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CNN Live At Daybreak

Deadly Fallout; Moms Working Nights; Base Closings; "Star Wars"

Aired May 16, 2005 - 05:30   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: Good morning, 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."

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russia's deputy Parliament speaker, is accused of illegally profiting from the U.N. Oil-For-Food program. That accusation comes in a Senate subcommittee report out today. Other Russian politicians, some close to President Putin, also are accused of shady ties to the former Iraqi regime.

"Newsweek" magazine says it was wrong. Deadly anti-American demonstrations in Afghanistan last week were sparked by a report in the magazine that U.S. interrogators had flushed copies of the Quran down the toilet. Now the magazine is backing off its story.

The Pentagon's report on closing some military bases gets an airing today. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appears before the commission this afternoon to defend his report.

Brazilian Tony Kanaan will sit on the pole for this year's Indianapolis 500. Kanaan captured the top spot with a lap in excess of 227 miles per hour. Upstart rookie Danica Patrick will start fourth when the green flag drops on Sunday, May 29.

Chad, what do you think her chances are?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think they're great.

COSTELLO: Wow!

MYERS: I think it's the best chance a woman has had to win the Indy 500 in a very long time.

COSTELLO: She's only 23.

MYERS: She is really fast. I've watched her on a couple of other races. She is really fast. And she led an awful lot of races already this year, so, yes. But there's an awful lot of experience ahead of her and behind her. It's not just how fast the car goes, Indianapolis, there's a lot more to it than that.

So it was a great weekend, actually, for some racing out there. A lot of other races were in good shape, too. The Richmond race up there was really a good race. Both the Bush race and the Cup race. (WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: "Newsweek" magazine is in the news this week. We have more for you now on the fallout from a recent "Newsweek" story which sparked deadly violence overseas.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks ago, "Newsweek" magazine reported that U.S. interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison had flushed the Muslim's holy book, the Quran, down the toilet to rattle terror suspects.

MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK" REPORTER: The specific allegations about the desecration of the Quran did surface.

MALVEAUX: The article by "Newsweek's" reporters Michael Isikoff and John Barry was quickly picked up in newspapers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rage and riots erupted throughout the Middle East, leaving 15 dead in Afghanistan and scores injured.

U.S. officials, already tarnished by the Abu Ghraib Prison abuse scandal, pledged to get to the bottom of it.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I want to speak directly to Muslims in America and throughout the world, disrespect for the holy Quran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be tolerated by the United States.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The detainees at this base are treated humanely.

MALVEAUX: Pentagon officials said there was no corroboration of "Newsweek's" report that the Quran was being desecrated.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: There are several of their log entries that show that the Quran may have been moved to and detainees became irritated about it, but never an incident where it was thrown in the toilet.

MALVEAUX: Now it turns out the Pentagon was right and "Newsweek" was wrong.

DANIEL KLAIDMAN, "NEWSWEEK" MAGAZINE: This was an honest mistake. We are, obviously, not very happy about it.

MALVEAUX: In this week's issue, the magazine writes how it happened, explaining "on Saturday, Isikoff spoke with his original source, the senior government official, who said that he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Quran, including a toilet incident. But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns had surfaced in the Southern Command report. Told of what the "Newsweek" source said, [Defense Department Spokesman Larry] DiRita exploded, 'People are dead because of what this son of a b--- said. How could he be credible now?"

DiRita confirmed to CNN his quote in "Newsweek" and separately said to CNN, "People are dying. They are burning American flags. Our forces are in danger" because of this.

"Newsweek's" Washington bureau chief offered a public apology.

KLAIDMAN: We extend our sympathies to the victims here and we think it's terribly unfortunate.

MALVEAUX (on camera): National Security Advisor Steve Hadley, who, at the time, was not aware of "Newsweek's" admission, said on CNN's "LATE EDITION," the political damage is already done.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: You just heard from "Newsweek's" Washington bureau chief. He went on to say there are wider issues at stake here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KLAIDMAN: And I think it's clear that people seized on the "Newsweek" report to advance their own agendas and that that was part of it. But I also think that there is an enormous amount of pent-up and not so pent-up anti-American rage and sentiment in that region in that part of the world. There are a lot of people who think that our war on terror and our war in Iraq is a much wider war against Islam. And you know I think this played into all of that tragically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: U.S. military officials talked to reporters in Kabul just a few hours ago. They say they want to reach out to the Afghan people in the wake of the rioting.

In other news "Across America" now.

Here's a small jet coming in for a landing at Atlantic City, New Jersey. But instead of stopping, he keeps going and he keeps going and going until it ends up in the drink. Four people were aboard this plane. They were rescued by a passing fishing boat and also residents helped out. People onboard the plane suffered only minor injuries. The pilot claims his brakes failed.

In Chicago, animal rights activists are growling at the Lincoln Park Zoo, about 150 of them protested outside the zoo this weekend because of a string of animal deaths. Three monkeys died last week. And since October, two elephants, two gorillas and a camel also died. Federal officials now investigating. Takes all kinds of runners to make a race. Thousands of people turned out this weekend, many in costume, for San Francisco's Bay to Breakers Race. It's a nearly a 100-year-old tradition. From Elvis, to the Smurfs, to bondage gear, people showed up in all sorts of getups to run.

Working nine to five trying to make a living, not so anymore. In today's 24/7 economy, dual income families are having to deal with alternative work hours, and some working moms are turning to the night shift. In fact, some of you might be just getting home from work right now. How does that affect your kids?

Let's talk about that with Karen Gareis who co-authored a study on moms working the late evening shifts.

Good morning to you.

KAREN GAREIS, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY: Hi, Carol. How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm fine.

How did you conduct this study?

GAREIS: Well we actually interviewed 55 families. All of the mothers in these families who were registered nurses and some were working the day shift, which is from 7 to 3, and others were working the evening shift, which is from 3 to 11. All of the families had school-aged children between 8 and 14 years old. So you can imagine the 3 to 11 shift is the worst possible time for you to be at work if you have school-aged children.

COSTELLO: You would think so, but...

GAREIS: But the interesting thing that we found is that when mothers work that shift so that they're not around in the after school and evening hours, fathers really step up to the plate and are pulled into a much more active parenting role. And that actually ends up having good effects on the children.

COSTELLO: Well there is one negative drawback, though, it doesn't do much for your marriage.

GAREIS: No, it doesn't. In fact, other research has suggested that when mothers work evening shifts or when they work nightshifts that that's actually disruptive to marriages. So the families here are making sort of a tradeoff.

COSTELLO: Yes, but what kind of tradeoff is that? Is there anything one can do to, I don't know, to have the best of both worlds, I guess?

GAREIS: I think maybe this is a temporary thing, that I wouldn't necessarily recommend that it be this strategy for people to use for years and years, but it might be a tradeoff that works out OK in the short run. We do know that when fathers are more involved with parenting, that's not only good for the children, but other research suggests that that's good for the marriage. And that's good for father's well being, too.

COSTELLO: Yes, that would be good, because then, you know, as the mother, you feel like your husband is doing something in the child rearing area, and many women don't feel that way, frankly.

GAREIS: Yes. In fact, the mothers that we studied who worked the day shift from seven to three, the fathers are not very involved with the children and the mothers are doing the majority of the parenting. And that can be strainful. That can be stressful for marriages also.

COSTELLO: Is there a certain age where it helps the children more, you know, that the mom is home in the day and the dad is home at night?

GAREIS: That's a good question. I think that father involvement is good for children of any age. That I can really only talk about children who are the age that we studied in our study, which is 8 to 14, so sort of tween and middle school age. It's really good for the kids, especially in terms of some of the outcomes that we looked at, like risk-taking behaviors, kids doing things like skipping school and so on, those were reduced when fathers were more involved. So for kids of this age, that's really important.

COSTELLO: Karen Gareis from Brandeis University with some good news this morning. Thank you so much.

GAREIS: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, the oldest shipyard in the country may soon be washed away but not without a fight. We'll talk about its chances for survival.

And later, from plastic Darth Vaders to a bunch of other stuff that brings utter bliss to men and boys. A look at why "Star Wars" is so successful at selling its merchandise.

But first, a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

"Newsweek" magazine backing off its story that U.S. interrogators flushed copies of the Quran down the toilet. When the story came out last week, it sparked demonstrations in Afghanistan. At least 15 were killed, dozens hurt in the demonstrations.

A U.S. Senate report points the finger at Russia's deputy Parliament speaker. The report says he made $9 million in illegal profits from the U.N. Oil-For-Food program in Iraq. The report says other Russian politicians, some close to President Putin, also profited illegally. In money news, the White House is re-imposing quotas on some Chinese clothing imported into the United States. U.S. retailers say that move will drive up prices.

In culture, the final episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" ends tonight with the star's unexpected death. That was mean, wasn't it? That was so wrong and so mean. The premise for the 210th final episode has been a well-guarded secret. I'm going straight to hell for that, I know.

In sports, the Dallas Mavericks overcame a 48-point performance by league MVP Steve Nash to beat the Phoenix Suns. The Mavs 119 to 109 win ties that series at two games apiece.

Morning -- birthday boy.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

That's a look at the latest headlines for you this morning.

Proposed closings of military installations have rattled towns across the country, not only workers, but also businesses that support those military bases. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the oldest in the country, is on the closure list, and the fight starts in earnest this morning to keep it open.

Joining us now with more on the story, Mark Ericson and Danielle Carrier, our friends from the WOKQ Morning Crew.

Good morning.

MARK ERICSON, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Morning, Carol.

DANIELLE CARRIER, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Morning.

COSTELLO: We talked about this last week, and I mean people are so emotional over this. I mean I know it will affect the economy, but there are emotional ties to these bases as well.

ERICSON: Well there's an awful lot of history. In particular, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the nation's oldest shipyard. It's been here for a very long time. And of course all weekend long, after the list was released on Friday, that was the topic of conversation.

And this morning at 10:00, everybody, and I do mean everybody, Senator Olympia Snowe, Senator Susan Collins from Maine, Senators Gregg and Sununu from New Hampshire, as well as a congressman from both states and whole bunch of dignitaries, including the two governors, are going to be at a big rally at the shipyard at 10:00. They're going to fight this thing. COSTELLO: Well some of the people who work on those bases say we're not closing. Try to close us. Come on, try, we're not going to stop working.

ERICSON: Beyond the military and what the military personnel inject into the community for the economy, there are over 1,800 civilian jobs alone at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

COSTELLO: You know it's funny, I was just driving along the coast there of Connecticut this weekend, stopping in all of those little towns along there. And you know, not much else is there besides those military bases. What will this do to those little towns in Connecticut, for example, and New Hampshire?

CARRIER: Well right now no one wants to think about that. Right now what they're thinking about is doing whatever you can to bring all the facts to the commission just to make sure that everything is right out there.

COSTELLO: But you know if you're building outdated equipment, what can you do? I mean what sort of things can you tell the government why should these bases stay open?

ERICSON: Well the nuclear submarine fleet the U.S. Navy says does still play an important role in the war on terror. A lot of this stuff is very secret. And that's kind of a strange thing. We all know somebody who works at the shipyard who can't tell us what it is that they do because of regulations.

COSTELLO: Yes, but still, I mean you think that it's over now? And what possibly can politicians do? And shouldn't they have done something before or maybe they did, I don't know?

ERICSON: Well a lot of people did. And it's kind of a cumbersome process from here. There's this nine-member commission. Nobody on this board, by the way, is from New England. They're going to hold hearings between now and September. They're going to visit all these installations.

Then they submit an all-or-nothing list to the president. The president can send it back to them one time with some specific suggestions, but either he takes the whole list and sends it to Congress or the whole process stops. And if it stops, then we're saved.

COSTELLO: OK, well we'll be covering the rally at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

Mark Ericson and Danielle Carrier of the WOKQ Waking Crew, thank you.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, just in time for the new "Star Wars" movie, we will introduce you to one man and his vast collection from a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: It will be all right this morning. It's going to be a beautiful day here in New York, at least later, right -- Chad?

MYERS: At least later. Right now it should be BJ Thomas and "Raindrops Keep Falling on Your Head," unfortunately, in some spots.

COSTELLO: Bummer!

It's time to read some e-mail now. We're asking a question about the Mexican President Vicente Fox. And let me tell our viewers what he said that's causing so much controversy.

Speaking in Spanish, Vicente Fox said "There is no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States." And that has some civil rights leaders really, really upset this morning.

So we're asking you this morning are Fox's comments misunderstood or are they racist?

MYERS: Want me to go first?

COSTELLO: Sure.

MYERS: All right. From John (ph), President Fox's comments were clearly very racist. As a world leader, who has been assisting with Americans and blacks and whites, one should expect and receive more from this. And if this is his low opinion of blacks, America should no longer assist his government. Enough is enough.

COSTELLO: Wow!

This is from Julianne (ph). I don't know how Fox feels about black Americans, but his comment sure shows something about how he feels about his own people, they'll do anything for a dollar.

MYERS: Renee (ph) from Alabama says jobs that are not even blacks want to do, what? President Fox's comments show the international perception of black Americans. There's no way that he can say that statement was not racist. His only regret was that he made it in public. I'm offended by his statement. It is unfortunate that I have to deal with the racism in my home country, but now I have to consider what other countries think about my heritage as well.

COSTELLO: This is from Trish (ph). She says, of course they are racist. Fox could have said that Mexican illegal immigrants are valuable to America because they do jobs that Americans don't want to do. He did not. He singled out a race, blacks.

By his comments he placed blacks at the bottom of the job chain and implied that they're a group most naturally or who should be looked at to take the undesirable jobs. He then placed illegal immigrants above blacks on the job chain by elevating their value to America because they are the group that do take these jobs, the jobs that even blacks don't want to do. He should apologize. He kind of did through his state -- you know, through his spokesperson, but not really.

MYERS: He did. And the easiest comment was our men, our laborers, are doing jobs that Americans don't want to do. That was it. That's all he had to say, but he didn't say that and that's why these comments are coming out.

COSTELLO: Yes. Thank you for your e-mails this morning.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, we'll talk about a financial alternative for those of you who want lower monthly mortgage payments.

Also, Congress is taking a look at the restrictions on stem cell research. We'll get some perspective from "TIME" magazine's Viveca Novak.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In entertainment news now, it is officially the start of "Star Wars" week. The last film hits theaters on Thursday. But some have already seen the final product. Many of the stars of "Star Wars" were on hand as Episode III was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

But as CNN's Meara Erdozain reports, you don't necessarily have to be in a theater to experience the force.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEARA ERDOZAIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first glance, this looks like an average guy at work. Take a closer look, though, and you'll notice something odd, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, R2D2. He's not your average guy at all. He's Jim Knight, or Jim "Jedi" Knight to his friends. And never mind his office, Jim's home really gives the game away. It's like a museum packed to the brim with 'Star Wars" memorabilia. Aged 30, he's been collecting since he was 4.

JIM KNIGHT, "STAR WARS" COLLECTOR: This particularly figure here is my original figure from when I was a child. Basic Bob effects (ph) quite a strange character in the "Star Wars" universe because he was only briefly in "Empire Strikes Back." As a child, it would have roughly cost about -- it's probably about $2 now. You're looking probably about sort of $400 or $500.

ERDOZAIN: "Star Wars" merchandising sales have generated around $9 billion with many individual items costing thousands. The Atat (ph) is Jim's most expensive item. It set him back around $2,000.

KNIGHT: It's hard to explain what the fascination with it is, really. I know with the collectibles, I mean everything they're releasing now will have brought replicas (ph) are absolutely amazing and they just keep you entwined in the universe. ERDOZAIN: Modern technology means toys can do far more than they could even a decade ago. Some items are almost as good as the real thing. High-tech toys, plus a slew of new movies over the years has helped keep the "Star Wars" brand fresh. Experts say it explains why the merchandise continues to sell.

ANDY MILLIGAN, INTERBRAND: Whilst they've made the main characters have become iconic, like Darth Vader, C3PO, R2D2, though those characters survive throughout, they've always introduced new characters that kind of fit within that fantastical world and therefore give a new generation of fans something of their own to grab hold of.

DARTH VADER: Asteroids do not concern me, admiral, I want that ship.

ERDOZAIN: Serious collectors want to collect everything. Jim has spent around $20,000, and even then it's hard to know when to stop.

(on camera): This is the most sought after collectible item. It's a galactic passport, and it enables me to see every single "Star Wars" movie ever made in one sitting here at Leicester Square in London. The problem is they're hard to come by and they're expensive. This one cost almost $800. But luckily, it'll still be worth something once the movie is over, because collectors will always be looking for one of these.

Meara Erdozain, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And thank goodness for that.

The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.

Straight-ahead on DAYBREAK, a firestorm of anti-American rage might have been sparked by a false alarm.

Also, will it keep you in the house or put you on the curb? We'll take a look at your mortgage.

And stem cell research, will Congress stem it or allow it to bloom?

It is Monday, May 16. You are watching DAYBREAK.

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 16, 2005 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, 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."

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russia's deputy Parliament speaker, is accused of illegally profiting from the U.N. Oil-For-Food program. That accusation comes in a Senate subcommittee report out today. Other Russian politicians, some close to President Putin, also are accused of shady ties to the former Iraqi regime.

"Newsweek" magazine says it was wrong. Deadly anti-American demonstrations in Afghanistan last week were sparked by a report in the magazine that U.S. interrogators had flushed copies of the Quran down the toilet. Now the magazine is backing off its story.

The Pentagon's report on closing some military bases gets an airing today. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appears before the commission this afternoon to defend his report.

Brazilian Tony Kanaan will sit on the pole for this year's Indianapolis 500. Kanaan captured the top spot with a lap in excess of 227 miles per hour. Upstart rookie Danica Patrick will start fourth when the green flag drops on Sunday, May 29.

Chad, what do you think her chances are?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think they're great.

COSTELLO: Wow!

MYERS: I think it's the best chance a woman has had to win the Indy 500 in a very long time.

COSTELLO: She's only 23.

MYERS: She is really fast. I've watched her on a couple of other races. She is really fast. And she led an awful lot of races already this year, so, yes. But there's an awful lot of experience ahead of her and behind her. It's not just how fast the car goes, Indianapolis, there's a lot more to it than that.

So it was a great weekend, actually, for some racing out there. A lot of other races were in good shape, too. The Richmond race up there was really a good race. Both the Bush race and the Cup race. (WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: "Newsweek" magazine is in the news this week. We have more for you now on the fallout from a recent "Newsweek" story which sparked deadly violence overseas.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks ago, "Newsweek" magazine reported that U.S. interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison had flushed the Muslim's holy book, the Quran, down the toilet to rattle terror suspects.

MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK" REPORTER: The specific allegations about the desecration of the Quran did surface.

MALVEAUX: The article by "Newsweek's" reporters Michael Isikoff and John Barry was quickly picked up in newspapers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rage and riots erupted throughout the Middle East, leaving 15 dead in Afghanistan and scores injured.

U.S. officials, already tarnished by the Abu Ghraib Prison abuse scandal, pledged to get to the bottom of it.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I want to speak directly to Muslims in America and throughout the world, disrespect for the holy Quran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be tolerated by the United States.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The detainees at this base are treated humanely.

MALVEAUX: Pentagon officials said there was no corroboration of "Newsweek's" report that the Quran was being desecrated.

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: There are several of their log entries that show that the Quran may have been moved to and detainees became irritated about it, but never an incident where it was thrown in the toilet.

MALVEAUX: Now it turns out the Pentagon was right and "Newsweek" was wrong.

DANIEL KLAIDMAN, "NEWSWEEK" MAGAZINE: This was an honest mistake. We are, obviously, not very happy about it.

MALVEAUX: In this week's issue, the magazine writes how it happened, explaining "on Saturday, Isikoff spoke with his original source, the senior government official, who said that he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Quran, including a toilet incident. But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns had surfaced in the Southern Command report. Told of what the "Newsweek" source said, [Defense Department Spokesman Larry] DiRita exploded, 'People are dead because of what this son of a b--- said. How could he be credible now?"

DiRita confirmed to CNN his quote in "Newsweek" and separately said to CNN, "People are dying. They are burning American flags. Our forces are in danger" because of this.

"Newsweek's" Washington bureau chief offered a public apology.

KLAIDMAN: We extend our sympathies to the victims here and we think it's terribly unfortunate.

MALVEAUX (on camera): National Security Advisor Steve Hadley, who, at the time, was not aware of "Newsweek's" admission, said on CNN's "LATE EDITION," the political damage is already done.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: You just heard from "Newsweek's" Washington bureau chief. He went on to say there are wider issues at stake here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KLAIDMAN: And I think it's clear that people seized on the "Newsweek" report to advance their own agendas and that that was part of it. But I also think that there is an enormous amount of pent-up and not so pent-up anti-American rage and sentiment in that region in that part of the world. There are a lot of people who think that our war on terror and our war in Iraq is a much wider war against Islam. And you know I think this played into all of that tragically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: U.S. military officials talked to reporters in Kabul just a few hours ago. They say they want to reach out to the Afghan people in the wake of the rioting.

In other news "Across America" now.

Here's a small jet coming in for a landing at Atlantic City, New Jersey. But instead of stopping, he keeps going and he keeps going and going until it ends up in the drink. Four people were aboard this plane. They were rescued by a passing fishing boat and also residents helped out. People onboard the plane suffered only minor injuries. The pilot claims his brakes failed.

In Chicago, animal rights activists are growling at the Lincoln Park Zoo, about 150 of them protested outside the zoo this weekend because of a string of animal deaths. Three monkeys died last week. And since October, two elephants, two gorillas and a camel also died. Federal officials now investigating. Takes all kinds of runners to make a race. Thousands of people turned out this weekend, many in costume, for San Francisco's Bay to Breakers Race. It's a nearly a 100-year-old tradition. From Elvis, to the Smurfs, to bondage gear, people showed up in all sorts of getups to run.

Working nine to five trying to make a living, not so anymore. In today's 24/7 economy, dual income families are having to deal with alternative work hours, and some working moms are turning to the night shift. In fact, some of you might be just getting home from work right now. How does that affect your kids?

Let's talk about that with Karen Gareis who co-authored a study on moms working the late evening shifts.

Good morning to you.

KAREN GAREIS, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY: Hi, Carol. How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm fine.

How did you conduct this study?

GAREIS: Well we actually interviewed 55 families. All of the mothers in these families who were registered nurses and some were working the day shift, which is from 7 to 3, and others were working the evening shift, which is from 3 to 11. All of the families had school-aged children between 8 and 14 years old. So you can imagine the 3 to 11 shift is the worst possible time for you to be at work if you have school-aged children.

COSTELLO: You would think so, but...

GAREIS: But the interesting thing that we found is that when mothers work that shift so that they're not around in the after school and evening hours, fathers really step up to the plate and are pulled into a much more active parenting role. And that actually ends up having good effects on the children.

COSTELLO: Well there is one negative drawback, though, it doesn't do much for your marriage.

GAREIS: No, it doesn't. In fact, other research has suggested that when mothers work evening shifts or when they work nightshifts that that's actually disruptive to marriages. So the families here are making sort of a tradeoff.

COSTELLO: Yes, but what kind of tradeoff is that? Is there anything one can do to, I don't know, to have the best of both worlds, I guess?

GAREIS: I think maybe this is a temporary thing, that I wouldn't necessarily recommend that it be this strategy for people to use for years and years, but it might be a tradeoff that works out OK in the short run. We do know that when fathers are more involved with parenting, that's not only good for the children, but other research suggests that that's good for the marriage. And that's good for father's well being, too.

COSTELLO: Yes, that would be good, because then, you know, as the mother, you feel like your husband is doing something in the child rearing area, and many women don't feel that way, frankly.

GAREIS: Yes. In fact, the mothers that we studied who worked the day shift from seven to three, the fathers are not very involved with the children and the mothers are doing the majority of the parenting. And that can be strainful. That can be stressful for marriages also.

COSTELLO: Is there a certain age where it helps the children more, you know, that the mom is home in the day and the dad is home at night?

GAREIS: That's a good question. I think that father involvement is good for children of any age. That I can really only talk about children who are the age that we studied in our study, which is 8 to 14, so sort of tween and middle school age. It's really good for the kids, especially in terms of some of the outcomes that we looked at, like risk-taking behaviors, kids doing things like skipping school and so on, those were reduced when fathers were more involved. So for kids of this age, that's really important.

COSTELLO: Karen Gareis from Brandeis University with some good news this morning. Thank you so much.

GAREIS: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, the oldest shipyard in the country may soon be washed away but not without a fight. We'll talk about its chances for survival.

And later, from plastic Darth Vaders to a bunch of other stuff that brings utter bliss to men and boys. A look at why "Star Wars" is so successful at selling its merchandise.

But first, a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

"Newsweek" magazine backing off its story that U.S. interrogators flushed copies of the Quran down the toilet. When the story came out last week, it sparked demonstrations in Afghanistan. At least 15 were killed, dozens hurt in the demonstrations.

A U.S. Senate report points the finger at Russia's deputy Parliament speaker. The report says he made $9 million in illegal profits from the U.N. Oil-For-Food program in Iraq. The report says other Russian politicians, some close to President Putin, also profited illegally. In money news, the White House is re-imposing quotas on some Chinese clothing imported into the United States. U.S. retailers say that move will drive up prices.

In culture, the final episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" ends tonight with the star's unexpected death. That was mean, wasn't it? That was so wrong and so mean. The premise for the 210th final episode has been a well-guarded secret. I'm going straight to hell for that, I know.

In sports, the Dallas Mavericks overcame a 48-point performance by league MVP Steve Nash to beat the Phoenix Suns. The Mavs 119 to 109 win ties that series at two games apiece.

Morning -- birthday boy.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

That's a look at the latest headlines for you this morning.

Proposed closings of military installations have rattled towns across the country, not only workers, but also businesses that support those military bases. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the oldest in the country, is on the closure list, and the fight starts in earnest this morning to keep it open.

Joining us now with more on the story, Mark Ericson and Danielle Carrier, our friends from the WOKQ Morning Crew.

Good morning.

MARK ERICSON, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Morning, Carol.

DANIELLE CARRIER, WOKQ MORNING WAKING CREW, PORTSMOUTH & MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Morning.

COSTELLO: We talked about this last week, and I mean people are so emotional over this. I mean I know it will affect the economy, but there are emotional ties to these bases as well.

ERICSON: Well there's an awful lot of history. In particular, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the nation's oldest shipyard. It's been here for a very long time. And of course all weekend long, after the list was released on Friday, that was the topic of conversation.

And this morning at 10:00, everybody, and I do mean everybody, Senator Olympia Snowe, Senator Susan Collins from Maine, Senators Gregg and Sununu from New Hampshire, as well as a congressman from both states and whole bunch of dignitaries, including the two governors, are going to be at a big rally at the shipyard at 10:00. They're going to fight this thing. COSTELLO: Well some of the people who work on those bases say we're not closing. Try to close us. Come on, try, we're not going to stop working.

ERICSON: Beyond the military and what the military personnel inject into the community for the economy, there are over 1,800 civilian jobs alone at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

COSTELLO: You know it's funny, I was just driving along the coast there of Connecticut this weekend, stopping in all of those little towns along there. And you know, not much else is there besides those military bases. What will this do to those little towns in Connecticut, for example, and New Hampshire?

CARRIER: Well right now no one wants to think about that. Right now what they're thinking about is doing whatever you can to bring all the facts to the commission just to make sure that everything is right out there.

COSTELLO: But you know if you're building outdated equipment, what can you do? I mean what sort of things can you tell the government why should these bases stay open?

ERICSON: Well the nuclear submarine fleet the U.S. Navy says does still play an important role in the war on terror. A lot of this stuff is very secret. And that's kind of a strange thing. We all know somebody who works at the shipyard who can't tell us what it is that they do because of regulations.

COSTELLO: Yes, but still, I mean you think that it's over now? And what possibly can politicians do? And shouldn't they have done something before or maybe they did, I don't know?

ERICSON: Well a lot of people did. And it's kind of a cumbersome process from here. There's this nine-member commission. Nobody on this board, by the way, is from New England. They're going to hold hearings between now and September. They're going to visit all these installations.

Then they submit an all-or-nothing list to the president. The president can send it back to them one time with some specific suggestions, but either he takes the whole list and sends it to Congress or the whole process stops. And if it stops, then we're saved.

COSTELLO: OK, well we'll be covering the rally at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

Mark Ericson and Danielle Carrier of the WOKQ Waking Crew, thank you.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, just in time for the new "Star Wars" movie, we will introduce you to one man and his vast collection from a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: It will be all right this morning. It's going to be a beautiful day here in New York, at least later, right -- Chad?

MYERS: At least later. Right now it should be BJ Thomas and "Raindrops Keep Falling on Your Head," unfortunately, in some spots.

COSTELLO: Bummer!

It's time to read some e-mail now. We're asking a question about the Mexican President Vicente Fox. And let me tell our viewers what he said that's causing so much controversy.

Speaking in Spanish, Vicente Fox said "There is no doubt that Mexicans, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work, are doing jobs that not even blacks want to do there in the United States." And that has some civil rights leaders really, really upset this morning.

So we're asking you this morning are Fox's comments misunderstood or are they racist?

MYERS: Want me to go first?

COSTELLO: Sure.

MYERS: All right. From John (ph), President Fox's comments were clearly very racist. As a world leader, who has been assisting with Americans and blacks and whites, one should expect and receive more from this. And if this is his low opinion of blacks, America should no longer assist his government. Enough is enough.

COSTELLO: Wow!

This is from Julianne (ph). I don't know how Fox feels about black Americans, but his comment sure shows something about how he feels about his own people, they'll do anything for a dollar.

MYERS: Renee (ph) from Alabama says jobs that are not even blacks want to do, what? President Fox's comments show the international perception of black Americans. There's no way that he can say that statement was not racist. His only regret was that he made it in public. I'm offended by his statement. It is unfortunate that I have to deal with the racism in my home country, but now I have to consider what other countries think about my heritage as well.

COSTELLO: This is from Trish (ph). She says, of course they are racist. Fox could have said that Mexican illegal immigrants are valuable to America because they do jobs that Americans don't want to do. He did not. He singled out a race, blacks.

By his comments he placed blacks at the bottom of the job chain and implied that they're a group most naturally or who should be looked at to take the undesirable jobs. He then placed illegal immigrants above blacks on the job chain by elevating their value to America because they are the group that do take these jobs, the jobs that even blacks don't want to do. He should apologize. He kind of did through his state -- you know, through his spokesperson, but not really.

MYERS: He did. And the easiest comment was our men, our laborers, are doing jobs that Americans don't want to do. That was it. That's all he had to say, but he didn't say that and that's why these comments are coming out.

COSTELLO: Yes. Thank you for your e-mails this morning.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, we'll talk about a financial alternative for those of you who want lower monthly mortgage payments.

Also, Congress is taking a look at the restrictions on stem cell research. We'll get some perspective from "TIME" magazine's Viveca Novak.

DAYBREAK will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In entertainment news now, it is officially the start of "Star Wars" week. The last film hits theaters on Thursday. But some have already seen the final product. Many of the stars of "Star Wars" were on hand as Episode III was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

But as CNN's Meara Erdozain reports, you don't necessarily have to be in a theater to experience the force.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEARA ERDOZAIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first glance, this looks like an average guy at work. Take a closer look, though, and you'll notice something odd, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, R2D2. He's not your average guy at all. He's Jim Knight, or Jim "Jedi" Knight to his friends. And never mind his office, Jim's home really gives the game away. It's like a museum packed to the brim with 'Star Wars" memorabilia. Aged 30, he's been collecting since he was 4.

JIM KNIGHT, "STAR WARS" COLLECTOR: This particularly figure here is my original figure from when I was a child. Basic Bob effects (ph) quite a strange character in the "Star Wars" universe because he was only briefly in "Empire Strikes Back." As a child, it would have roughly cost about -- it's probably about $2 now. You're looking probably about sort of $400 or $500.

ERDOZAIN: "Star Wars" merchandising sales have generated around $9 billion with many individual items costing thousands. The Atat (ph) is Jim's most expensive item. It set him back around $2,000.

KNIGHT: It's hard to explain what the fascination with it is, really. I know with the collectibles, I mean everything they're releasing now will have brought replicas (ph) are absolutely amazing and they just keep you entwined in the universe. ERDOZAIN: Modern technology means toys can do far more than they could even a decade ago. Some items are almost as good as the real thing. High-tech toys, plus a slew of new movies over the years has helped keep the "Star Wars" brand fresh. Experts say it explains why the merchandise continues to sell.

ANDY MILLIGAN, INTERBRAND: Whilst they've made the main characters have become iconic, like Darth Vader, C3PO, R2D2, though those characters survive throughout, they've always introduced new characters that kind of fit within that fantastical world and therefore give a new generation of fans something of their own to grab hold of.

DARTH VADER: Asteroids do not concern me, admiral, I want that ship.

ERDOZAIN: Serious collectors want to collect everything. Jim has spent around $20,000, and even then it's hard to know when to stop.

(on camera): This is the most sought after collectible item. It's a galactic passport, and it enables me to see every single "Star Wars" movie ever made in one sitting here at Leicester Square in London. The problem is they're hard to come by and they're expensive. This one cost almost $800. But luckily, it'll still be worth something once the movie is over, because collectors will always be looking for one of these.

Meara Erdozain, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And thank goodness for that.

The next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.

Straight-ahead on DAYBREAK, a firestorm of anti-American rage might have been sparked by a false alarm.

Also, will it keep you in the house or put you on the curb? We'll take a look at your mortgage.

And stem cell research, will Congress stem it or allow it to bloom?

It is Monday, May 16. You are watching DAYBREAK.

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