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CNN Live At Daybreak
Fighting Words; Survivor's Story
Aired May 18, 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE GALLOWAY, BRITISH LAWMAKER: Senator, this is the mother of all smokescreens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Fighting words from a fiery British lawmaker. Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, he came across the pond and faces accusers on their home turf.
Plus, Africans wrestle with their most lethal predator. It doesn't have teeth or claws, but it will not stop killing.
And we'll put a little twang in your morning with country music's biggest night.
It is Wednesday, May 18. This is DAYBREAK.
Good morning to you. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News," weapons in space? According to this morning's "New York Times," the Air Force wants President Bush to approve a special order. It would move the U.S. closer to deploying space weapons to protect the country.
The fight over filibusters could reach the Senate floor as early as today. Majority Leader Bill Frist has warned that he'll change the filibuster rules if Democrats try to stall votes on some of President Bush's judicial nominees.
Commissioners of three of the four major sports are expected to testify about steroids today before Congress. Management and labor leaders from baseball, basketball and hockey are all involved in this round of hearings.
Shapely dresses, a personal phonebook and even divorce papers, those are some of the 200 items from Marilyn Monroe's estate that are being put up for sale. The auction happens June 4 in Los Angeles.
In the 6:00 hour, Chad, we are going to talk to the auctioneer.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Are you going to bid on anything, Carol?
COSTELLO: I wish I -- I wish I had the money, because I would. MYERS: Well, you know, it could only go up, right? Isn't that what they always say?
COSTELLO: Yes, but some of the items are going for $20,000 to $40,000 or more.
MYERS: Carol, you have that.
COSTELLO: But my husband won't let me spend it.
MYERS: Ask Timmy.
Good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: No holding back. British lawmaker George Galloway came out swinging when he appeared before a Senate panel. He is the first official to publicly face accusations stemming from the U.N.'s oil-for-food program in Iraq. But what started as a hearing in the scandal-filled program turned into a whole lot more.
CNN's Richard Roth got a ringside seat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. NORM COLEMAN, (R) MINNESOTA: You swear the testimony you're about to give before this subcommittee is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
GALLOWAY: I do.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Taking the oath was about the only thing British Parliament Minister George Galloway accepted from the Senate committee investigating Oil- for-Food corruption. The fiery Galloway was accused by the committee last week of being rewarded by Saddam Hussein with the rights to 20 million barrels of oil for opposing economic sanctions. The committee chairman, Senator Norm Coleman, reminded him.
COLEMAN: Senior Iraqi officials have confirmed that you in fact received oil allocations and that the documents that identify you as an allocation recipient are valid.
ROTH: Right from the start, Galloway went on the attack.
GALLOWAY: Senator, I am not now, nor have I ever been, an oil trader, and neither has anyone on my behalf. I have never seen a barrel of oil, owned one, bought one, sold one, and neither has anybody on my behalf.
Now, I know that standards have slipped over the last few years in Washington, but for a lawyer, you're remarkably cavalier with any idea of justice.
ROTH: Usually, witnesses before congressional committees show deference -- not the anti-war activist who vowed to appear with both barrels blazing.
GALLOWAY: Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong, and 100,000 people have paid with their lives -- 1,600 of them American soldiers, sent to their deaths on a pack of lies.
ROTH: The bipartisan committee report said Galloway funneled oil allocations through two companies and a charity named after a 4-year- old girl suffering from leukemia.
GALLOWAY: What counts is not the names on the paper. What counts is where's the money, Senator. Who paid me hundreds of thousands of dollars of money? The answer to that is nobody, and if you had anybody who ever paid me a penny, you would have produced them here today.
ROTH: Later, Senator Coleman said it wasn't a wrestling match, but important to get on the record.
COLEMAN: And, I think that Mr. Galloway's credibility is certainly very, very suspect, and if in fact he lied to this committee then there will have to be consequences to that.
ROTH (on camera): Galloway praised Kofi Annan and U.N. efforts to stop the war in Iraq. He can heap scorn on this Senate panel, but a United Nations-approved investigation into oil-for-food and connections between Saddam Hussein and businesses and politicians is anticipated this summer. Galloway says he has nothing to fear.
Richard Roth, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The war in Iraq also plays into a complaint being filed against the FBI. The ACLU is using the Freedom of Information Act to learn if the agency is targeting political dissidents. The ACLU and several activists and antiwar groups are demanding agency records on the surveillance of infiltration of political and religious organizations. The ACLU is joined by the American Arab Anti- Discrimination Committee, Greenpeace, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and United for Peace and Justice.
Police in Idaho have issued an Amber Alert for two children missing from the scene of a triple homicide. Investigators say 33- year-old Robert Lutner is a person of interest in both the killings and the children's disappearance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF ROCKY WATSON, KOOTENAI COUNTY, IDAHO: Our main concern right now are the two children we cannot find. We've got search dogs and the search and rescue working the immediate area. Also, law any enforcement agencies are notified Amber Alert, trying to find out where these children are or what happened to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Take a look at the pictures. Missing are 9-year-old Dillon Groene and his 8-year-old sister Shasta. Police say Lutner could be driving either a 1975 silver Ford pickup truck or a 1990 white Toyota pickup.
Here are two hotlines to call: 208-446-2292 or 208-446-2293. Just e-mail us and we'll get you those numbers again.
The children's mother, their 13-year-old brother and a 37-year- old man have been identified as the victims in that triple homicide.
New legislation concerning sex offenders will be unveiled on Capitol Hill this morning. It would include lifetime electronic monitoring for twice-convicted offenders. The bill also kills for sex offenders to register themselves before they leave prison.
In other news "Across America" now, Atlanta courthouse shooting suspect Brian Nichols pleaded not guilty to charges, including murder and kidnapping. Nichols faces 54 charges for the incident in March that left four people dead. The judge in the case says they'll be hearing pretrial motions in June. They include a request to move the trial away from Atlanta.
Two members of a violent Washington street gang have been convicted by a federal jury in Virginia. They were charged in the murder of a female gang member who was also a government informant. Both could face the death penalty. Two other gang members were acquitted.
For the first time in three decades an incumbent mayor has lost in Los Angeles. In a battle of Democrats, city councilman Antonio Villaraigosa has defeated incumbent James Hahn, and by a pretty wide margin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, LOS ANGELES MAYOR-ELECT: Let's declare our purpose here and now. Our purpose is to bring this great city together. Our purpose is to grow (ph) fully and equally on the rich diversities of all our communities and neighborhoods.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Villaraigosa becomes the city's first Hispanic mayor in 133 years.
Time for our e-mail question now, Chad, "Trumping" the Freedom Tower.
MYERS: Yes, the new tower, maybe.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Donald Trump wants to take on the job of rebuilding the World Trade Center site, and he unveils his design in just under six hours. Trump wants to scrap the current plans for a 1,776 foot Freedom Tower -- that's what you're seeing here.
MYERS: You know what he calls it, Carol?
COSTELLO: What?
MYERS: He calls it a pile of junk.
COSTELLO: That's really nice, isn't it?
MYERS: It really is.
COSTELLO: Trump says his proposal's even bigger and better than the original twin towers. He talked about it with our Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE TYCOON: The buildings are terrible. It's not really a building as such. It's 60 stories of building, and it's 40 stories of frame. They're having a hard time structurally even holding up the frame.
You know the top of that building, they say it's 1,776 feet, which is a nice number because of what it represents, but it's not really a building per se. I mean, it's ridiculous. It's just a frame at the top of a building, and it doesn't look good. And then the buildings surrounding it are all different angles, they're all conflicting angles, and the architecture is terrible.
And what I would like to see -- you know the way I look at it? If they build that, the terrorists win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Freedom Tower plans have run into a host of problems lately, leading to an entire overhaul. Trump says he wants to build twin towers that are stronger, safer, and one story taller than the originals.
And you know what happened to the original design and why it won't be built anytime soon?
MYERS: Well, the police department, too, even on the latest design, said they couldn't -- they couldn't defend it. It was going to be very hard for them to keep security around that plan. So...
COSTELLO: Yes, because it was too close to the street and it wouldn't protect it from, you know, suicide car bombings, perhaps.
MYERS: Yes, right.
COSTELLO: So, they have to redesign the Freedom Tower.
MYERS: The redesign...
COSTELLO: The redesign is supposed to be ready by the end of June. Everything's behind by a year. And, of course, go ahead. It brings us to our e-mail question this morning.
MYERS: Well, Donald Trump is actually going to show us his version in about six hours or so, but we want to know what you think. What should happen to this space at ground zero?
If you've been down there, it's a very moving experience to stand there on the platform, look over and realize, if you were there before, what was there and what is there now. What should happen to that space, those acres there at ground zero? E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And coming up on DAYBREAK, South Africa faces off against a deadly killer. We'll get an update on an epidemic.
And it was a quarter century ago when this mountain blew its top. We will revisit Mount St. Helens.
And country music celebrates its best and brightest.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The international markets are looking bright and shiny for a change. Tokyo's Nikkei up 10 points. The London FTSE higher by 20. And the German DAX up by almost 30 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:16 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Police in Idaho have now identified a person of interest in the disappearance of two children. An Amber Alert was issued for the 9- year-old boy and 8-year-old girl after police found three people murdered in their home.
President Bush is demanding action on his judicial nominees. Two of the nominees could be brought up for a vote this week, which could lead to more Senate fighting over filibuster rules. Compromised deals have been in the works for several days.
In money news, Toyota's next hybrid car will be built in Kentucky. The company says a hybrid model of the popular Camry will be built late next year at their plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. Building it here in the United States could mean lower sticker prices for you.
In culture, you could now get a camera that matches your underwear. Thank god for that. Singer Gwen Stefani is expanding her new clothing line to include electronic accessories, like digital cameras. They're also supposed to go well with her Japanese-inspired hats, T-shirts, baby clothes and underwear.
In sports, defending Indy 500 champ Buddy Rice will have to sit out this year's race. Doctors refused to clear Rice because of a serious injury he suffered in a crash during practice last week. He suffered a concussion and partially torn spinal ligament.
And that was at round turn two, right, Chad? And they're having all sorts of problems with turn two at the Indianapolis 500.
MYERS: You know, Carol, the Indianapolis 500 is actually a big rectangle. And these corners are very, very sharp.
Even now what they call -- with the safer walls, or the softer walls where he hit, it's -- it takes a little bit of the shock out of the car, but that was a tremendous hit. The car came around, backed into the wall. Almost the same type of a wreck in Formula One we had with Ralph Schumacher last year as he backed it in to the wall. And he hurt himself. He was out for weeks and weeks.
And that was a bad crash. When I saw it happen, I thought, oh, that's going to hurt somebody. And obviously he's out for that race there.
So -- but he -- they do expect him to make a 100 percent recovery on that. So that's some good news.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thanks, Chad.
That's a look at the latest headlines for you.
Do you remember where you were on this day 25 years ago? Remember what happened? They do in the Pacific Northwest.
This is the day Mount St. Helens erupted 25 years ago. Our Peter Viles found one man who survived by riding a log in a river of mud.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the spot where Roald Reitan was sure he would die 25 years ago. In fact, he asked for death.
ROALD REITAN, SURVIVED ERUPTION: If it's going to kill me, I'm saying, "Just do it." You know, "Get it over with."
VILES: It started as a romantic camping trip, 19-year-old Roald, his girlfriend, Venus Dergen (ph). It's true, Mount St. Helens was acting up, but nobody thought this area was at risk.
(on camera): How far are we right now from the mountain itself?
REITAN: Forty-six miles as you go on the highway.
VILES: Forty-six miles. So you're way in the safe area.
REITAN: Oh, yes.
VILES: Yes.
REITAN: I mean, I figured...
VILES: At least you thought you were.
REITAN: Yes. I mean, so did the (INAUDIBLE) anybody else.
VILES (voice-over): But on Sunday morning, May 18, 1980, the peaceful river told violent.
REITAN: When it was rumbling around the corner, it sounded like a monster coming through the forest.
VILES: The monster was a river made of mud, ash and trees, and suddenly, two scared teenagers.
REITAN: I told Venus to jump. I said, "Jump." You know, then we jumped. And I landed on a big log like you ride a horse, just -- and she went just right in between two of them and she was gone.
VILES (on camera): She went under?
REITAN: Yes. It's like gone. Like, you know, she was next to me one second when we jumped, and when I hit a log, you know, I looked at her, and I just saw her go right in between two of them. And I thought she was dead for sure.
VILES: Right.
REITAN: You know, and I thought I was going to be dead, too.
VILES (voice-over): Somehow, Roald steadied himself. Twice he grabbed his girlfriend, but twice the river took her back.
REITAN: Fear's ebbing from me, and now I'm getting mad. I mean, I'm really getting mad because it's like, you know, I found her twice. It's like -- and it's taking it away from me. It's like, no way.
VILES: The third time he held on.
REITAN: She was freezing. And I grabbed her by her shoulders and her hair and I pulled her out of it, all the way out. You know, and I was telling myself, "There's no way I'm going to let her go."
VILES: He held on for half an hour, fighting his way out of the torrent of mud.
REITAN: When we got out of it the ordeal wasn't over. You know? I mean, basically, the worst part of it was when we got out, because we had to walk all the way back.
VILES: They stumbled in the woods for hours, rescued at least by helicopter. The pilot revealing to Roald what had happened that morning at Mount St. Helens.
REITAN: He looks right over at me, you know, because the other fellow's in between us. He looked at me and he goes, "You want to see what almost killed you?" And I said, "What?" And as he was like -- I was feeling the G forces of the thing going up and he spun it right around, and that's when I saw it.
VILES (on camera): You saw the mountain?
REITAN: Oh, yes. And it was just like a surreal steam engine. I mean, just the smoke going straight up.
VILES (voice-over): In an instant, Mount St. Helens had blown apart, killing 57 people, leveling hundreds of square miles of forest, scarring the landscape and those who survived.
REITAN: It's just like it was yesterday. I can close my eyes and relive it, every second of what happened.
VILES (on camera): Right.
(voice-over): Peter Viles, for CNN, Toutle, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, we'll find out what Mr. and Mrs. Spears told David Letterman last night. And believe me, you will not want to miss this. You won't. I'm serious.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Wednesday, May 18.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: You know, Britney Spears and her husband have been everywhere because they're going to do their new reality show. They shot it themselves on home video.
Well, they're everywhere. They were on "Ellen" last night, they were on "David Letterman," Chad, to promote that reality show.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Did you see it?
MYERS: You know, I missed it. But I think I might have it on my VCR.
COSTELLO: Really?
MYERS: No.
COSTELLO: Well, if you don't, here it is for all of you now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": .. reasons to watch the new show.
No. 10...
BRITNEY SPEARS, SINGER: There's never-before-seen footage of me wrestling an alligator. LETTERMAN: OK. I'm there, dude.
No. 9...
KEVIN FEDERLINE, DANCER: Unlike those "Desperate Housewife" chicks, we're not like 60 years old.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: Exactly. Exactly.
No. 8...
SPEARS: It's like "American Idol," except no one sleeps with Paula Abdul.
LETTERMAN: Ooh. Check it out. What up, dawg?
No. 7...
FEDERLINE: In the first episode, you can see my ass.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: No. 6...
SPEARS: I'm hot.
FEDERLINE: That's right.
LETTERMAN: No. 5...
FEDERLINE: She's hot.
LETTERMAN: Yes.
No. 4...
SPEARS: We haven't had nearly enough media coverage.
FEDERLINE: We haven't had nearly enough media coverage.
LETTERMAN: That's right. Go get 'em, kids.
No. 3...
SPEARS: It's got to be better than this show.
LETTERMAN: Yes. Well...
(BOOING)
LETTERMAN: Hey, I heard that.
No. 2...
FEDERLINE: If enough people tune in, maybe my wife will make out with Madonna again.
LETTERMAN: Wow. Remember that?
(APPLAUSE)
LETTERMAN: Remember that, Paul?
PAUL SHAFFER, "LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": I'm hoping enough people tune in.
LETTERMAN: Remember when that happened?
SHAFFER: I -- of course I remember.
LETTERMAN: Oh, my god. What a memorable...
SHAFFER: It changed the course of show business forever.
LETTERMAN: That's exactly right.
SHAFFER: Yes.
LETTERMAN: Really? It changed show business forever?
SHAFFER: Well, maybe it didn't.
LETTERMAN: All right.
And the number one reason to watch Britney Spears' and Kevin Federline's new show...
SPEARS: In the season finale, you'll find out Dave is the father of my baby.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That actually wasn't as bad as I thought. They were pretty funny.
MYERS: Really? You have lowered your standards to funniness.
COSTELLO: Oh, they're young.
MYERS: Because I didn't find that very humorous.
COSTELLO: They're young and silly and in love.
MYERS: Slow -- OK.
COSTELLO: Let's move on now.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: This next story is big. In fact, you could say it's ginormous.
MYERS: What?
COSTELLO: Ginormous.
MYERS: That's not a word.
COSTELLO: Well, it is, according to our friends at the Merriam- Webster -- you know, the dictionary people. This list of words that are not in the dictionary, but ought to be -- and ginormous is one of them, Chad.
MYERS: Bigger than gigantic and bigger than enormous.
COSTELLO: That's exactly what it means.
Confuzzled...
MYERS: Simultaneously confused and puzzled.
COSTELLO: Whoot...
MYERS: An exclamation of joy... whoot, whoot, whoot, whoot. I think "pitchy" should be in there. "Ah, you were a little pitchy."
COSTELLO: Pitchy?
MYERS: Pitchy, a little pitchy.
COSTELLO: What would that mean?
MYERS: It's from -- it's from "American Idol," Carol. "You started out a little pitchy, it wasn't so good."
COSTELLO: See, I don't watch "American Idol." I'm going to have to...
MYERS: You've got to get on there. You don't watch NASCAR either. See, Darrell Waltrip made up a new word as well. It's coopetition (ph).
COSTELLO: I watch "As the World Turns" in the afternoon.
MYERS: OK. I see. You don't like NoDoz.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Here's what's all new in the next half-hour of DAYBREAK.
A notorious Cuban exile is arrested in Florida. Is he an anti- Castro activist, or is he a terrorist? We'll take a closer look in six minutes.
And it's good to be Kenny Chesney. Soon after marrying Renee Zellweger, the country artist receives top honors from his peers. Details in a half-hour.
You're watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 18, 2005 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE GALLOWAY, BRITISH LAWMAKER: Senator, this is the mother of all smokescreens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Fighting words from a fiery British lawmaker. Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, he came across the pond and faces accusers on their home turf.
Plus, Africans wrestle with their most lethal predator. It doesn't have teeth or claws, but it will not stop killing.
And we'll put a little twang in your morning with country music's biggest night.
It is Wednesday, May 18. This is DAYBREAK.
Good morning to you. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News," weapons in space? According to this morning's "New York Times," the Air Force wants President Bush to approve a special order. It would move the U.S. closer to deploying space weapons to protect the country.
The fight over filibusters could reach the Senate floor as early as today. Majority Leader Bill Frist has warned that he'll change the filibuster rules if Democrats try to stall votes on some of President Bush's judicial nominees.
Commissioners of three of the four major sports are expected to testify about steroids today before Congress. Management and labor leaders from baseball, basketball and hockey are all involved in this round of hearings.
Shapely dresses, a personal phonebook and even divorce papers, those are some of the 200 items from Marilyn Monroe's estate that are being put up for sale. The auction happens June 4 in Los Angeles.
In the 6:00 hour, Chad, we are going to talk to the auctioneer.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Are you going to bid on anything, Carol?
COSTELLO: I wish I -- I wish I had the money, because I would. MYERS: Well, you know, it could only go up, right? Isn't that what they always say?
COSTELLO: Yes, but some of the items are going for $20,000 to $40,000 or more.
MYERS: Carol, you have that.
COSTELLO: But my husband won't let me spend it.
MYERS: Ask Timmy.
Good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: No holding back. British lawmaker George Galloway came out swinging when he appeared before a Senate panel. He is the first official to publicly face accusations stemming from the U.N.'s oil-for-food program in Iraq. But what started as a hearing in the scandal-filled program turned into a whole lot more.
CNN's Richard Roth got a ringside seat.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. NORM COLEMAN, (R) MINNESOTA: You swear the testimony you're about to give before this subcommittee is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
GALLOWAY: I do.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Taking the oath was about the only thing British Parliament Minister George Galloway accepted from the Senate committee investigating Oil- for-Food corruption. The fiery Galloway was accused by the committee last week of being rewarded by Saddam Hussein with the rights to 20 million barrels of oil for opposing economic sanctions. The committee chairman, Senator Norm Coleman, reminded him.
COLEMAN: Senior Iraqi officials have confirmed that you in fact received oil allocations and that the documents that identify you as an allocation recipient are valid.
ROTH: Right from the start, Galloway went on the attack.
GALLOWAY: Senator, I am not now, nor have I ever been, an oil trader, and neither has anyone on my behalf. I have never seen a barrel of oil, owned one, bought one, sold one, and neither has anybody on my behalf.
Now, I know that standards have slipped over the last few years in Washington, but for a lawyer, you're remarkably cavalier with any idea of justice.
ROTH: Usually, witnesses before congressional committees show deference -- not the anti-war activist who vowed to appear with both barrels blazing.
GALLOWAY: Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong, and 100,000 people have paid with their lives -- 1,600 of them American soldiers, sent to their deaths on a pack of lies.
ROTH: The bipartisan committee report said Galloway funneled oil allocations through two companies and a charity named after a 4-year- old girl suffering from leukemia.
GALLOWAY: What counts is not the names on the paper. What counts is where's the money, Senator. Who paid me hundreds of thousands of dollars of money? The answer to that is nobody, and if you had anybody who ever paid me a penny, you would have produced them here today.
ROTH: Later, Senator Coleman said it wasn't a wrestling match, but important to get on the record.
COLEMAN: And, I think that Mr. Galloway's credibility is certainly very, very suspect, and if in fact he lied to this committee then there will have to be consequences to that.
ROTH (on camera): Galloway praised Kofi Annan and U.N. efforts to stop the war in Iraq. He can heap scorn on this Senate panel, but a United Nations-approved investigation into oil-for-food and connections between Saddam Hussein and businesses and politicians is anticipated this summer. Galloway says he has nothing to fear.
Richard Roth, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The war in Iraq also plays into a complaint being filed against the FBI. The ACLU is using the Freedom of Information Act to learn if the agency is targeting political dissidents. The ACLU and several activists and antiwar groups are demanding agency records on the surveillance of infiltration of political and religious organizations. The ACLU is joined by the American Arab Anti- Discrimination Committee, Greenpeace, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and United for Peace and Justice.
Police in Idaho have issued an Amber Alert for two children missing from the scene of a triple homicide. Investigators say 33- year-old Robert Lutner is a person of interest in both the killings and the children's disappearance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF ROCKY WATSON, KOOTENAI COUNTY, IDAHO: Our main concern right now are the two children we cannot find. We've got search dogs and the search and rescue working the immediate area. Also, law any enforcement agencies are notified Amber Alert, trying to find out where these children are or what happened to them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Take a look at the pictures. Missing are 9-year-old Dillon Groene and his 8-year-old sister Shasta. Police say Lutner could be driving either a 1975 silver Ford pickup truck or a 1990 white Toyota pickup.
Here are two hotlines to call: 208-446-2292 or 208-446-2293. Just e-mail us and we'll get you those numbers again.
The children's mother, their 13-year-old brother and a 37-year- old man have been identified as the victims in that triple homicide.
New legislation concerning sex offenders will be unveiled on Capitol Hill this morning. It would include lifetime electronic monitoring for twice-convicted offenders. The bill also kills for sex offenders to register themselves before they leave prison.
In other news "Across America" now, Atlanta courthouse shooting suspect Brian Nichols pleaded not guilty to charges, including murder and kidnapping. Nichols faces 54 charges for the incident in March that left four people dead. The judge in the case says they'll be hearing pretrial motions in June. They include a request to move the trial away from Atlanta.
Two members of a violent Washington street gang have been convicted by a federal jury in Virginia. They were charged in the murder of a female gang member who was also a government informant. Both could face the death penalty. Two other gang members were acquitted.
For the first time in three decades an incumbent mayor has lost in Los Angeles. In a battle of Democrats, city councilman Antonio Villaraigosa has defeated incumbent James Hahn, and by a pretty wide margin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, LOS ANGELES MAYOR-ELECT: Let's declare our purpose here and now. Our purpose is to bring this great city together. Our purpose is to grow (ph) fully and equally on the rich diversities of all our communities and neighborhoods.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Villaraigosa becomes the city's first Hispanic mayor in 133 years.
Time for our e-mail question now, Chad, "Trumping" the Freedom Tower.
MYERS: Yes, the new tower, maybe.
COSTELLO: Exactly. Donald Trump wants to take on the job of rebuilding the World Trade Center site, and he unveils his design in just under six hours. Trump wants to scrap the current plans for a 1,776 foot Freedom Tower -- that's what you're seeing here.
MYERS: You know what he calls it, Carol?
COSTELLO: What?
MYERS: He calls it a pile of junk.
COSTELLO: That's really nice, isn't it?
MYERS: It really is.
COSTELLO: Trump says his proposal's even bigger and better than the original twin towers. He talked about it with our Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE TYCOON: The buildings are terrible. It's not really a building as such. It's 60 stories of building, and it's 40 stories of frame. They're having a hard time structurally even holding up the frame.
You know the top of that building, they say it's 1,776 feet, which is a nice number because of what it represents, but it's not really a building per se. I mean, it's ridiculous. It's just a frame at the top of a building, and it doesn't look good. And then the buildings surrounding it are all different angles, they're all conflicting angles, and the architecture is terrible.
And what I would like to see -- you know the way I look at it? If they build that, the terrorists win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Freedom Tower plans have run into a host of problems lately, leading to an entire overhaul. Trump says he wants to build twin towers that are stronger, safer, and one story taller than the originals.
And you know what happened to the original design and why it won't be built anytime soon?
MYERS: Well, the police department, too, even on the latest design, said they couldn't -- they couldn't defend it. It was going to be very hard for them to keep security around that plan. So...
COSTELLO: Yes, because it was too close to the street and it wouldn't protect it from, you know, suicide car bombings, perhaps.
MYERS: Yes, right.
COSTELLO: So, they have to redesign the Freedom Tower.
MYERS: The redesign...
COSTELLO: The redesign is supposed to be ready by the end of June. Everything's behind by a year. And, of course, go ahead. It brings us to our e-mail question this morning.
MYERS: Well, Donald Trump is actually going to show us his version in about six hours or so, but we want to know what you think. What should happen to this space at ground zero?
If you've been down there, it's a very moving experience to stand there on the platform, look over and realize, if you were there before, what was there and what is there now. What should happen to that space, those acres there at ground zero? E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And coming up on DAYBREAK, South Africa faces off against a deadly killer. We'll get an update on an epidemic.
And it was a quarter century ago when this mountain blew its top. We will revisit Mount St. Helens.
And country music celebrates its best and brightest.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The international markets are looking bright and shiny for a change. Tokyo's Nikkei up 10 points. The London FTSE higher by 20. And the German DAX up by almost 30 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:16 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
Police in Idaho have now identified a person of interest in the disappearance of two children. An Amber Alert was issued for the 9- year-old boy and 8-year-old girl after police found three people murdered in their home.
President Bush is demanding action on his judicial nominees. Two of the nominees could be brought up for a vote this week, which could lead to more Senate fighting over filibuster rules. Compromised deals have been in the works for several days.
In money news, Toyota's next hybrid car will be built in Kentucky. The company says a hybrid model of the popular Camry will be built late next year at their plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. Building it here in the United States could mean lower sticker prices for you.
In culture, you could now get a camera that matches your underwear. Thank god for that. Singer Gwen Stefani is expanding her new clothing line to include electronic accessories, like digital cameras. They're also supposed to go well with her Japanese-inspired hats, T-shirts, baby clothes and underwear.
In sports, defending Indy 500 champ Buddy Rice will have to sit out this year's race. Doctors refused to clear Rice because of a serious injury he suffered in a crash during practice last week. He suffered a concussion and partially torn spinal ligament.
And that was at round turn two, right, Chad? And they're having all sorts of problems with turn two at the Indianapolis 500.
MYERS: You know, Carol, the Indianapolis 500 is actually a big rectangle. And these corners are very, very sharp.
Even now what they call -- with the safer walls, or the softer walls where he hit, it's -- it takes a little bit of the shock out of the car, but that was a tremendous hit. The car came around, backed into the wall. Almost the same type of a wreck in Formula One we had with Ralph Schumacher last year as he backed it in to the wall. And he hurt himself. He was out for weeks and weeks.
And that was a bad crash. When I saw it happen, I thought, oh, that's going to hurt somebody. And obviously he's out for that race there.
So -- but he -- they do expect him to make a 100 percent recovery on that. So that's some good news.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thanks, Chad.
That's a look at the latest headlines for you.
Do you remember where you were on this day 25 years ago? Remember what happened? They do in the Pacific Northwest.
This is the day Mount St. Helens erupted 25 years ago. Our Peter Viles found one man who survived by riding a log in a river of mud.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the spot where Roald Reitan was sure he would die 25 years ago. In fact, he asked for death.
ROALD REITAN, SURVIVED ERUPTION: If it's going to kill me, I'm saying, "Just do it." You know, "Get it over with."
VILES: It started as a romantic camping trip, 19-year-old Roald, his girlfriend, Venus Dergen (ph). It's true, Mount St. Helens was acting up, but nobody thought this area was at risk.
(on camera): How far are we right now from the mountain itself?
REITAN: Forty-six miles as you go on the highway.
VILES: Forty-six miles. So you're way in the safe area.
REITAN: Oh, yes.
VILES: Yes.
REITAN: I mean, I figured...
VILES: At least you thought you were.
REITAN: Yes. I mean, so did the (INAUDIBLE) anybody else.
VILES (voice-over): But on Sunday morning, May 18, 1980, the peaceful river told violent.
REITAN: When it was rumbling around the corner, it sounded like a monster coming through the forest.
VILES: The monster was a river made of mud, ash and trees, and suddenly, two scared teenagers.
REITAN: I told Venus to jump. I said, "Jump." You know, then we jumped. And I landed on a big log like you ride a horse, just -- and she went just right in between two of them and she was gone.
VILES (on camera): She went under?
REITAN: Yes. It's like gone. Like, you know, she was next to me one second when we jumped, and when I hit a log, you know, I looked at her, and I just saw her go right in between two of them. And I thought she was dead for sure.
VILES: Right.
REITAN: You know, and I thought I was going to be dead, too.
VILES (voice-over): Somehow, Roald steadied himself. Twice he grabbed his girlfriend, but twice the river took her back.
REITAN: Fear's ebbing from me, and now I'm getting mad. I mean, I'm really getting mad because it's like, you know, I found her twice. It's like -- and it's taking it away from me. It's like, no way.
VILES: The third time he held on.
REITAN: She was freezing. And I grabbed her by her shoulders and her hair and I pulled her out of it, all the way out. You know, and I was telling myself, "There's no way I'm going to let her go."
VILES: He held on for half an hour, fighting his way out of the torrent of mud.
REITAN: When we got out of it the ordeal wasn't over. You know? I mean, basically, the worst part of it was when we got out, because we had to walk all the way back.
VILES: They stumbled in the woods for hours, rescued at least by helicopter. The pilot revealing to Roald what had happened that morning at Mount St. Helens.
REITAN: He looks right over at me, you know, because the other fellow's in between us. He looked at me and he goes, "You want to see what almost killed you?" And I said, "What?" And as he was like -- I was feeling the G forces of the thing going up and he spun it right around, and that's when I saw it.
VILES (on camera): You saw the mountain?
REITAN: Oh, yes. And it was just like a surreal steam engine. I mean, just the smoke going straight up.
VILES (voice-over): In an instant, Mount St. Helens had blown apart, killing 57 people, leveling hundreds of square miles of forest, scarring the landscape and those who survived.
REITAN: It's just like it was yesterday. I can close my eyes and relive it, every second of what happened.
VILES (on camera): Right.
(voice-over): Peter Viles, for CNN, Toutle, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, we'll find out what Mr. and Mrs. Spears told David Letterman last night. And believe me, you will not want to miss this. You won't. I'm serious.
You are watching DAYBREAK for Wednesday, May 18.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: You know, Britney Spears and her husband have been everywhere because they're going to do their new reality show. They shot it themselves on home video.
Well, they're everywhere. They were on "Ellen" last night, they were on "David Letterman," Chad, to promote that reality show.
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Did you see it?
MYERS: You know, I missed it. But I think I might have it on my VCR.
COSTELLO: Really?
MYERS: No.
COSTELLO: Well, if you don't, here it is for all of you now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": .. reasons to watch the new show.
No. 10...
BRITNEY SPEARS, SINGER: There's never-before-seen footage of me wrestling an alligator. LETTERMAN: OK. I'm there, dude.
No. 9...
KEVIN FEDERLINE, DANCER: Unlike those "Desperate Housewife" chicks, we're not like 60 years old.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: Exactly. Exactly.
No. 8...
SPEARS: It's like "American Idol," except no one sleeps with Paula Abdul.
LETTERMAN: Ooh. Check it out. What up, dawg?
No. 7...
FEDERLINE: In the first episode, you can see my ass.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: No. 6...
SPEARS: I'm hot.
FEDERLINE: That's right.
LETTERMAN: No. 5...
FEDERLINE: She's hot.
LETTERMAN: Yes.
No. 4...
SPEARS: We haven't had nearly enough media coverage.
FEDERLINE: We haven't had nearly enough media coverage.
LETTERMAN: That's right. Go get 'em, kids.
No. 3...
SPEARS: It's got to be better than this show.
LETTERMAN: Yes. Well...
(BOOING)
LETTERMAN: Hey, I heard that.
No. 2...
FEDERLINE: If enough people tune in, maybe my wife will make out with Madonna again.
LETTERMAN: Wow. Remember that?
(APPLAUSE)
LETTERMAN: Remember that, Paul?
PAUL SHAFFER, "LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": I'm hoping enough people tune in.
LETTERMAN: Remember when that happened?
SHAFFER: I -- of course I remember.
LETTERMAN: Oh, my god. What a memorable...
SHAFFER: It changed the course of show business forever.
LETTERMAN: That's exactly right.
SHAFFER: Yes.
LETTERMAN: Really? It changed show business forever?
SHAFFER: Well, maybe it didn't.
LETTERMAN: All right.
And the number one reason to watch Britney Spears' and Kevin Federline's new show...
SPEARS: In the season finale, you'll find out Dave is the father of my baby.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That actually wasn't as bad as I thought. They were pretty funny.
MYERS: Really? You have lowered your standards to funniness.
COSTELLO: Oh, they're young.
MYERS: Because I didn't find that very humorous.
COSTELLO: They're young and silly and in love.
MYERS: Slow -- OK.
COSTELLO: Let's move on now.
MYERS: OK.
COSTELLO: This next story is big. In fact, you could say it's ginormous.
MYERS: What?
COSTELLO: Ginormous.
MYERS: That's not a word.
COSTELLO: Well, it is, according to our friends at the Merriam- Webster -- you know, the dictionary people. This list of words that are not in the dictionary, but ought to be -- and ginormous is one of them, Chad.
MYERS: Bigger than gigantic and bigger than enormous.
COSTELLO: That's exactly what it means.
Confuzzled...
MYERS: Simultaneously confused and puzzled.
COSTELLO: Whoot...
MYERS: An exclamation of joy... whoot, whoot, whoot, whoot. I think "pitchy" should be in there. "Ah, you were a little pitchy."
COSTELLO: Pitchy?
MYERS: Pitchy, a little pitchy.
COSTELLO: What would that mean?
MYERS: It's from -- it's from "American Idol," Carol. "You started out a little pitchy, it wasn't so good."
COSTELLO: See, I don't watch "American Idol." I'm going to have to...
MYERS: You've got to get on there. You don't watch NASCAR either. See, Darrell Waltrip made up a new word as well. It's coopetition (ph).
COSTELLO: I watch "As the World Turns" in the afternoon.
MYERS: OK. I see. You don't like NoDoz.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Here's what's all new in the next half-hour of DAYBREAK.
A notorious Cuban exile is arrested in Florida. Is he an anti- Castro activist, or is he a terrorist? We'll take a closer look in six minutes.
And it's good to be Kenny Chesney. Soon after marrying Renee Zellweger, the country artist receives top honors from his peers. Details in a half-hour.
You're watching DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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