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CNN Live At Daybreak
What Went Wrong?; Storm Forecast
Aired May 17, 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, taking it back, taking it all back. The magazine that sparked these riots retracts its story.
Plus, what's in store for this year's hurricane season? The answer is blowin' in the wind, and there's going to be a lot of it.
And everybody gets to love Raymond one final time.
It is Tuesday, May 17. 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," is the Senate closer to a showdown over President Bush's court nominees? The Republican and Democratic leaders say they've broken off talks over the stalled nominations, but a bipartisan group of senators is still working on a compromise.
A British lawmaker faces his accusers in the United States this morning. George Galloway goes before a Senate panel probing the U.N.'s oil-for-food program in Iraq. He's accused of making shady deals with the former dictator, Saddam Hussein. Galloway denies it all.
Former South African leader Nelson Mandela heads to the White House in just about four hours. On his agenda, fighting the growing AIDS epidemic in Africa. He and President Bush will talk about America's multibillion-dollar AIDS initiative.
Winds so strong they could knock over a semi truck. That's the scene in Utah. Eighty-mile-an-hour gusts blew over semi trailers, knocked down power lines and uprooted trees.
No injuries reported, but, oh, what a mess, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and that's all part of storms, actually, that were just thunderstorms. They were dying in the process, and as they did they put out this big gust front, as we call it, and the front pushed right through the town and knocked down a lot of things.
They're called straight-line winds, Carol. We talk about the difference between a wind that just goes in one direction or one that spins around.
(WEATHER REPORT) COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: A retraction and apology and an explanation kicking off our coverage this morning. More fallout from a "Newsweek" story that sparked deadly anti-American protests overseas.
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has the latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After days of anger in the Muslim world and mounting political pressure from the Bush administration, "Newsweek" magazine retracted its story about desecration of the Quran at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A senior White House official called it a good first step.
Allegations so far unproven that U.S. military personnel desecrated the Quran at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have swirled around for months. But then, in its May 9 issue, "Newsweek" magazine said, "Interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Quran down a toilet." That touched off riots in Afghanistan and Pakistan, leaving at least 15 dead.
Now "Newsweek" says they got it wrong. Their source no longer certain about where he got the information that he told the magazine.
DAN KLAIDMAN, "NEWSWEEK" WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: This was an honest mistake. We are obviously not very happy about it.
STARR: Before "Newsweek's" retraction, the Bush administration struck back hard at the magazine.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: It's appalling, really, that an article that was unfounded to begin with has caused so much harm.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: People lost their lives. People are dead. And -- and that's unfortunate.
STARR: The military opened a new inquiry after the "Newsweek" article, publicly acknowledging it is looking into allegations of mishandling the Quran. But so far, officials say they haven't found any evidence of wrongdoing.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: More than one detainee tore pages out of the Quran and put in a toilet in protest to stop up the toilet. But we've not found it where -- any wrongdoing on the part of U.S. service members.
STARR: But in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where tensions still are running high, the military is trying to make sure everyone knows its side of the story.
COL. JAMES YONTS, COALITION SPOKESMAN: Any disrespect to the Quran and any other religion is not tolerated by our culture and our values. That goes against our beliefs, and we do not tolerate that.
STARR (on camera): The Pentagon's position is they will investigate all credible allegations about the Quran. And so far, they say, they haven't found any.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: So what went so terribly wrong? "Newsweek's" editor says it all comes down to one faulty source.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK WHITAKER, EDITOR, "NEWSWEEK": The fact is, I know that there is a conventional wisdom that you should never go with a story based on one source. You have to have two sources or three sources. The fact is that anybody who works in our business knows that occasionally there are stories that do have -- that do only have one source. Sometimes you can't...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Whitaker also says "Newsweek" is not the only cause of the deadly rioting. He says many elements contributed to it.
A sentencing hearing begins this morning for an Army specialist convicted for her role in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. A military jury at Fort Hood, Texas, convicted Specialist Sabrina Harman on all but one of seven charges against her. Harman could be sentenced to a maximum of five-and-a-half years in a military prison.
The Abu Ghraib prison scandal as art? Believe it. Artist Fernando Botero has done 48 paintings on the subject. The 73-year-old Paris and New York resident paintings will be shown in several European cities. So far, no American art museums have shown an interest.
Mexican President Vicente Fox says he regrets comments he made about African-Americans. Over the weekend, Fox told a business group that Mexican immigrants in the United States take jobs that "not even blacks would want to do." Fox phoned civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to tell them he regrets offending blacks. Sharpton says that's good, but not enough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: I've called on President Fox to just unequivocally apologize for a statement that is offensive, that is biased, and confirms the stereotype that blacks are the permanent lower tier of the workforce in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Mr. Fox invited Sharpton and Jackson to Mexico to work together on immigration rights and civil rights for immigrants in the United States.
In other news "Across America" now, federal officials could decide as early as today what to do with the two pilots who literally shut down Washington last week. You remember, they flew a small plane into restricted airspace, causing evacuations at the White House and on Capitol Hill. The likely penalty will be fines and suspensions of their pilots' licenses.
A California jury has recommended the death penalty for the man convicted of killing 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. Alejandro Avila was convicted by the same jury last month. The judge will decide Avila's sentence on July 22.
Runnion was abducted and murdered in 2002. Her case gave national attention to the then fledgling Amber Alert system, because now Amber Alerts can go right to your cell phone.
Starting today, cell phone users can sign up for portable Amber Alerts. Under the program, text alerts can be sent to about 90 percent of people who have cell phones or portable message systems. To sign up, go to www.wirelessamberalerts.com. Again, that's www.wirelessamberalerts.com.
Did you hear about the 14-year-old Bend, Oregon, girl? She hugged her boyfriend in the hallway and, wham, detention. It seems some public displays of affection like extended hugs are taboo in Bend, Oregon, schools.
The young girl is Cazz Altomare. That's her mom, Leslie Swanson. It seems the mom didn't take too well to the punishment. When she picked Cazz up from detention, she gave her daughter a great big hug.
School officials say quick hello and goodbye hugs are OK, but not lingering ones. Says mom, "I'm trying to understand what's wrong with a hug."
Chad, I want to bring you in on this, because this is our e-mail "Question of the Morning."
MYERS: It is, Carol. Remember when PDA stood for public displays of affection and not some little box you carried around in your pocket that had all your information in it? Yes. Well, PDA is no longer good in some spots. And even when I was going to school it wasn't a good thing.
You couldn't really do it in schools without getting in trouble for it. Supposedly, you'd get a couple of warnings, and then after the warnings then you'd get detention. And, oh, it's kind of gotten out of control in some spots. So we are going to have a...
COSTELLO: Well, I don't know if it's gotten out of control, because Cazz was warned several times...
MYERS: Several times.
COSTELLO: ... about hugging her boyfriend in the hall. MYERS: Correct.
COSTELLO: It wasn't just like a girlfriend. It was her boyfriend. She's 14 years old. I mean, do you remember back in high school when you saw the kids making out in the hall? I saw that all the time.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: It was kind of exciting. No, I'm just kidding. It wasn't. It just doesn't belong in schools, and that's what the principal is saying, in essence. He also says it makes underclassmen, younger kids, uncomfortable...
MYERS: Sure.
COSTELLO: ... to see public displays of affection.
MYERS: Because now you've got six, seven, eight-year-olds -- sixth, seventh, eighth graders now in one school, eighth graders doing it, sixth graders are looking at it. Oh, blah, blah, blah.
PDA, public displays of affection. Should excessive hugging be banned in public schools, Carol? DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Tell us what you think, tell us why you think it. And maybe we'll read some on the air later.
COSTELLO: I'm sure we will.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, get ready to batten down the hatches for another hurricane season. In about six minutes, why experts are predicting this year will be a doozy. Chad will also weigh in.
At 36 minutes after, bottoms up, how a Supreme Court ruling is changing how and where you can ship wine.
And at five till the top of the hour, everybody says farewell to a sitcom favorite.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Check the international markets. They're mixed this morning. Japan's Nikkei ends lower again, closing down nearly 122 points. Britain's FTSE is up nine. The German DAX is down just over two points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:14 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
A compromise is in the works over filibusters and judicial nomination. It could lead to five of President Bush's judicial nominees being accepted. The deal would also end the threat of changes to Senate filibuster rules, but it's not clear how many senators are in agreement on this deal.
North and South Korean representatives are meeting for the second straight day to discuss the north's nuclear program. South Korean officials say they've offered an important proposal in an effort to restart multinational talks on the issue. So far, the north has not responded to the proposal, and no details about it have been released.
In money news, delivery giant UPS has spent more than a billion dollars to add more trucks to its fleet. UPS bought Trucking Company overnight. The move allows UPS to expand its ability to deliver heavier items.
In culture, R&B singer Ciara has a chance to be center stage a lot next -- at next month's B.E.T. Music Awards. She topped all artists with four nominations, including best new artist. The show will be co-hosted by Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
In sports, Jack Nicklaus says he's ready to end his golf career. The 65-year-old legend says July's British Open will be his last pro tournament. The open will be played at the St. Andrews Course, which is where Nicklaus won two of his three British Open titles.
To the forecast center and Chad.
MYERS: It would be great to see him make the cut, Carol, wouldn't it?
COSTELLO: Oh, it would.
MYERS: Could you imagine? Did you hear that Tiger Woods did not make the cut last week? One hundred and thirty-seven cuts in a row and he didn't make it last week?
COSTELLO: I did.
MYERS: Wow. Wow, he's got to get some -- got to get some practice going on here.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Let's hope so. Anderson Cooper did a story on this last night. Here it is for you now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With less than a month to go before the start of hurricane season, in Pensacola, Florida, Wilton Holmes (ph) is making yet another trip to the Home Depot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the process of rebuilding our condo that we have on the beach.
COOPER: In Florida, they don't ask if you got hit by a hurricane last year, they ask how many times.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The last one caught us off-guard, you know. And it was real -- it was devastating.
COOPER: Between August 13 and September 25, Florida was slammed by not one, not two, but four major storms. It killed 113 people and caused $40 billion worth of damage. I was there for all four.
... Charley...
... with 145 mile-an-hour winds....
... Frances...:
... but you really have no idea what is coming toward you...
... Ivan...
... I've got the video...
... and Jeanne...
... whoa!
An average Atlantic season produces six hurricanes. Today, forecasters predicted this year will be above average, with seven to nine storms.
CONRAD LAUTENBACHER, NOAA ADMINISTRATOR: We can't predict very accurately at this far in advance how many will strike the United States. But with higher levels of activity, the statistics favor more of them striking the United States. So we would say to be prepared for two to three of these to make landfall.
COOPER: Last year, storms spread misery all around the Southeast and even up through Ohio and Pennsylvania.
MICHAEL D. BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: I urge all of you who are in these hurricane-prone areas to do what you can to prepare now.
COOPER: Good advice, even if you don't want to hear it. Do you know the quickest routes out of town? Do you have an idea of what family pictures and keepsakes you would absolutely want to take along? Have you set aside food that won't spoil if you lose power? And when was the last time you checked your insurance policy or jotted down your agent's phone number?
MAX MAYFIELD, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Have that hurricane plan, and have it in place now before the hurricane season gets here. The battle against the hurricane is won now, not when the hurricane comes knocking on the door.
COOPER: Back in Pensacola, Wilton Holmes (ph) and his neighbors are hoping they will at least have doors by the time this season's hurricane come knocking. This year, however, they are also worrying, what if? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get relaxed and next thing you know it's there and you're not ready.
COOPER: This is no time to relax. Hurricane season starts in just over two weeks, on June 1.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MYERS: And Carol, just because we focused a little bit there, and some of those shots were from Florida, that doesn't mean Florida is in the eye of the storm, so to speak, this time. It can be all the way from Texas, around Louisiana and up the East Coast. So make sure you're all prepared, because you are in the hurricane belt.
COSTELLO: I hope people do that. I do.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, a congressional subcommittee opens hearings on possible misconduct in Iraq's oil-for- food program.
And later, everybody says goodbye to Raymond.
You're watching DAYBREAK for Tuesday, May 17.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
COSTELLO: And on that note, it's time to get your morning going now with some "Late Night Laughs." Jay Leno has a lighter take on the whole "Newsweek" flap, if that's possible, Chad.
MYERS: I suppose.
COSTELLO: "The Tonight Show" host does not just skewer the magazine. He also gets some digs in at the White House and at rival networks. So let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Well, I just found out. You know what the toughest job in the world is? Does anybody know? Trying to sell subscriptions to "Newsweek" in Afghanistan. That's about as hard -- whoa!
(LAUGHTER)
It published a story that said that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay flushed a copy of the Quran down the toilet. It turned out the story is not true. The (INAUDIBLE), of course, will be punished in the usual way. They'll be given jobs at CBS.
The White House said today that "Newsweek" -- the "Newsweek" report had damaged the U.S. image overseas. And believe me, when it comes to damaging the U.S. image overseas, the White House knows what it's talking about, because they understand this kind of story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A little dig for everyone in there.
MYERS: Right. Spread it around a little bit.
COSTELLO: Equal opportunity, I don't know, poke you in the eye.
It's time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers," speaking of eyes.
MYERS: Did you hear about this house with the bees in it, Carol?
COSTELLO: Oh, it's incredible itself. A Florida couple got quite a surprise when they found those bees in their walls. It wasn't just some bees, as Chad said. Three million bees, to be exact.
MYERS: They said that they heard buzzing for a year or two but they weren't concerned. When do you get concerned, three years, four years?
COSTELLO: I don't know, but you know, there's a bright side to this story. The bees left behind 50 pounds of honey.
MYERS: Nice.
COSTELLO: All right. On to the next "Eye Opener."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you gonna do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MYERS: Oh, I'm very scared.
COSTELLO: Wow. Now you can get your Sunday sermon and choke slam in the same church. A church in Winnipeg is hoping they can attract more people, Chad, by offering wrestling matches after the traditional services. We can't make this stuff up.
MYERS: Like more than what? More than 12? I was thinking that that crowd, it's not big.
COSTELLO: You know, the difficult part is they'll be attracting preachers who are proficient in both apostles and anbars (ph).
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Wal-Mart is opening up a different kind of store today. It's a special Amish outlet. The store in Middlefield, Ohio, has a parking lot for Amish buggies that comes complete with a hitching post. They also have a special section for electricity-free appliances.
MYERS: That's right, like coffee makers and toasters that you can use over your coal stove.
COSTELLO: We're asking you an e-mail question today. A school in Oregon has banned hugging. No hugging. And if you hug anyone, students -- this is a middle school...
MYERS: Excessive hugging, Carol. No hugging less than three seconds -- more than three seconds.
COSTELLO: Right. So when you hug someone you have to go, "Mississippi one, Mississippi two, Mississippi -- so...
MYERS: It takes the romance out of it a little, doesn't it?
COSTELLO: One mother is very upset that her daughter got detention because she hugged her boyfriend in a hallway. So we want to hear from you this morning. PDA, should excessive hugging be banned in schools? DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 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," police say a group of Afghan thieves claim responsibility for kidnapping an Italian aid worker. Clementina Cantoni was dragged from her car in the center of Kabul. Her abduction follows several warnings that outsiders living in the capital could be kidnapped.
Former South African president Nelson Mandela heads to the White House in a few hours for talks with President Bush. Mandela is in the United States seeking more money for Africa, including help in fighting AIDS.
In Atlanta, an arraignment hearing for courthouse shooting suspect Brian Nichols gets under way this morning. He faces a 54- count indictment, including four charges of murder. Prosecutors say they'll seek the death penalty if he's convicted.
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 17, 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, taking it back, taking it all back. The magazine that sparked these riots retracts its story.
Plus, what's in store for this year's hurricane season? The answer is blowin' in the wind, and there's going to be a lot of it.
And everybody gets to love Raymond one final time.
It is Tuesday, May 17. 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," is the Senate closer to a showdown over President Bush's court nominees? The Republican and Democratic leaders say they've broken off talks over the stalled nominations, but a bipartisan group of senators is still working on a compromise.
A British lawmaker faces his accusers in the United States this morning. George Galloway goes before a Senate panel probing the U.N.'s oil-for-food program in Iraq. He's accused of making shady deals with the former dictator, Saddam Hussein. Galloway denies it all.
Former South African leader Nelson Mandela heads to the White House in just about four hours. On his agenda, fighting the growing AIDS epidemic in Africa. He and President Bush will talk about America's multibillion-dollar AIDS initiative.
Winds so strong they could knock over a semi truck. That's the scene in Utah. Eighty-mile-an-hour gusts blew over semi trailers, knocked down power lines and uprooted trees.
No injuries reported, but, oh, what a mess, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and that's all part of storms, actually, that were just thunderstorms. They were dying in the process, and as they did they put out this big gust front, as we call it, and the front pushed right through the town and knocked down a lot of things.
They're called straight-line winds, Carol. We talk about the difference between a wind that just goes in one direction or one that spins around.
(WEATHER REPORT) COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: A retraction and apology and an explanation kicking off our coverage this morning. More fallout from a "Newsweek" story that sparked deadly anti-American protests overseas.
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has the latest for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After days of anger in the Muslim world and mounting political pressure from the Bush administration, "Newsweek" magazine retracted its story about desecration of the Quran at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A senior White House official called it a good first step.
Allegations so far unproven that U.S. military personnel desecrated the Quran at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have swirled around for months. But then, in its May 9 issue, "Newsweek" magazine said, "Interrogators, in an attempt to rattle suspects, flushed a Quran down a toilet." That touched off riots in Afghanistan and Pakistan, leaving at least 15 dead.
Now "Newsweek" says they got it wrong. Their source no longer certain about where he got the information that he told the magazine.
DAN KLAIDMAN, "NEWSWEEK" WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: This was an honest mistake. We are obviously not very happy about it.
STARR: Before "Newsweek's" retraction, the Bush administration struck back hard at the magazine.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: It's appalling, really, that an article that was unfounded to begin with has caused so much harm.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: People lost their lives. People are dead. And -- and that's unfortunate.
STARR: The military opened a new inquiry after the "Newsweek" article, publicly acknowledging it is looking into allegations of mishandling the Quran. But so far, officials say they haven't found any evidence of wrongdoing.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: More than one detainee tore pages out of the Quran and put in a toilet in protest to stop up the toilet. But we've not found it where -- any wrongdoing on the part of U.S. service members.
STARR: But in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where tensions still are running high, the military is trying to make sure everyone knows its side of the story.
COL. JAMES YONTS, COALITION SPOKESMAN: Any disrespect to the Quran and any other religion is not tolerated by our culture and our values. That goes against our beliefs, and we do not tolerate that.
STARR (on camera): The Pentagon's position is they will investigate all credible allegations about the Quran. And so far, they say, they haven't found any.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: So what went so terribly wrong? "Newsweek's" editor says it all comes down to one faulty source.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK WHITAKER, EDITOR, "NEWSWEEK": The fact is, I know that there is a conventional wisdom that you should never go with a story based on one source. You have to have two sources or three sources. The fact is that anybody who works in our business knows that occasionally there are stories that do have -- that do only have one source. Sometimes you can't...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Whitaker also says "Newsweek" is not the only cause of the deadly rioting. He says many elements contributed to it.
A sentencing hearing begins this morning for an Army specialist convicted for her role in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. A military jury at Fort Hood, Texas, convicted Specialist Sabrina Harman on all but one of seven charges against her. Harman could be sentenced to a maximum of five-and-a-half years in a military prison.
The Abu Ghraib prison scandal as art? Believe it. Artist Fernando Botero has done 48 paintings on the subject. The 73-year-old Paris and New York resident paintings will be shown in several European cities. So far, no American art museums have shown an interest.
Mexican President Vicente Fox says he regrets comments he made about African-Americans. Over the weekend, Fox told a business group that Mexican immigrants in the United States take jobs that "not even blacks would want to do." Fox phoned civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to tell them he regrets offending blacks. Sharpton says that's good, but not enough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: I've called on President Fox to just unequivocally apologize for a statement that is offensive, that is biased, and confirms the stereotype that blacks are the permanent lower tier of the workforce in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Mr. Fox invited Sharpton and Jackson to Mexico to work together on immigration rights and civil rights for immigrants in the United States.
In other news "Across America" now, federal officials could decide as early as today what to do with the two pilots who literally shut down Washington last week. You remember, they flew a small plane into restricted airspace, causing evacuations at the White House and on Capitol Hill. The likely penalty will be fines and suspensions of their pilots' licenses.
A California jury has recommended the death penalty for the man convicted of killing 5-year-old Samantha Runnion. Alejandro Avila was convicted by the same jury last month. The judge will decide Avila's sentence on July 22.
Runnion was abducted and murdered in 2002. Her case gave national attention to the then fledgling Amber Alert system, because now Amber Alerts can go right to your cell phone.
Starting today, cell phone users can sign up for portable Amber Alerts. Under the program, text alerts can be sent to about 90 percent of people who have cell phones or portable message systems. To sign up, go to www.wirelessamberalerts.com. Again, that's www.wirelessamberalerts.com.
Did you hear about the 14-year-old Bend, Oregon, girl? She hugged her boyfriend in the hallway and, wham, detention. It seems some public displays of affection like extended hugs are taboo in Bend, Oregon, schools.
The young girl is Cazz Altomare. That's her mom, Leslie Swanson. It seems the mom didn't take too well to the punishment. When she picked Cazz up from detention, she gave her daughter a great big hug.
School officials say quick hello and goodbye hugs are OK, but not lingering ones. Says mom, "I'm trying to understand what's wrong with a hug."
Chad, I want to bring you in on this, because this is our e-mail "Question of the Morning."
MYERS: It is, Carol. Remember when PDA stood for public displays of affection and not some little box you carried around in your pocket that had all your information in it? Yes. Well, PDA is no longer good in some spots. And even when I was going to school it wasn't a good thing.
You couldn't really do it in schools without getting in trouble for it. Supposedly, you'd get a couple of warnings, and then after the warnings then you'd get detention. And, oh, it's kind of gotten out of control in some spots. So we are going to have a...
COSTELLO: Well, I don't know if it's gotten out of control, because Cazz was warned several times...
MYERS: Several times.
COSTELLO: ... about hugging her boyfriend in the hall. MYERS: Correct.
COSTELLO: It wasn't just like a girlfriend. It was her boyfriend. She's 14 years old. I mean, do you remember back in high school when you saw the kids making out in the hall? I saw that all the time.
MYERS: Right.
COSTELLO: It was kind of exciting. No, I'm just kidding. It wasn't. It just doesn't belong in schools, and that's what the principal is saying, in essence. He also says it makes underclassmen, younger kids, uncomfortable...
MYERS: Sure.
COSTELLO: ... to see public displays of affection.
MYERS: Because now you've got six, seven, eight-year-olds -- sixth, seventh, eighth graders now in one school, eighth graders doing it, sixth graders are looking at it. Oh, blah, blah, blah.
PDA, public displays of affection. Should excessive hugging be banned in public schools, Carol? DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Tell us what you think, tell us why you think it. And maybe we'll read some on the air later.
COSTELLO: I'm sure we will.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, get ready to batten down the hatches for another hurricane season. In about six minutes, why experts are predicting this year will be a doozy. Chad will also weigh in.
At 36 minutes after, bottoms up, how a Supreme Court ruling is changing how and where you can ship wine.
And at five till the top of the hour, everybody says farewell to a sitcom favorite.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Check the international markets. They're mixed this morning. Japan's Nikkei ends lower again, closing down nearly 122 points. Britain's FTSE is up nine. The German DAX is down just over two points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:14 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
A compromise is in the works over filibusters and judicial nomination. It could lead to five of President Bush's judicial nominees being accepted. The deal would also end the threat of changes to Senate filibuster rules, but it's not clear how many senators are in agreement on this deal.
North and South Korean representatives are meeting for the second straight day to discuss the north's nuclear program. South Korean officials say they've offered an important proposal in an effort to restart multinational talks on the issue. So far, the north has not responded to the proposal, and no details about it have been released.
In money news, delivery giant UPS has spent more than a billion dollars to add more trucks to its fleet. UPS bought Trucking Company overnight. The move allows UPS to expand its ability to deliver heavier items.
In culture, R&B singer Ciara has a chance to be center stage a lot next -- at next month's B.E.T. Music Awards. She topped all artists with four nominations, including best new artist. The show will be co-hosted by Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
In sports, Jack Nicklaus says he's ready to end his golf career. The 65-year-old legend says July's British Open will be his last pro tournament. The open will be played at the St. Andrews Course, which is where Nicklaus won two of his three British Open titles.
To the forecast center and Chad.
MYERS: It would be great to see him make the cut, Carol, wouldn't it?
COSTELLO: Oh, it would.
MYERS: Could you imagine? Did you hear that Tiger Woods did not make the cut last week? One hundred and thirty-seven cuts in a row and he didn't make it last week?
COSTELLO: I did.
MYERS: Wow. Wow, he's got to get some -- got to get some practice going on here.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Let's hope so. Anderson Cooper did a story on this last night. Here it is for you now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With less than a month to go before the start of hurricane season, in Pensacola, Florida, Wilton Holmes (ph) is making yet another trip to the Home Depot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the process of rebuilding our condo that we have on the beach.
COOPER: In Florida, they don't ask if you got hit by a hurricane last year, they ask how many times.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The last one caught us off-guard, you know. And it was real -- it was devastating.
COOPER: Between August 13 and September 25, Florida was slammed by not one, not two, but four major storms. It killed 113 people and caused $40 billion worth of damage. I was there for all four.
... Charley...
... with 145 mile-an-hour winds....
... Frances...:
... but you really have no idea what is coming toward you...
... Ivan...
... I've got the video...
... and Jeanne...
... whoa!
An average Atlantic season produces six hurricanes. Today, forecasters predicted this year will be above average, with seven to nine storms.
CONRAD LAUTENBACHER, NOAA ADMINISTRATOR: We can't predict very accurately at this far in advance how many will strike the United States. But with higher levels of activity, the statistics favor more of them striking the United States. So we would say to be prepared for two to three of these to make landfall.
COOPER: Last year, storms spread misery all around the Southeast and even up through Ohio and Pennsylvania.
MICHAEL D. BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: I urge all of you who are in these hurricane-prone areas to do what you can to prepare now.
COOPER: Good advice, even if you don't want to hear it. Do you know the quickest routes out of town? Do you have an idea of what family pictures and keepsakes you would absolutely want to take along? Have you set aside food that won't spoil if you lose power? And when was the last time you checked your insurance policy or jotted down your agent's phone number?
MAX MAYFIELD, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Have that hurricane plan, and have it in place now before the hurricane season gets here. The battle against the hurricane is won now, not when the hurricane comes knocking on the door.
COOPER: Back in Pensacola, Wilton Holmes (ph) and his neighbors are hoping they will at least have doors by the time this season's hurricane come knocking. This year, however, they are also worrying, what if? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get relaxed and next thing you know it's there and you're not ready.
COOPER: This is no time to relax. Hurricane season starts in just over two weeks, on June 1.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MYERS: And Carol, just because we focused a little bit there, and some of those shots were from Florida, that doesn't mean Florida is in the eye of the storm, so to speak, this time. It can be all the way from Texas, around Louisiana and up the East Coast. So make sure you're all prepared, because you are in the hurricane belt.
COSTELLO: I hope people do that. I do.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, a congressional subcommittee opens hearings on possible misconduct in Iraq's oil-for- food program.
And later, everybody says goodbye to Raymond.
You're watching DAYBREAK for Tuesday, May 17.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
COSTELLO: And on that note, it's time to get your morning going now with some "Late Night Laughs." Jay Leno has a lighter take on the whole "Newsweek" flap, if that's possible, Chad.
MYERS: I suppose.
COSTELLO: "The Tonight Show" host does not just skewer the magazine. He also gets some digs in at the White House and at rival networks. So let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Well, I just found out. You know what the toughest job in the world is? Does anybody know? Trying to sell subscriptions to "Newsweek" in Afghanistan. That's about as hard -- whoa!
(LAUGHTER)
It published a story that said that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay flushed a copy of the Quran down the toilet. It turned out the story is not true. The (INAUDIBLE), of course, will be punished in the usual way. They'll be given jobs at CBS.
The White House said today that "Newsweek" -- the "Newsweek" report had damaged the U.S. image overseas. And believe me, when it comes to damaging the U.S. image overseas, the White House knows what it's talking about, because they understand this kind of story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: A little dig for everyone in there.
MYERS: Right. Spread it around a little bit.
COSTELLO: Equal opportunity, I don't know, poke you in the eye.
It's time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Openers," speaking of eyes.
MYERS: Did you hear about this house with the bees in it, Carol?
COSTELLO: Oh, it's incredible itself. A Florida couple got quite a surprise when they found those bees in their walls. It wasn't just some bees, as Chad said. Three million bees, to be exact.
MYERS: They said that they heard buzzing for a year or two but they weren't concerned. When do you get concerned, three years, four years?
COSTELLO: I don't know, but you know, there's a bright side to this story. The bees left behind 50 pounds of honey.
MYERS: Nice.
COSTELLO: All right. On to the next "Eye Opener."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you gonna do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MYERS: Oh, I'm very scared.
COSTELLO: Wow. Now you can get your Sunday sermon and choke slam in the same church. A church in Winnipeg is hoping they can attract more people, Chad, by offering wrestling matches after the traditional services. We can't make this stuff up.
MYERS: Like more than what? More than 12? I was thinking that that crowd, it's not big.
COSTELLO: You know, the difficult part is they'll be attracting preachers who are proficient in both apostles and anbars (ph).
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Wal-Mart is opening up a different kind of store today. It's a special Amish outlet. The store in Middlefield, Ohio, has a parking lot for Amish buggies that comes complete with a hitching post. They also have a special section for electricity-free appliances.
MYERS: That's right, like coffee makers and toasters that you can use over your coal stove.
COSTELLO: We're asking you an e-mail question today. A school in Oregon has banned hugging. No hugging. And if you hug anyone, students -- this is a middle school...
MYERS: Excessive hugging, Carol. No hugging less than three seconds -- more than three seconds.
COSTELLO: Right. So when you hug someone you have to go, "Mississippi one, Mississippi two, Mississippi -- so...
MYERS: It takes the romance out of it a little, doesn't it?
COSTELLO: One mother is very upset that her daughter got detention because she hugged her boyfriend in a hallway. So we want to hear from you this morning. PDA, should excessive hugging be banned in schools? DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 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," police say a group of Afghan thieves claim responsibility for kidnapping an Italian aid worker. Clementina Cantoni was dragged from her car in the center of Kabul. Her abduction follows several warnings that outsiders living in the capital could be kidnapped.
Former South African president Nelson Mandela heads to the White House in a few hours for talks with President Bush. Mandela is in the United States seeking more money for Africa, including help in fighting AIDS.
In Atlanta, an arraignment hearing for courthouse shooting suspect Brian Nichols gets under way this morning. He faces a 54- count indictment, including four charges of murder. Prosecutors say they'll seek the death penalty if he's convicted.
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