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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush Trip; 'Inside the Wire'; Consulate Explosion

Aired May 06, 2005 - 06:29   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: President Bush is about to board Air Force One for a trip overseas. He's set to visit two Baltic States -- the Netherlands and Russia.
White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has more on the president's trip. She's live in Washington.

Good morning -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol.

It's going to be quite a hectic trip actually, because you're talking about just five days in four countries. He's going to be basically departing from the White House very shortly.

And today, he's going to be arriving in Riga, Latvia. That's where he's going to meet with the president of three former Soviet Republics of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, of course, to recognize their own blossoming democracies.

On Saturday, it's on the Netherlands to visit a cemetery of U.S. soldiers. Sunday on to Moscow, where he's going to have dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife. And, of course, Monday he's going to mark the highlight of this trip as the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. There's going to be a big parade in the Red Square with more than 50 world leaders that the president is going to join.

And Tuesday, he ends his trip traveling to Georgia to, again, show the kind of support for the democracies that have been blossoming in that region, particularly in Georgia, where they had what they call the Rose Revolution, kind of this bloodless revolution that ushered in a new kind of society, a way that they believe that really ushered in a lot of similar movements in the region, in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

So, it's going to be a little delicate balancing act for the president to show his support, again, for the sacrifices that the Russians made in World War II, but at the same time to also give support to those Baltic States that surround Russia that still feel its powerful influence today.

COSTELLO: Well, it could be rather contentious between Vladimir Putin and President Bush, couldn't it, Suzanne? Because democracy is sure to come up, because a lot of people believe Vladimir Putin is killing democracy in Russia. MALVEAUX: Well, it's expected to be kind of a tense situation. I mean, actually, no, their relationship has become strained. Personally, we are told that they are close, but there are a lot of issues here that the Bush administration has a problem with, with Russia.

It wasn't long ago that the two leaders actually met in Europe to talk about some of these things. But even since then, what the administration has seen is Russia's support, Putin coming out saying that he supports supplying missiles, short-range anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.

He continues to talk about and is committed to supplying nuclear components to Iran. Both Iran and Russia saying it's for a power program, not for a weapons program. But that, of course, is another point of contention.

And, as you've mentioned before, there are some problems with what they see as backsliding of democratic reforms; that things are not going as well as they would like there.

And there's still quite a bit of tension between Russia and some of its neighbors, who say that it has quite a bit of influence, particularly when you look at Georgia. There is still Russian military forces that are in that country, and that is one of the issues that's going to come up to get those Russian forces out of there.

COSTELLO: We'll be watching. Suzanne Malveaux live in Washington this morning. Thank you.

It is a career killer in the military. Busted over Iraq's prison abuse scandal, a career killer for Janis Karpinski, the Army Reserve general in charge of Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, she's been demoted to colonel. A Pentagon investigation cleared four other senior officers who were investigated in the prison abuse scandal there.

From Abu Ghraib to Gitmo, some believe what's happening inside Guantanamo Bay is bizarre at best, abusive at worst. In an explosive new book, "Inside the Wire," "TIME" magazine correspondent Viveca Novak follows one soldier's journey through Gitmo. And Viveca joins us live this morning.

Good morning.

VIVECA NOVAK, AUTHOR, "INSIDE THE WIRE": Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You follow Erik Saar. He's a military linguist. He knows how to speak Arabic, in other words.

NOVAK: Right.

COSTELLO: And that's why he was there. He describes inside Guantanamo Bay as bizarre. Why? NOVAK: Well, he was struck by mismanagement, a sense that there were a lot of people there. He came to learn over the first couple of months he was there who shouldn't be there. He realized that there were a lot of people who weren't being taken to interrogations, who we've been paying bounties to the Northern Alliance to have rounded up.

And he began to realize, you know, especially when he got over to the intelligence side of things at Gitmo, and he could see the prisoners' files, the detainees' files, that there was hardly anything in them other than a mug shot and an initial assessment.

COSTELLO: But, wait. We are under the impression that the most dangerous terrorists are now locked up in Guantanamo Bay, and it's making America safer and the world safer from terrorists. Is he saying that's just not true?

NOVAK: He's saying that's very much not true. He was -- you know, he comes from a small town, very conservative political values, very strong religious background. He had absolutely no agenda. He wanted to go down to Guantanamo Bay and fight what Vice President Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were calling the worst of the worst. And in his six-and-a-half months down there, he came to believe that what we're doing is not only, to him, morally wrong, but counterproductive.

COSTELLO: What is morally wrong about what Americans there are allegedly doing?

NOVAK: Well, what he believes is that we are undermining the very values. You know, the very values that we stand for or are supposed to stand for, we're undermining those values. And that's why, you know, the opinion of the world has been against us on this.

COSTELLO: Undermining those values how? I mean, are you talking about torture? I mean, we've heard about the supposedly sexual tactics used by some interrogators at Guantanamo Bay.

NOVAK: Right.

COSTELLO: But what about other tactics?

NOVAK: Well, I think, you know, when you take everything from holding a number of people who we have no idea of why we're holding them, and we're holding them for years without any form of due process, to, you know, various physical discomfort, to the flashing strobe lights and the loud music and the, you know, overheated rooms or the over-air-conditioned rooms, and then the sexual manipulation and the interfering with their own faith, which to him was very offensive, because he's a very strong Christian.

And he was very offended by seeing Americans interfering with somebody's practice of their own faith, even if it was a different faith.

COSTELLO: So, what is he doing now? NOVAK: Well, right now he's writing a book. He's been out of the Army for a little more than a year. And he worked as a linguist for a while, a contract linguist with the FBI. And now, he's thinking about what to do next.

COSTELLO: What to do next, and what to do next at Guantanamo Bay, because they're holding a bunch of people there with no useful information. I mean, the obvious question is, why aren't they being let go?

NOVAK: Well, I think that they -- you know, since the Supreme Court decided in June of last year that these people did have the right to due process to bring their cases in federal court, then all of a sudden we've seen more and more releases. So that now we're down to about 550 people there.

But, you know, the Pentagon has built itself sort of a box now. Because of the way they've treated some of these people, it's hard to let them go, and it's hard to keep them.

COSTELLO: Viveca Novak. The book is called "Inside the Wire."

NOVAK: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Thanks for joining us this morning.

Did you watch that bit about "American Idol?" I bet Soledad did. I know she did.

She joins us now with a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: You know I love that, yes. You know, this morning, we're going to be talking with Corey Clark. His big "Idol" expose was out. We're going to ask him what kind of special treatment he got from Paula Abdul, and also ask him some other questions, like why is he telling his story now?

Also this morning, a much different note, we're following a story out of Florida. Police there are searching for a convicted sex offender, this guy right here. He cut his electric ankle monitor -- electronic ankle monitor right off of his ankle earlier in the week. His name is Patrick Wayne Bell, and authorities fear that he might strike again. We're going to bring you up to speed on the very latest on the manhunt for him, ahead this morning as well -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's interesting, because they just passed that law in Florida that will require sexual offenders, the most dangerous ones, to wear those ankle monitoring bracelets.

O'BRIEN: You wouldn't think it would be easy to cut one off.

COSTELLO: I guess it must be. Thanks, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We're going to have more on that. COSTELLO: Still ahead on DAYBREAK, are news organizations getting too carried away with the runaway bride story? Don't throw your coffee at the TV. CNN's Jeanne Moos will have her own unique spin for you.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now to our market watch. The international markets are mixed this morning. Japan's Nikkei closes up 190 points, Britain's FTSE is up just over 2 points, and the German DAX is down by almost 23 points.

It's time now for a little "Business Buzz."

How do Americans feel about the future of the economy over the next year? According to a new poll, the answer is not so good.

Carrie Lee joins us with more.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You can probably guess the reason. High gas prices, right? And high interest rates as well. These are things that are really bothering people.

So, they're taking a toll on consumer sentiment. According to a CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll, only 51 percent of more than 1,000 people surveyed excepted the economy to be very good or somewhat good a year from now, and that's down from 60 percent in a survey from December.

By the way, that 51 percent is the lowest percentage since the poll started asking that question in 1997.

Other readings of consumer confidence have also shown weakness in recent months, although employers have hired more workers every month since June, 2003. Job growth is still seen as relatively moderate.

Now, today we're going to get a look at employment figures for April. Economists are expecting an increase of 175,000. That jobs report is likely going to have a very big impact on the direction of the market today. But right now futures are pointing to a bit of a higher open after some selling yesterday.

By the way, Pixar, Steve Jobs' animation company, is expected to do well. They beat the Street on profits. DVD sales of "The Incredibles" helped the result. So that's one stock to watch.

COSTELLO: Oh, I bet it did.

LEE: Yes. I haven't seen that movie yet, but every one seems to be a slam dunk.

COSTELLO: Oh, you must see it.

LEE: They really do a nice, consistent job on every film. COSTELLO: It will make you happy.

LEE: Good.

COSTELLO: It makes you feel good.

LEE: That's always a good thing.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Carrie.

LEE: OK.

COSTELLO: In the wake of those explosions at the British consulate in New York, we will talk to a prominent security expert about protecting businesses and workers all over this country from homemade terrorism or overseas terrorism, because we don't know who planted these grenades just yet.

But first, it's time to say happy birthday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Tony Blair is at Buckingham Palace to be confirmed as Britain's prime minister for a third time. But his Labor Party has lost a lot of seats in Parliament because of Tony Blair's support for the Iraq war.

In money news, embattled drug maker Merck has a new top dog, still reeling from the loss of arthritis medicine Vioxx. Merck has replaced its chief and CEO Raymond Gilmartin with a former employee. Former Medco CEO Richard Clark takes the reins.

The Princess Diana memorial fountain will reopen today after being closed because of a slew of problems. The multimillion-dollar park will reopen with an improved drainage system, tougher grass, a new footpath and a rougher surface for the fountain to prevent people from slipping and falling when they walk inside the fountain.

In sports, get ready, the Run for the Roses is tomorrow. Yes, one of Chad's favorite races, the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Race time is at 6:27 p.m. Eastern. But do not blink. It is one of the fastest sports events you'll ever see, faster even, Chad, than NASCAR.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, yes, one lap is a little slower, Carol. But you only do, you know, one of the quarter laps. So, there you go.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Let's check in with CNN's Bill Hemmer for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING" now.

Good morning -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

An incredible story out of Kansas. Did you hear about this, Carol? A pilot takes his small plane up to help police in a chase, right? He finds the suspect, tries to direct police. In the process, he, the pilot is shot in the head. He landed safely, and he's going to share his story coming up here on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Also, more on that apology from the runaway bride in Georgia. A statement read by her pastor yesterday, Jennifer Wilbanks said she ran away because of the so-called life-controlling fears. What does she mean by that? What's the state of her relationship now with John Mason, the -- well, the groom-to-be? We'll talk to the pastor this morning on the day after. He says she's getting professional help. We'll see whether or not it's working at this point.

And remember the D.A., Carol, earlier in the week? He was saying that this woman is so self-absorbed she doesn't even understand what's going on around here. Well, we'll try and figure out of the pastor has been able to help her through that process.

COSTELLO: Well, you should see the story in the "New York Post" about this, this morning.

HEMMER: I read that. And more coming up in "People" magazine, apparently, over the weekend, too. We can't make it up, can we?

COSTELLO: No, no, it wouldn't be as good. Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: True. See you.

COSTELLO: Fuzzy video images of a pineapple, a lemon and explosive powder, all clues in the attack on Third Avenue in New York. As you know, someone buried a grenade in a planter and perhaps threw another at the building that houses the British consulate. Not much damage, no injuries, but a lot of questions come to mind about security for all of us.

Joining us now, Chris Grniet, a security consultant for Kroll, Schiff & Associates here in New York.

Good morning, and thanks for coming in.

CHRIS GRNIET, KROLL, SCHIFF & ASSOCIATES: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, a couple of things come to mind here. There are video cameras all over the place, and they took shots of the street in front of the British consulate. Very grainy images. Did they manage to capture much? Or should they have captured more?

GRNIET: Well, what we're hearing now is that the video is very fuzzy, that they know at least that there were pedestrians on the sidewalk. I don't know that they've been able to identify anybody in particular or get any facial shots. But certainly CCTV is becoming more prominent around public areas. And depending on how it's applied, it can capture a lot of what goes on. This has happened in the U.K. over years.

COSTELLO: I guess I'm wondering why the images were so fuzzy. Was it because it was nighttime, because it happened, what, at 3:30 in the morning?

GRNIET: Well, I don't know the specifics of the type of cameras that were out there. There are cameras that can be effective in low- light conditions. But, again, I don't know each individual application. And so, it's possible they weren't upgraded or they don't have...

COSTELLO: Well, just overall, the overall picture of what type of video cameras are mounted in cities across this country. Are they the kind that can pick up sharp images no matter what time of day or night?

GRNIET: It really depends. But the technology has made a lot of leaps in the past few years, and there are quite a few being installed now that can do that.

COSTELLO: The other question that I have were these big concrete planters that were in front of the building, and I understand why they were there, so that, you know, you can't get a car too close to the building. But one of these grenades was planted in the planter.

GRNIET: Right.

COSTELLO: Does that bring to mind any concerns?

GRNIET: Well, I mean, if the planters weren't there, would they have found someplace else to put it, is the question? It was an opportunity to conceal something. But those planters are fairly effective in many applications.

So, you know, you weigh the good against the bad, and in this particular instance, they had the opportunity to use the planter as a concealment location.

COSTELLO: Well, these concrete barriers are going up everyplace. If you go to Washington, D.C., they are everywhere on the Mall. I mean, everywhere! Won't people trying to wreak some sort of havoc change their tactics, knowing these concrete barriers are there? And what can you do to circumvent that?

GRNIET: Well, I think a lot of planters were placed as temporary measures, or because surface conditions -- subsurface conditions won't allow for bollards to be installed. Will they change their tactics? I'm not sure that these particular planters may have been reinforced the way a typical vehicle battery of planters are. They might not have broken as easily. Again, not knowing the construction of these particular models, I can't tell you for sure.

COSTELLO: The other question I have, the Freedom Tower, the tower that's supposed to go on the 9/11 site, the World Trade Center site. It's not being built because it's not placed far enough back from the street. The New York City police have real concerns about that. A lot of buildings aren't 200 feet from the street, and that kind of makes me feel unsafe. Should I feel that way?

GRNIET: Well, we all have reason for concern nowadays in this post-9/11 era. Unfortunately, our society wasn't built to accommodate those types of setbacks. And we're very condensed. Especially here in New York, we're very condensed and packed in. We don't have the opportunity for those types of setbacks.

The particular explosions that happened yesterday could happen anywhere. I mean, they could have happened inside the building. They could have happened -- you know, these are small items that could be concealed. Certainly there was no detonator, so it was difficult -- it would have been more difficult for them to do that. Certainly we should all be concerned in this day and age.

I think these explosions bring us to a point of where we still need to be aware, and we need to continually be observant of what's going on. We have to realize we're still in somewhat of a state of war. We're in several conflicts overseas. And it just has to raise our awareness that these are still times of crisis.

COSTELLO: The best protection is if we keep our ears and eyes open.

GRNIET: That's correct.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

GRNIET: Thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: You're watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 6:55 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

The body of a little girl has finally been identified four years after her murderer decapitated her. Kansas City police say the girl, affectionately known as Precious Doe, is actually Erika Michelle Marie Green. You're looking at her parents. The child's mother and stepfather are accused of killing the little girl.

Tony Blair is at Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth will confirm him for the third time as Britain's prime minister. Blair's Labor Party squeaked by in the British elections, losing much of its previous support because of his support for the war in Iraq.

And Senate Democrats may try to delay a vote on the nomination of President Bush's pick for U.N. ambassador. Senator Joe Biden wants the State Department to turn over more documents about nominee John Bolton. The department is promising cooperation.

This is DAYBREAK for a Friday morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

The bodies of 14 people who had been shot were found in Baghdad this morning. An Iraqi soldier says some of the victims were blindfolded and then shot in the head execution-style. The victims, believed to be Iraqis, were found buried in shallow graves.

Tony Blair was at Buckingham Palace being confirmed for a third time as Britain's prime minister, something his Labor Party has never done before. But the party has lost a lot of seats in Parliament because of Blair's support for the Iraq war.

President Bush is due to take off any minute now. He's heading to Europe this morning to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. The president will visit Latvia, the Netherlands, Moscow and the former Republic of Georgia.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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Aired May 6, 2005 - 06:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is about to board Air Force One for a trip overseas. He's set to visit two Baltic States -- the Netherlands and Russia.
White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has more on the president's trip. She's live in Washington.

Good morning -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol.

It's going to be quite a hectic trip actually, because you're talking about just five days in four countries. He's going to be basically departing from the White House very shortly.

And today, he's going to be arriving in Riga, Latvia. That's where he's going to meet with the president of three former Soviet Republics of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, of course, to recognize their own blossoming democracies.

On Saturday, it's on the Netherlands to visit a cemetery of U.S. soldiers. Sunday on to Moscow, where he's going to have dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife. And, of course, Monday he's going to mark the highlight of this trip as the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. There's going to be a big parade in the Red Square with more than 50 world leaders that the president is going to join.

And Tuesday, he ends his trip traveling to Georgia to, again, show the kind of support for the democracies that have been blossoming in that region, particularly in Georgia, where they had what they call the Rose Revolution, kind of this bloodless revolution that ushered in a new kind of society, a way that they believe that really ushered in a lot of similar movements in the region, in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

So, it's going to be a little delicate balancing act for the president to show his support, again, for the sacrifices that the Russians made in World War II, but at the same time to also give support to those Baltic States that surround Russia that still feel its powerful influence today.

COSTELLO: Well, it could be rather contentious between Vladimir Putin and President Bush, couldn't it, Suzanne? Because democracy is sure to come up, because a lot of people believe Vladimir Putin is killing democracy in Russia. MALVEAUX: Well, it's expected to be kind of a tense situation. I mean, actually, no, their relationship has become strained. Personally, we are told that they are close, but there are a lot of issues here that the Bush administration has a problem with, with Russia.

It wasn't long ago that the two leaders actually met in Europe to talk about some of these things. But even since then, what the administration has seen is Russia's support, Putin coming out saying that he supports supplying missiles, short-range anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.

He continues to talk about and is committed to supplying nuclear components to Iran. Both Iran and Russia saying it's for a power program, not for a weapons program. But that, of course, is another point of contention.

And, as you've mentioned before, there are some problems with what they see as backsliding of democratic reforms; that things are not going as well as they would like there.

And there's still quite a bit of tension between Russia and some of its neighbors, who say that it has quite a bit of influence, particularly when you look at Georgia. There is still Russian military forces that are in that country, and that is one of the issues that's going to come up to get those Russian forces out of there.

COSTELLO: We'll be watching. Suzanne Malveaux live in Washington this morning. Thank you.

It is a career killer in the military. Busted over Iraq's prison abuse scandal, a career killer for Janis Karpinski, the Army Reserve general in charge of Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, she's been demoted to colonel. A Pentagon investigation cleared four other senior officers who were investigated in the prison abuse scandal there.

From Abu Ghraib to Gitmo, some believe what's happening inside Guantanamo Bay is bizarre at best, abusive at worst. In an explosive new book, "Inside the Wire," "TIME" magazine correspondent Viveca Novak follows one soldier's journey through Gitmo. And Viveca joins us live this morning.

Good morning.

VIVECA NOVAK, AUTHOR, "INSIDE THE WIRE": Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You follow Erik Saar. He's a military linguist. He knows how to speak Arabic, in other words.

NOVAK: Right.

COSTELLO: And that's why he was there. He describes inside Guantanamo Bay as bizarre. Why? NOVAK: Well, he was struck by mismanagement, a sense that there were a lot of people there. He came to learn over the first couple of months he was there who shouldn't be there. He realized that there were a lot of people who weren't being taken to interrogations, who we've been paying bounties to the Northern Alliance to have rounded up.

And he began to realize, you know, especially when he got over to the intelligence side of things at Gitmo, and he could see the prisoners' files, the detainees' files, that there was hardly anything in them other than a mug shot and an initial assessment.

COSTELLO: But, wait. We are under the impression that the most dangerous terrorists are now locked up in Guantanamo Bay, and it's making America safer and the world safer from terrorists. Is he saying that's just not true?

NOVAK: He's saying that's very much not true. He was -- you know, he comes from a small town, very conservative political values, very strong religious background. He had absolutely no agenda. He wanted to go down to Guantanamo Bay and fight what Vice President Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were calling the worst of the worst. And in his six-and-a-half months down there, he came to believe that what we're doing is not only, to him, morally wrong, but counterproductive.

COSTELLO: What is morally wrong about what Americans there are allegedly doing?

NOVAK: Well, what he believes is that we are undermining the very values. You know, the very values that we stand for or are supposed to stand for, we're undermining those values. And that's why, you know, the opinion of the world has been against us on this.

COSTELLO: Undermining those values how? I mean, are you talking about torture? I mean, we've heard about the supposedly sexual tactics used by some interrogators at Guantanamo Bay.

NOVAK: Right.

COSTELLO: But what about other tactics?

NOVAK: Well, I think, you know, when you take everything from holding a number of people who we have no idea of why we're holding them, and we're holding them for years without any form of due process, to, you know, various physical discomfort, to the flashing strobe lights and the loud music and the, you know, overheated rooms or the over-air-conditioned rooms, and then the sexual manipulation and the interfering with their own faith, which to him was very offensive, because he's a very strong Christian.

And he was very offended by seeing Americans interfering with somebody's practice of their own faith, even if it was a different faith.

COSTELLO: So, what is he doing now? NOVAK: Well, right now he's writing a book. He's been out of the Army for a little more than a year. And he worked as a linguist for a while, a contract linguist with the FBI. And now, he's thinking about what to do next.

COSTELLO: What to do next, and what to do next at Guantanamo Bay, because they're holding a bunch of people there with no useful information. I mean, the obvious question is, why aren't they being let go?

NOVAK: Well, I think that they -- you know, since the Supreme Court decided in June of last year that these people did have the right to due process to bring their cases in federal court, then all of a sudden we've seen more and more releases. So that now we're down to about 550 people there.

But, you know, the Pentagon has built itself sort of a box now. Because of the way they've treated some of these people, it's hard to let them go, and it's hard to keep them.

COSTELLO: Viveca Novak. The book is called "Inside the Wire."

NOVAK: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Thanks for joining us this morning.

Did you watch that bit about "American Idol?" I bet Soledad did. I know she did.

She joins us now with a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: You know I love that, yes. You know, this morning, we're going to be talking with Corey Clark. His big "Idol" expose was out. We're going to ask him what kind of special treatment he got from Paula Abdul, and also ask him some other questions, like why is he telling his story now?

Also this morning, a much different note, we're following a story out of Florida. Police there are searching for a convicted sex offender, this guy right here. He cut his electric ankle monitor -- electronic ankle monitor right off of his ankle earlier in the week. His name is Patrick Wayne Bell, and authorities fear that he might strike again. We're going to bring you up to speed on the very latest on the manhunt for him, ahead this morning as well -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's interesting, because they just passed that law in Florida that will require sexual offenders, the most dangerous ones, to wear those ankle monitoring bracelets.

O'BRIEN: You wouldn't think it would be easy to cut one off.

COSTELLO: I guess it must be. Thanks, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We're going to have more on that. COSTELLO: Still ahead on DAYBREAK, are news organizations getting too carried away with the runaway bride story? Don't throw your coffee at the TV. CNN's Jeanne Moos will have her own unique spin for you.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now to our market watch. The international markets are mixed this morning. Japan's Nikkei closes up 190 points, Britain's FTSE is up just over 2 points, and the German DAX is down by almost 23 points.

It's time now for a little "Business Buzz."

How do Americans feel about the future of the economy over the next year? According to a new poll, the answer is not so good.

Carrie Lee joins us with more.

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You can probably guess the reason. High gas prices, right? And high interest rates as well. These are things that are really bothering people.

So, they're taking a toll on consumer sentiment. According to a CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll, only 51 percent of more than 1,000 people surveyed excepted the economy to be very good or somewhat good a year from now, and that's down from 60 percent in a survey from December.

By the way, that 51 percent is the lowest percentage since the poll started asking that question in 1997.

Other readings of consumer confidence have also shown weakness in recent months, although employers have hired more workers every month since June, 2003. Job growth is still seen as relatively moderate.

Now, today we're going to get a look at employment figures for April. Economists are expecting an increase of 175,000. That jobs report is likely going to have a very big impact on the direction of the market today. But right now futures are pointing to a bit of a higher open after some selling yesterday.

By the way, Pixar, Steve Jobs' animation company, is expected to do well. They beat the Street on profits. DVD sales of "The Incredibles" helped the result. So that's one stock to watch.

COSTELLO: Oh, I bet it did.

LEE: Yes. I haven't seen that movie yet, but every one seems to be a slam dunk.

COSTELLO: Oh, you must see it.

LEE: They really do a nice, consistent job on every film. COSTELLO: It will make you happy.

LEE: Good.

COSTELLO: It makes you feel good.

LEE: That's always a good thing.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Carrie.

LEE: OK.

COSTELLO: In the wake of those explosions at the British consulate in New York, we will talk to a prominent security expert about protecting businesses and workers all over this country from homemade terrorism or overseas terrorism, because we don't know who planted these grenades just yet.

But first, it's time to say happy birthday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Tony Blair is at Buckingham Palace to be confirmed as Britain's prime minister for a third time. But his Labor Party has lost a lot of seats in Parliament because of Tony Blair's support for the Iraq war.

In money news, embattled drug maker Merck has a new top dog, still reeling from the loss of arthritis medicine Vioxx. Merck has replaced its chief and CEO Raymond Gilmartin with a former employee. Former Medco CEO Richard Clark takes the reins.

The Princess Diana memorial fountain will reopen today after being closed because of a slew of problems. The multimillion-dollar park will reopen with an improved drainage system, tougher grass, a new footpath and a rougher surface for the fountain to prevent people from slipping and falling when they walk inside the fountain.

In sports, get ready, the Run for the Roses is tomorrow. Yes, one of Chad's favorite races, the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Race time is at 6:27 p.m. Eastern. But do not blink. It is one of the fastest sports events you'll ever see, faster even, Chad, than NASCAR.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, yes, one lap is a little slower, Carol. But you only do, you know, one of the quarter laps. So, there you go.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Let's check in with CNN's Bill Hemmer for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING" now.

Good morning -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

An incredible story out of Kansas. Did you hear about this, Carol? A pilot takes his small plane up to help police in a chase, right? He finds the suspect, tries to direct police. In the process, he, the pilot is shot in the head. He landed safely, and he's going to share his story coming up here on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Also, more on that apology from the runaway bride in Georgia. A statement read by her pastor yesterday, Jennifer Wilbanks said she ran away because of the so-called life-controlling fears. What does she mean by that? What's the state of her relationship now with John Mason, the -- well, the groom-to-be? We'll talk to the pastor this morning on the day after. He says she's getting professional help. We'll see whether or not it's working at this point.

And remember the D.A., Carol, earlier in the week? He was saying that this woman is so self-absorbed she doesn't even understand what's going on around here. Well, we'll try and figure out of the pastor has been able to help her through that process.

COSTELLO: Well, you should see the story in the "New York Post" about this, this morning.

HEMMER: I read that. And more coming up in "People" magazine, apparently, over the weekend, too. We can't make it up, can we?

COSTELLO: No, no, it wouldn't be as good. Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: True. See you.

COSTELLO: Fuzzy video images of a pineapple, a lemon and explosive powder, all clues in the attack on Third Avenue in New York. As you know, someone buried a grenade in a planter and perhaps threw another at the building that houses the British consulate. Not much damage, no injuries, but a lot of questions come to mind about security for all of us.

Joining us now, Chris Grniet, a security consultant for Kroll, Schiff & Associates here in New York.

Good morning, and thanks for coming in.

CHRIS GRNIET, KROLL, SCHIFF & ASSOCIATES: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, a couple of things come to mind here. There are video cameras all over the place, and they took shots of the street in front of the British consulate. Very grainy images. Did they manage to capture much? Or should they have captured more?

GRNIET: Well, what we're hearing now is that the video is very fuzzy, that they know at least that there were pedestrians on the sidewalk. I don't know that they've been able to identify anybody in particular or get any facial shots. But certainly CCTV is becoming more prominent around public areas. And depending on how it's applied, it can capture a lot of what goes on. This has happened in the U.K. over years.

COSTELLO: I guess I'm wondering why the images were so fuzzy. Was it because it was nighttime, because it happened, what, at 3:30 in the morning?

GRNIET: Well, I don't know the specifics of the type of cameras that were out there. There are cameras that can be effective in low- light conditions. But, again, I don't know each individual application. And so, it's possible they weren't upgraded or they don't have...

COSTELLO: Well, just overall, the overall picture of what type of video cameras are mounted in cities across this country. Are they the kind that can pick up sharp images no matter what time of day or night?

GRNIET: It really depends. But the technology has made a lot of leaps in the past few years, and there are quite a few being installed now that can do that.

COSTELLO: The other question that I have were these big concrete planters that were in front of the building, and I understand why they were there, so that, you know, you can't get a car too close to the building. But one of these grenades was planted in the planter.

GRNIET: Right.

COSTELLO: Does that bring to mind any concerns?

GRNIET: Well, I mean, if the planters weren't there, would they have found someplace else to put it, is the question? It was an opportunity to conceal something. But those planters are fairly effective in many applications.

So, you know, you weigh the good against the bad, and in this particular instance, they had the opportunity to use the planter as a concealment location.

COSTELLO: Well, these concrete barriers are going up everyplace. If you go to Washington, D.C., they are everywhere on the Mall. I mean, everywhere! Won't people trying to wreak some sort of havoc change their tactics, knowing these concrete barriers are there? And what can you do to circumvent that?

GRNIET: Well, I think a lot of planters were placed as temporary measures, or because surface conditions -- subsurface conditions won't allow for bollards to be installed. Will they change their tactics? I'm not sure that these particular planters may have been reinforced the way a typical vehicle battery of planters are. They might not have broken as easily. Again, not knowing the construction of these particular models, I can't tell you for sure.

COSTELLO: The other question I have, the Freedom Tower, the tower that's supposed to go on the 9/11 site, the World Trade Center site. It's not being built because it's not placed far enough back from the street. The New York City police have real concerns about that. A lot of buildings aren't 200 feet from the street, and that kind of makes me feel unsafe. Should I feel that way?

GRNIET: Well, we all have reason for concern nowadays in this post-9/11 era. Unfortunately, our society wasn't built to accommodate those types of setbacks. And we're very condensed. Especially here in New York, we're very condensed and packed in. We don't have the opportunity for those types of setbacks.

The particular explosions that happened yesterday could happen anywhere. I mean, they could have happened inside the building. They could have happened -- you know, these are small items that could be concealed. Certainly there was no detonator, so it was difficult -- it would have been more difficult for them to do that. Certainly we should all be concerned in this day and age.

I think these explosions bring us to a point of where we still need to be aware, and we need to continually be observant of what's going on. We have to realize we're still in somewhat of a state of war. We're in several conflicts overseas. And it just has to raise our awareness that these are still times of crisis.

COSTELLO: The best protection is if we keep our ears and eyes open.

GRNIET: That's correct.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

GRNIET: Thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: You're watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 6:55 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

The body of a little girl has finally been identified four years after her murderer decapitated her. Kansas City police say the girl, affectionately known as Precious Doe, is actually Erika Michelle Marie Green. You're looking at her parents. The child's mother and stepfather are accused of killing the little girl.

Tony Blair is at Buckingham Palace, where Queen Elizabeth will confirm him for the third time as Britain's prime minister. Blair's Labor Party squeaked by in the British elections, losing much of its previous support because of his support for the war in Iraq.

And Senate Democrats may try to delay a vote on the nomination of President Bush's pick for U.N. ambassador. Senator Joe Biden wants the State Department to turn over more documents about nominee John Bolton. The department is promising cooperation.

This is DAYBREAK for a Friday morning. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

The bodies of 14 people who had been shot were found in Baghdad this morning. An Iraqi soldier says some of the victims were blindfolded and then shot in the head execution-style. The victims, believed to be Iraqis, were found buried in shallow graves.

Tony Blair was at Buckingham Palace being confirmed for a third time as Britain's prime minister, something his Labor Party has never done before. But the party has lost a lot of seats in Parliament because of Blair's support for the Iraq war.

President Bush is due to take off any minute now. He's heading to Europe this morning to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. The president will visit Latvia, the Netherlands, Moscow and the former Republic of Georgia.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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