious death of Alan Kulwicki? What restaurant?

A place for wings, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, a place for wings. Damon's (ph). That's the only wing place I know.

MYERS: Hooters. Hooters is the correct answer. Sorry.

COSTELLO: Oh, Hooters.

MYERS: We'll have some lovely parting gifts.

COSTELLO: Hooters is famous for wings?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, OK.

MYERS: And now number three. Number three. Name one driver that is -- used to drive the Tide Ride.

COSTELLO: I know...

MYERS: Ding, ding, ding. He also says, "Boogity, boogity, boogity. Let's go racing, boys!"

COSTELLO: Oh lordy.

MYERS: That helps a lot.

COSTELLO: Dale Earnhardt Sr.? I don't know.

MYERS: No. That was Darrell Waltrip. Darrell Waltrip the correct answer, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. So I failed.

MYERS: But thanks for playing. And we'll have some lovely parting gifts for you.

COSTELLO: Oh, thank you.

We're going to take a break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."

Whale watchers are getting an eye full off of the Puget Sound in Washington State. As many as nine grey whales have been spotted there during their annual migration to the north. The huge creatures are heading to their summer feeding grounds near Alaska.

Another day, another duckling story.

MYERS: Oh!

COSTELLO: Police in -- isn't that cute?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Police in Massachusetts had to stop traffic to let these ducklings follow their mother across the road, but many of them ended up falling down the sewer.

MYERS: No!

COSTELLO: Police -- yes. But it was a happy ending. Police used a butterfly net to fish out these floundering -- look.

MYERS: Oh!

COSTELLO: That's a very small butterfly net.

MYERS: How cute.

COSTELLO: Cute.

If you saw the movie "Meet the Fockers," you may remember the cat that used the toilet.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: We have a picture in case you don't. Well, now an Australian woman has used the movie as an inspiration for her litter quitter. The idea is to potty train your tabbies. Handy.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: You're looking at the... MYERS: If it was a dog I understand. You know, cats are clean, anyway. But anyway...

COSTELLO: Yes, but you don't have to clean a litter box.

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: You're looking at the new burger king. Or I guess you should say the king of burgers. The so-called deli buster weighs in at a whopping 15 pounds.

MYERS: Heart attack on a plate.

COSTELLO: The beef patty alone, Chad, is 10.5 pounds. The burger comes complete with 25 slices of cheese, a whole head of lettuce and two onions.

MYERS: How much is it?

COSTELLO: But just to be calorie -- I don't know. But just to be calorie conscious, they do make -- they want to make sure you wash it down with a diet soda.

MYERS: That's what I always do anyway.

COSTELLO: Kelsey Grammer took a bit of a spill while hosting a party at a Disneyland celebration. Grammer was...

MYERS: Down goes Frasier! Down goes Frasier! He was OK, though.

COSTELLO: He was -- yes, he was. He was master of ceremonies at the California theme park's 50th anniversary bash. Grammer missed the end of the stage, as you saw, during the presentation.

MYERS: Well, the end of the stage wasn't smooth. Look at all the bumps. It's in and out and in and out and in and out.

COSTELLO: He's a little rattled. His microphone box fell off. But he went on with the show.

MYERS: Yes. He actually -- he hit his thigh. And that's what he said, he hit his thigh on the way down. But he was fine.

COSTELLO: He does not look happy.

MYERS: He'll have a nice bruise this morning.

COSTELLO: I bet you.

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

Teenage drivers, are they ready to get behind the wheel? We follow one young lady who's hoping to pass her test.

Plus, how do most Americans feel now about the war in Iraq? We'll bring you the latest poll numbers.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. Welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

"Now in the News," there has been another deadly bombing in Iraq's Kurdish region. It happened four hours ago. A suicide bomber blew himself up while standing in a crowd of police recruits in Erbil. At least 47 people were killed, more than 100 wounded.

Army Private Lynndie England returns to a military courtroom today for the sentencing phase of her trial. She pleaded guilty to abusing Iraqi detainees. Charles Graner, the man at the center of the controversy and the father of England's baby, will testify on her behalf.

President Bush goes before a Latino small business economic conference in Washington this morning. The topic? You guessed it, his plans for changing Social Security.

The man convicted of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing 5-year-old Samantha Runnion is back in a Santa Ana, California, courtroom today. Alejandro Avila faces the penalty phase of his trial.

To the forecast center and Chad.

Good morning.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Australian officials are urging Iraqi militants to release an Australian man. Sixty-three-year-old Douglas Wood is reportedly in poor health. Australia's foreign minister, Alexander Downer, is in Washington today. He'll meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The kidnapping will no doubt be on today's agenda. Downer says Australia wants Wood freed but will not bow to terrorist demands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We're satisfied with the contingency plan we have, but of course there's no guarantee, not by a long shot, that we'll be able to get Douglas Wood released. But we'll do everything we can, with two exceptions. We won't be paying ransom. And we won't be changing our policies. We're not subcontracting our foreign policy to terrorists, and we're certainly not going to have the money of Australian taxpayers appropriated by terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Downer also made an appeal on Al-Jazeera television for the release of Douglas Wood.

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 4, 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, blood in the streets of Iraq. A massive attack causes massive casualties.
Plus, they've gotten their sea legs back. A long-awaited homecoming for some flippered friends.

And it's not an itsy-bitsy bikini, but it sure packs a lot of sex appeal. Ooh, does it ever.

It's Wednesday, May 4. 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," a suicide bombing in northern Iraq has killed at least 45 people and wounded 200. It happened about three-and-a- half hours ago in the Kurdish city of Erbil. The bomber targeted a large crowd of police recruits.

The latest hostage crisis in Iraq is sure to be on Condoleezza Rice's agenda today. The secretary of state meets with Australia's foreign minister at noon Eastern. He's been urging Iraqi insurgents to free an Australian contractor they'd abducted.

President Bush makes the new pitch for his remodeled Social Security plan. He talks to Latino business leaders in Washington this morning. The president revamped his plan amid Democratic criticism, but the White House says he's still open to other options.

And TV talk show host Montel Williams goes to Capitol Hill this afternoon. He and some lawmakers are introducing legislation to protect medical marijuana patients from getting arrested. Williams has multiple sclerosis and uses medical marijuana to treat the pain.

And prosecutors are close to resting their case in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. They're calling their last scheduled witness this morning. A source familiar with the case says actor Macaulay Culkin will be among the first defense witnesses.

To the forecast center now and Chad.

Good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I thought we had that same story yesterday. They're going to call their last witness today. Didn't we?

COSTELLO: No, Macaulay Culkin will be called for the defense.

MYERS: The first. The first one.

COSTELLO: Right.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: Right.

MYERS: But it's just -- I just thought we were halfway done yesterday. And now it's like, no, not quite.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: That sounds good. Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Dozens dead, hundreds more wounded. It is another bloody day in Iraq. A suicide bomber wipes out young police recruits.

Let's head live to Baghdad and Ryan Chilcote.

Tell us about it, Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Carol.

Sad news. This is the most lethal attack we've seen in Iraq in at least two months, a suicide bomber blowing himself up among a crowd of young Iraqi police recruits in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. It is a Kurdish city.

The suicide bomber blew himself up as these people were gathering to sign up for Iraq's fledgling police force. Law enforcement officials at this point telling us at least 47 killed, about 100 wounded -- Carol.

COSTELLO: This is the latest in a string of violent attacks, Ryan. Is anything more being done to protect these police recruits from maybe Iraqi security forces? Although they're under attack themselves.

CHILCOTE: That's right. You know, they generally try and protect these recruitment centers as well as they can. It's not clear how this suicide bomber with these explosives laced on him was able to penetrate into the compound -- that's what one official is telling us -- into the compound, where these -- some 300 young Iraqi men had gathered. But, you know, recruitment centers are frequently attacked.

Earlier I mentioned this was the biggest attack in Iraq in two months. That attack was also an attack on Iraqi -- Iraqi security forces, again on a recruitment center. But more than 100 killed in that one. That was in the city of Hillah.

So, you know, Iraq's security forces know that these are vulnerable targets, that these sites, these recruitment centers, are frequently -- frequently targeted by insurgents. It's not clear how in this case they were unsuccessful in stopping the suicide bomber -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Ryan Chilcote live in Baghdad this morning.

A lot more money for the war effort is moving quickly through Congress. House and Senate negotiators have agreed on a huge supplemental spending bill, plus an extra $82 billion into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A vote is expected in the House tomorrow and in the Senate next week. The bill would boost the death benefit for troops to $100,000 from $12,000, and it would hike the maximum life insurance benefit to $400,000 from $250,000.

The measure also contains more than $4 billion in other international spending. That includes $592 million to build a new U.S. embassy in Baghdad, $680 million for peacekeeping in Sudan, Haiti and other hotspots, and $1.7 billion for anti-terror and anti-drug programs in Afghanistan.

So a lot of money, a lot of troops. Are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan stretching the U.S. military too far? President Bush says no. But a report from one of his top generals may suggest otherwise.

CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The report is classified but its conclusions are simply common sense, say Pentagon officials, who argue it's self-evident that with nearly 160,000 U.S. troops tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan another war would be harder to fight.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: The timelines may have to be extended. We may have to use additional resources. But it doesn't matter, because we are going to be successful in the end.

MCINTYRE: In his required annual risk assessment report to Congress, Myers warned the U.S. military could not respond with as much speed and precision to a major new threat, that another war would have significantly extended timelines and run the risk of higher casualties and collateral damage. That sounds different from what Myers has told President Bush; namely, that the war in Iraq is not hamstringing the U.S. military.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the answer is, no, he doesn't feel we're limited. He feels like we've got plenty of capacity.

MCINTYRE: Myers argues it's not inconsistent to say, while winning a future war may take longer, victory is still certain, even in a major conflict with, say, Korea or Iran.

MYERS: We will be successful and we'll prevail. And there should be no doubt about it. And that's the bottom line.

MCINTYRE: But critics in Congress are already citing Myers' report as one more sign the U.S. military is too small.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: We need to increase the size of our armed forces by probably 15,000 to 25,000 a year for the next several years to make sure that our state of readiness is what it should be to protect the country.

MCINTYRE (on camera): But increasing the size of the U.S. military as casualties mount in Iraq is becoming harder by the day. For the past three months, the Army, and to a lesser extent, the Marines, have both missed their recruiting goals. And the trend for this month is down, too.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: In other news "Across America" now, a Philadelphia police officer has been taken off the street after he appears to beat a burglary suspect after a chase. The incident caught on tape by a local news helicopter. Police have launched an internal investigation.

Police in four states are searching for a missing college student. The family of 22-year-old Patrick Welsh last heard from him April 15 after he arrived in New York City. Welsh had taken a train from New York University in Pennsylvania. Police say his cell phone was used three days after his arrival by a homeless man who called his relatives in New Jersey.

A licensed plastic surgeon and his brother were both arrested after nearly three dozen people claimed they were responsible for disfiguring operations. The brother had been arrested before for practicing medicine without a license. The new charges include causing great bodily harm. A $10 million lawsuit has already been filed.

Texas has moved closer to a ban on some cheerleading routines. The State House passed a bill which calls for an end to so-called sexually suggestive performances at school-sponsored events. But the bill doesn't spell out what's considered suggestive. One state representative says the dances result in pregnancies and the spread of AIDS.

Coming up, wish you could prepare your kids for a worst-case scenario behind the wheel? There's an extreme driving lesson that does just that. We'll check it out at 30 past the hour.

At 18 minutes before the hour we'll take you to an extreme rescue effort. Rescuers work around the clock to save beached dolphins.

And just before the top of the hour, are you ready for summer? We'll help you get ready with a look at some swimsuit fashions that absolutely nobody in real life can wear. But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The international markets looking a bit brighter this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei closed -- is closed today, actually. So no numbers to give you from there. But the London FTSE is up by nearly 13 points, the German DAX up by almost 12.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:12 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets today with Australia's foreign minister. They're expected to discuss the Australian hostage taken in Iraq, as well as a plan to restart nuclear talks with North Korea.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says al Qaeda is still a threat in the United States. He was responding to recent reports that the terror group was concentrating its efforts on overseas targets.

In money news, as expected, the Fed has raised a key lending rate by another quarter point to 3 percent. That's the eighth increase since last June. The Fed is trying to keep inflation in check.

In culture, a new look behind the scenes at the classic movie "The Wizard of Oz." "Memories of a Munchkin" was written by Meinhart Raabe. He's the one who announced the death of the wicked witch of the east.

And in sports, the Detroit Pistons moved one step closer to defending their NBA title by beating the 76ers in overtime. The 97-92 win moves the Pistons to the next round, where they will meet the winner of the Pacers-Celtic series.

At least they've been exciting games this year, Chad.

MYERS: Is that not over yet?

COSTELLO: Chad.

MYERS: Hey, Carol, do you...

COSTELLO: It went into overtime. It was exciting.

MYERS: ... do you know what Saturday is?

COSTELLO: Something about NASCAR?

MYERS: It's the Run for the Roses, Carol, the Kentucky Derby.

COSTELLO: Oh.

MYERS: The weather looks good in Louisville, Kentucky.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you. Oh, Chad...

MYERS: Yes?

COSTELLO: ... don't go away, because, you know, we always make fun of you because you know absolutely nothing about pop culture.

MYERS: Oh, of course.

COSTELLO: Of course. Well, we wanted to run a quiz by you, because we found this quiz in "The Washington Post."

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: And if you take it and pass it, you're in on the "it" shows on TV.

MYERS: Ooh. I go to bed at 7:30, Carol.

COSTELLO: But I know you TiVo some things.

MYERS: I TiVo "American Idol," surprisingly or not. That's kind of scary. I scare myself.

COSTELLO: We're going to be talking about that in the 6:00 hour.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Scandal, the alleged scandal.

MYERS: Oh, yes, yes.

COSTELLO: Anyway, but now we're going to give you part of this quiz. Of course ABC's "Desperate Housewives" is one of the hottest new shows. You know what "Desperate Housewives" is, right?

MYERS: Yes. Laura Bush, Mrs. Bush, she wanted to be one, right?

COSTELLO: Well, she said she was one. Although it turns out she never watched the show.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: But here is the first question.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Are you ready? Who did Ryan O'Neal play on "Desperate Housewives" and why is that name significant?

MYERS: You know, I do know that it had something to do with "Peyton Place." But I don't know the right answer.

COSTELLO: That's a good guess. OK.

MYERS: Go ahead.

COSTELLO: Here's the answer.

MYERS: Go ahead.

COSTELLO: The answer is Rodney. That was the character he played, the same name of O'Neal's character in "Peyton Place."

MYERS: There you go.

COSTELLO: So you got that part right.

MYERS: Yes. I got that part right.

COSTELLO: I love that. OK. Here's the second question.

MYERS: Half credit.

COSTELLO: Here's the second question.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: In a flashback on "Lost," Charlie dates a woman whose father is buying what kind of corporation?

MYERS: It's a paper mill of some sort.

COSTELLO: How did you know that?

MYERS: It's a paper something. Is it a paper factory?

COSTELLO: Look, it's blowing up.

MYERS: That's the plane.

COSTELLO: No, that's one -- that's a plane crash on the island, I know.

MYERS: It's something to do with office space, too, right?

COSTELLO: The paper part is right. A paper company in Slaugh. The BBC hit "The Office" takes place at a paper company in Slaugh.

Is that the -- OK.

MYERS: Yes, yes, yes.

COSTELLO: Is that the right answer to that question?

MYERS: I don't think so, but I was close. I'll take half credit. So, so far, I got 50 percent. That's still a D.

COSTELLO: Wait a minute. I don't think that's the right answer to that question. We're going to check that out and we'll get back to you.

MYERS: If we grade on a curve, I'm still getting a B.

COSTELLO: Yes. I think I got an F.

MYERS: Hey, you know what, though, Carol? I have some NASCAR questions for you.

COSTELLO: OK.

MYERS: To see if you're a redneck. How's that?

COSTELLO: OK.

MYERS: Here's the first one. What driver won 200 Winston cup races?

COSTELLO: Richard Petty.

MYERS: Ding, ding, ding, ding. Correct.

COSTELLO: Oh god.

MYERS: The second one, what car was -- what restaurant sponsored the Alan Kulwicki car before the obvious death of Alan Kulwicki? What restaurant?

A place for wings, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, a place for wings. Damon's (ph). That's the only wing place I know.

MYERS: Hooters. Hooters is the correct answer. Sorry.

COSTELLO: Oh, Hooters.

MYERS: We'll have some lovely parting gifts.

COSTELLO: Hooters is famous for wings?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, OK.

MYERS: And now number three. Number three. Name one driver that is -- used to drive the Tide Ride.

COSTELLO: I know...

MYERS: Ding, ding, ding. He also says, "Boogity, boogity, boogity. Let's go racing, boys!"

COSTELLO: Oh lordy.

MYERS: That helps a lot.

COSTELLO: Dale Earnhardt Sr.? I don't know.

MYERS: No. That was Darrell Waltrip. Darrell Waltrip the correct answer, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. So I failed.

MYERS: But thanks for playing. And we'll have some lovely parting gifts for you.

COSTELLO: Oh, thank you.

We're going to take a break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."

Whale watchers are getting an eye full off of the Puget Sound in Washington State. As many as nine grey whales have been spotted there during their annual migration to the north. The huge creatures are heading to their summer feeding grounds near Alaska.

Another day, another duckling story.

MYERS: Oh!

COSTELLO: Police in -- isn't that cute?

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Police in Massachusetts had to stop traffic to let these ducklings follow their mother across the road, but many of them ended up falling down the sewer.

MYERS: No!

COSTELLO: Police -- yes. But it was a happy ending. Police used a butterfly net to fish out these floundering -- look.

MYERS: Oh!

COSTELLO: That's a very small butterfly net.

MYERS: How cute.

COSTELLO: Cute.

If you saw the movie "Meet the Fockers," you may remember the cat that used the toilet.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: We have a picture in case you don't. Well, now an Australian woman has used the movie as an inspiration for her litter quitter. The idea is to potty train your tabbies. Handy.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: You're looking at the... MYERS: If it was a dog I understand. You know, cats are clean, anyway. But anyway...

COSTELLO: Yes, but you don't have to clean a litter box.

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: You're looking at the new burger king. Or I guess you should say the king of burgers. The so-called deli buster weighs in at a whopping 15 pounds.

MYERS: Heart attack on a plate.

COSTELLO: The beef patty alone, Chad, is 10.5 pounds. The burger comes complete with 25 slices of cheese, a whole head of lettuce and two onions.

MYERS: How much is it?

COSTELLO: But just to be calorie -- I don't know. But just to be calorie conscious, they do make -- they want to make sure you wash it down with a diet soda.

MYERS: That's what I always do anyway.

COSTELLO: Kelsey Grammer took a bit of a spill while hosting a party at a Disneyland celebration. Grammer was...

MYERS: Down goes Frasier! Down goes Frasier! He was OK, though.

COSTELLO: He was -- yes, he was. He was master of ceremonies at the California theme park's 50th anniversary bash. Grammer missed the end of the stage, as you saw, during the presentation.

MYERS: Well, the end of the stage wasn't smooth. Look at all the bumps. It's in and out and in and out and in and out.

COSTELLO: He's a little rattled. His microphone box fell off. But he went on with the show.

MYERS: Yes. He actually -- he hit his thigh. And that's what he said, he hit his thigh on the way down. But he was fine.

COSTELLO: He does not look happy.

MYERS: He'll have a nice bruise this morning.

COSTELLO: I bet you.

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

Teenage drivers, are they ready to get behind the wheel? We follow one young lady who's hoping to pass her test.

Plus, how do most Americans feel now about the war in Iraq? We'll bring you the latest poll numbers.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. Welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

"Now in the News," there has been another deadly bombing in Iraq's Kurdish region. It happened four hours ago. A suicide bomber blew himself up while standing in a crowd of police recruits in Erbil. At least 47 people were killed, more than 100 wounded.

Army Private Lynndie England returns to a military courtroom today for the sentencing phase of her trial. She pleaded guilty to abusing Iraqi detainees. Charles Graner, the man at the center of the controversy and the father of England's baby, will testify on her behalf.

President Bush goes before a Latino small business economic conference in Washington this morning. The topic? You guessed it, his plans for changing Social Security.

The man convicted of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing 5-year-old Samantha Runnion is back in a Santa Ana, California, courtroom today. Alejandro Avila faces the penalty phase of his trial.

To the forecast center and Chad.

Good morning.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Australian officials are urging Iraqi militants to release an Australian man. Sixty-three-year-old Douglas Wood is reportedly in poor health. Australia's foreign minister, Alexander Downer, is in Washington today. He'll meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The kidnapping will no doubt be on today's agenda. Downer says Australia wants Wood freed but will not bow to terrorist demands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We're satisfied with the contingency plan we have, but of course there's no guarantee, not by a long shot, that we'll be able to get Douglas Wood released. But we'll do everything we can, with two exceptions. We won't be paying ransom. And we won't be changing our policies. We're not subcontracting our foreign policy to terrorists, and we're certainly not going to have the money of Australian taxpayers appropriated by terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Downer also made an appeal on Al-Jazeera television for the release of Douglas Wood.

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