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CNN Live At Daybreak
Girl Found in Dumpster; Bad Vibes?
Aired May 23, 2005 - 5:00 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, buried alive and left for dead. It could have been a horrifying tragedy. Instead, police are calling it a miracle.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: I think the protests are very expected. If you didn't expect them, you didn't know what it would be like when you got here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The first lady sounds cool, but boy did she take some heat. But is she getting some bad vibes on her goodwill trip?
And we'll tell you how you can roll in style without driving into debt.
It is Monday, May 23. This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News," a much calmer day for first lady Laura Bush. She visited Israel's Church of the Resurrection this morning a day after getting heckled by protesters. Mrs. Bush is now in Egypt. We'll have a live report for you in a few minutes.
An assassination in Baghdad this morning. Gunmen killed an aide to the Iraqi prime minister in a drive-by shooting, along with the man's driver. It's the latest in a series of attacks targeting Iraqi political officials.
Is the alternative minimum tax too taxing? A Senate panel meets this afternoon to talk about whether to scrap the tax. It was created to nab rich tax dodgers, but senators say it's hitting the middle class too hard.
And the water is rising fast in western Colorado this morning. People are bracing for floods as streams swell with the runoff from melting mountain snow. Flood warnings up as rivers eat away at their banks.
It does not look good out there -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: An awful lot of melting snow, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Our top story this morning is the amazing end to an Amber Alert in Florida. An 8-year-old girl was found alive after being left for dead in a garbage dump. In the meantime, the suspect in the case is set to appear in court today.
CNN's Susan Candiotti takes us through the whole story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The suspect's first name is the Spanish word for "miracle," but police say the miracle is that his alleged victim, an eight-year old girl, is alive.
SGT. DAN BOLAND, LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA, POLICE: That girl was put there to die. There's no uncertain terms that girl was put there to die.
CANDIOTTI: About seven hours after the suspect himself reported the girl missing in the middle of the night, searchers found her in an abandoned landfill a few blocks from where the girl was staying. One officer zeroed in on a dumpster filled with rocks.
SGT. MIKE HALL, LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA, POLICE: I jumped up on the ledge and there was a yellow recycling bin. The lid was flipped closed. I flipped it open, observed a large pile of rocks. And through the rocks, you could see a hand and a foot.
BOLAND: He started to yell. So we're trying to get her reaction, see if she was alive. And he didn't think she was at first. And it all...
CANDIOTTI: Did she make any noise?
BOLAND: No. And then all of a sudden, she moved a finger.
CANDIOTTI: Investigators were amazed the 80-pound girl was still conscious.
MIKE DRISCOLL, FLORIDA LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPT.: She was in a position that you wouldn't think someone could ever survive.
CANDIOTTI: The child, who's not being identified by CNN because of her alleged sexual assault, is said to be in good physical condition. Authorities say she identified her alleged attacker.
Seventeen-year old Milagro Cunningham is charged with attempted murder, sexual battery on a child under 12, and false imprisonment. He allegedly confessed. Police say he recently moved into the home where the little girl was spending the night with a woman described as a godmother.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert, even though they say Cunningham's kidnapping story was suspicious from the start, pinning the blame on three mysterious white men who beat him up, yet he had no injuries.
Family and friends of the girl felt emotions rocket from despair to unbridled joy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you, officer. Thank you.
CANDIOTTI: The young girl discovered because of a police officer's instincts.
BOLAND: It's because of him that child was found alive and well.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office says the teenager will be charged as an adult, and if convicted could face life in prison.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Lake Worth, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And the officer who found that little girl will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING." That's coming up a little later. Sergeant Mike Hall will talk more about his amazing discovery at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
The father of those two missing Idaho children says the FBI feels he knows what happened to them. The search began a week ago when their mother, brother and the mother's boyfriend were found beaten to death in their home. Police say they have no leads on Shasta and Dylan Groene. Their father says an FBI agent told him -- told him he failed parts of a polygraph test, but he says he did not lie.
Sex offenders are getting Viagra for free, courtesy of your tax dollars. Prescriptions for the erectile dysfunction drug are being paid for by Medicaid to sex offenders who have abused children as young as 2 years old.
The New York State comptroller is asking the federal health secretary to stop this practice. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York says he's prepared to offer a bill to correct the issue if necessary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Our first job has to be to defend potential victims and to say that they would be able on the federal, state and local government's fawn (ph) to get Viagra for free, it just boggles the mind. It's just incredible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Before you start thinking only New York would give free Viagra to sex offenders, think again. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN HEVESI, NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER: And, by the way, this problem is not a New York problem. It's a national problem. This is -- this directive was applied to every state, it was mandatory.
There are some directives regarding other medications that has qualifiers. This -- this one did not. It did not meet what's called the exceptions rule. And therefore, the mandate is on every state to provide to its Medicaid patients who meet the requirements of prescriptions and testing the same benefit. So this is a serious national issue, and we urge the federal government to act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It brings up so many questions, doesn't it, Chad?
MYERS: Oh, Carol, here's our e-mail "Question of the Day." Should Medicaid pay for Viagra? Not just for sex offenders, but for anyone? About $7 a pill, I guess, now. Should Medicaid pay for Viagra, period?
Your tax dollars at work, Carol, as they say.
COSTELLO: Well, and it's a bad question, because if you're having a problem and you qualify for this drug, and you qualify for Medicaid, then shouldn't Medicaid be required to pay for your Viagra?
MYERS: Well, some of the...
COSTELLO: Can you only discriminate against some who need it?
MYERS: Where do you draw the line, right?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: And they say if you don't give them Viagra, you're going to give them something else to make them feel better, because they're going to be very depressed as well. So it's one thing after another, after another. But we want to know what you think.
COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
In other news "Across America" this morning, police in Huntington, West Virginia, are investigating their first quadruple homicide in more than two decades. It happened early Sunday morning when four teenagers were gunned down. At least two of them had just returned home from a post-prom party. Police say they have not established a motive in the shootings.
An all-out ban of junk food and soda may become reality in Connecticut schools. Lawmakers are debating a bill that would be the most comprehensive in the country. The law would ban junk food and soda at all levels, including high school. It also calls for 20 minutes of physical activity outside of gym class for all kids in elementary school. Some soldiers stationed in Iraq are getting a rare chance to watch by satellite as their children graduate from high school. The Army set up big video screens so soldiers could watch the ceremonies at two high schools in Hinesville, Georgia. Hinesville is the home to Fort Stewart.
It is something we have not seen before, the first lady getting heckled by angry protesters. It happened to Laura Bush in Israel this week on what's supposed to be a goodwill trip around the Middle East.
CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux was in the thick of it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was a chaotic scene surrounding the first lady. As Mrs. Bush began her visit to the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's holiest sites, a crowd formed. She approached the mosque, as is custom, wearing a headscarf and taking her shoes off at the door.
Then an angry man shouted, "You don't belong in the mosque." I stood beside her as Israeli press clamored to get inside. Grabbing a Secret Service agent, I was pulled in.
Inside the shrine, her tour was relatively calm. But when we stepped out of the mosque, the heckling resumed.
"How dare you come in here! How dare you hassle our Muslims!" one yelled. Secret Service agents closed in around Mrs. Bush as both Israeli journalists and Palestinians tried to penetrate the first lady's inner circle. At that point, Israeli police created a human linked chain around her security detail.
Throughout, Mrs. Bush remain poised and calm. But around her, tensions reached a point where I saw an Israeli policeman draw his gun at a young boy who was running towards Mrs. Bush. The first lady's motorcade then whisked her away. It wasn't the first dissent of the day.
Earlier, the first lady had been at Judaism's Western Wall. Following tradition, she placed a prayer note in the wall. But she didn't find calm there, either.
Dozens of young Israeli women standing behind me shouted for the release of Jonathan Pollard, an American serving a life sentence for spying for Israel. Mrs. Bush did not react to the commotion. Later, she reflected on the day's events.
BUSH: So I am really glad to be here, but I also know that especially the American press, who are here with me, see what an emotional place this is as we go from each one of these very, very holy spots to the next. And it's a -- we're reminded again of what we all want, what every one of us pray for.
MALVEAUX (on camera): The first lady says that is peace. As for the day's events, the Secret Service put out a statement saying nothing out of the ordinary happened. Clearly, Mrs. Bush got a taste of the passions some feel regarding U.S.-Middle East policy.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And the first lady is pressing ahead with her Mideast journey. She's in Cairo, Egypt, this morning.
Let's talk live to Suzanne Malveaux now.
Good morning, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Let's concentrate on first -- at the reception that Mrs. Bush got earlier and the story we just saw. Did those who organized this expect this?
MALVEAUX: Well, they were certainly prepared in terms of Secret Service and Israeli security. It is -- it's fair to say that there was a lot of anger that was involved in these protests, and the security was definitely fortified.
And, you know, in these kinds of situations, the first lady, she said afterwards -- spoke to us this morning saying that, you know, these kinds of protests are expected. She said that if you don't expect them, then you really don't know what it's like when you get here, that everyone knows that the tensions are high. But clearly, Carol, when -- you know, when you are in a situation like that, there were a lot of things that were unfolding very, very quickly. People were responding to those very quickly, and it got tense just -- just within moments.
COSTELLO: Well, I don't know, what did this do for the goodwill of this? If it made so many people so very angry, did it do more harm than good in the end?
MALVEAUX: Well, it's hard to say. It's really much too soon to say. I mean, the first lady came out today and spoke with us, and she says that, you know, she believes that most people in the region have accepted her warmly, that she has been received well.
Obviously, yesterday is certainly not what -- what the White House had hoped for, not the kinds of pictures that they were hoping to focus on. They really believed that -- that much of the emphasis wasn't so much on the fact that they didn't appreciate the first lady being there, but that, you know, there was a security situation where you had people who were getting much too close to her inner circle.
But it's fair to say, Carol, of course, that the first lady is the face of the United States when she comes to this region and visits. And they're certainly hoping that this isn't really a black eye on this visit, that they could move forward and move past this. And that's one of the reasons we heard the first lady speak this morning to us. They are hoping to focus on -- on other things.
COSTELLO: Egypt, what is she going to do there today?
MALVEAUX: Well, she's actually going to be doing a lot of touring, a lot of sightseeing. Of course she's going to be going to the pyramids.
She just wrapped up -- she was watching what is the equivalent of an Egyptian "Sesame Street" program, a taping of that. They're focusing on education reform. She was with Mrs. Mubarak, the president's wife.
And, Carol, what we're looking forward to is actually speaking with the first lady. In about a couple of hours or so, we'll actually have a one-one-one sit-down with her in front of the pyramids, and we're certainly hoping to -- to get some more answers about just how she saw yesterday and what kind of impact she thinks that will have on her trip as a whole.
COSTELLO: We'll check back with you later. Suzanne Malveaux reporting live for us this morning.
Coming up on DAYBREAK this hour, the peace talks keep breaking down and the battle lines are drawn. It's not the Middle East. It's the U.S. Senate.
And would you like a big piece of rolling luxury for a fraction of the price? You can get it. We'll tell you how.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning, May 23.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time for our market watch. It's been a good day so far in the international markets.
Japan's Nikkei closes up 121 points. Britain's FTSE trading up a 4.5. And the German DAX is up just over 32 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:18 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
An 8-year-old Florida girl is in remarkably good condition this morning after being found alive in a dumpster full of rocks. The teenager accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting the girl is expected to appear in court today.
First lady Laura Bush says she is not surprised at the jeers and heckling she encountered over the weekend in Jerusalem. She's in Egypt now on the second day of her goodwill tour of the Middle East.
In money news, falling gas prices are finally giving us a break, sort of. The average price for a gallon of unleaded has just dropped a shade over six cents in the past two weeks. The new average is $2.15 a gallon. In culture, it's been a record-breaking few days for "Star Wars." What a surprise. Moviegoers plunked down more than $158 million to see "Episode 3" since it opened on Thursday.
That's in poor taste (ph). Just add more money to George Lucas' pockets. The film made nearly $145 million overseas.
In sports, there was plenty of scoring in the first game of the Western Conference Finals. But it was the usually defensive San Antonio Spurs that came out on top, with a 121-114 win over the Phoenix Suns. Game two of the series is tomorrow.
MYERS: Awesome. Just think, Carol, in over a month basketball will be over. Gosh.
Anyway, good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Could you believe Friday was the last day for some kids here in Georgia?
COSTELLO: Really?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Those lucky kids.
MYERS: They're headed out already. Back to you.
COSTELLO: I miss the last day of school. It would be nice if there could be a last day of work and then we could take our summer vacation.
MYERS: Oh, well, that's -- you'd have to be a schoolteacher...
COSTELLO: Or live in Europe.
MYERS: ... and take a significant pay cut, because they don't pay teachers nearly enough to do that.
COSTELLO: You're right about that. Thank you, Chad.
That's a look at the latest headlines.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, why cargo ships from a certain group of countries are no longer allowed to dock in U.S. ports.
And later, wizard wannabes may wait until July to read the new "Harry Potter" book, but CNN went to the publishing company to get a sneak peek.
You're watching DAYBREAK for Monday, May 23.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."
Runners from around the world gathered to compete in the annual Great Wall Marathon in China. How cool would this be?
This race is unlike others because of the scenery, and, of course, the steps. Only four miles of the race is actually on the wall itself, but that four miles includes 3,700 steps. Of course the entire Great Wall has more than 25,000 steps, though. It could have been worse.
But how cool would that be?
MYERS: It would be great to see it. It wouldn't be great to run it.
COSTELLO: I'd love to run it.
MYERS: Maybe go downhill.
COSTELLO: Get to go up steps, unfortunately.
MYERS: Start at the top and go the other way.
COSTELLO: It's not quite the coveted Palme d'Or, but a jury at the Cannes Film Festival did pick the Palme dog. This dog is the president of that jury. The actual winning dog appeared in the Mongolian film "The Cave of the Yellow Dog," but it didn't make the trip from Mongolia to accept the award. It was just too expensive to ride in first class.
This next story just proves that some people have too much time on their hands. Ashrita Furman set the world record for backwards bowling. The score was 160, which broke the old record by 21 pins. Furman actually holds 27 Guinness records, including underwater rope jumping and balancing a milk bottle on his forehead.
What can you do, Chad?
MYERS: You know, he does this just to get on TV on CNN. I can do weather, Carol. That's what I...
COSTELLO: Well, you do that to get on TV.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: Exactly.
COSTELLO: It seems that everyone in southern California likes to take a few laps in the pool. That includes this black bear. Firefighters who arrived at the scene say they believe he was just trying to beat the heat, but the 200-pound bear was tranquilized and taken to the hills. Not Beverly Hills, just the hills.
MYERS: Taken down Rodeo Drive.
COSTELLO: Can you imagine looking in your back yard? "Oh my gosh, there's a bear in the pool. I swear!"
Oh, a rambunctious 3-year-old boy found himself in a tight spot in an Indiana store. He climbed inside one of those crane toy vending machines.
MYERS: There is no way. Look how big he is.
COSTELLO: Way. The boy's mother got a kick out of it, and she even took these pictures. And then she found out workers didn't have a key to the machine. So she had to call the fire department, and the fire department had to come out. And they finally...
MYERS: And they ran -- and they ran out of quarters and they couldn't get him out either.
COSTELLO: Right.
MYERS: No, they did. They did get him out. He was...
COSTELLO: He's OK. And they gave him a toy, too.
MYERS: Oh, they did? Oh, good.
COSTELLO: Three-year-old James Manges II shows off a few photographs -- you know, that's the same story here again. Let's go to -- let's go to e-mail.
Should we solicit new e-mail now? I think that's a much better thing to do.
MYERS: There you go. DAYBREAK@CNN.com. We were talking a little earlier about how some sex offenders are getting Viagra through Medicaid. And then the "Question of the Day" kind of expanded into, should Medicaid pay for Viagra at all for sex offenders...
COSTELLO: Yes, because how can -- how can you separate them out? I mean, how can Medicaid go through the records, the criminal records of everybody who's getting Viagra and separate them out anyway?
MYERS: And there'll be some kind of discrimination going on there.
COSTELLO: I don't know.
MYERS: So how do you draw the line?
COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com. We'll be right back.
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 23, 2005 - 5:00 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, buried alive and left for dead. It could have been a horrifying tragedy. Instead, police are calling it a miracle.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: I think the protests are very expected. If you didn't expect them, you didn't know what it would be like when you got here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The first lady sounds cool, but boy did she take some heat. But is she getting some bad vibes on her goodwill trip?
And we'll tell you how you can roll in style without driving into debt.
It is Monday, May 23. This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News," a much calmer day for first lady Laura Bush. She visited Israel's Church of the Resurrection this morning a day after getting heckled by protesters. Mrs. Bush is now in Egypt. We'll have a live report for you in a few minutes.
An assassination in Baghdad this morning. Gunmen killed an aide to the Iraqi prime minister in a drive-by shooting, along with the man's driver. It's the latest in a series of attacks targeting Iraqi political officials.
Is the alternative minimum tax too taxing? A Senate panel meets this afternoon to talk about whether to scrap the tax. It was created to nab rich tax dodgers, but senators say it's hitting the middle class too hard.
And the water is rising fast in western Colorado this morning. People are bracing for floods as streams swell with the runoff from melting mountain snow. Flood warnings up as rivers eat away at their banks.
It does not look good out there -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: An awful lot of melting snow, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Our top story this morning is the amazing end to an Amber Alert in Florida. An 8-year-old girl was found alive after being left for dead in a garbage dump. In the meantime, the suspect in the case is set to appear in court today.
CNN's Susan Candiotti takes us through the whole story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The suspect's first name is the Spanish word for "miracle," but police say the miracle is that his alleged victim, an eight-year old girl, is alive.
SGT. DAN BOLAND, LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA, POLICE: That girl was put there to die. There's no uncertain terms that girl was put there to die.
CANDIOTTI: About seven hours after the suspect himself reported the girl missing in the middle of the night, searchers found her in an abandoned landfill a few blocks from where the girl was staying. One officer zeroed in on a dumpster filled with rocks.
SGT. MIKE HALL, LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA, POLICE: I jumped up on the ledge and there was a yellow recycling bin. The lid was flipped closed. I flipped it open, observed a large pile of rocks. And through the rocks, you could see a hand and a foot.
BOLAND: He started to yell. So we're trying to get her reaction, see if she was alive. And he didn't think she was at first. And it all...
CANDIOTTI: Did she make any noise?
BOLAND: No. And then all of a sudden, she moved a finger.
CANDIOTTI: Investigators were amazed the 80-pound girl was still conscious.
MIKE DRISCOLL, FLORIDA LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPT.: She was in a position that you wouldn't think someone could ever survive.
CANDIOTTI: The child, who's not being identified by CNN because of her alleged sexual assault, is said to be in good physical condition. Authorities say she identified her alleged attacker.
Seventeen-year old Milagro Cunningham is charged with attempted murder, sexual battery on a child under 12, and false imprisonment. He allegedly confessed. Police say he recently moved into the home where the little girl was spending the night with a woman described as a godmother.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert, even though they say Cunningham's kidnapping story was suspicious from the start, pinning the blame on three mysterious white men who beat him up, yet he had no injuries.
Family and friends of the girl felt emotions rocket from despair to unbridled joy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you, officer. Thank you.
CANDIOTTI: The young girl discovered because of a police officer's instincts.
BOLAND: It's because of him that child was found alive and well.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office says the teenager will be charged as an adult, and if convicted could face life in prison.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Lake Worth, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And the officer who found that little girl will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING." That's coming up a little later. Sergeant Mike Hall will talk more about his amazing discovery at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
The father of those two missing Idaho children says the FBI feels he knows what happened to them. The search began a week ago when their mother, brother and the mother's boyfriend were found beaten to death in their home. Police say they have no leads on Shasta and Dylan Groene. Their father says an FBI agent told him -- told him he failed parts of a polygraph test, but he says he did not lie.
Sex offenders are getting Viagra for free, courtesy of your tax dollars. Prescriptions for the erectile dysfunction drug are being paid for by Medicaid to sex offenders who have abused children as young as 2 years old.
The New York State comptroller is asking the federal health secretary to stop this practice. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York says he's prepared to offer a bill to correct the issue if necessary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Our first job has to be to defend potential victims and to say that they would be able on the federal, state and local government's fawn (ph) to get Viagra for free, it just boggles the mind. It's just incredible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Before you start thinking only New York would give free Viagra to sex offenders, think again. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN HEVESI, NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER: And, by the way, this problem is not a New York problem. It's a national problem. This is -- this directive was applied to every state, it was mandatory.
There are some directives regarding other medications that has qualifiers. This -- this one did not. It did not meet what's called the exceptions rule. And therefore, the mandate is on every state to provide to its Medicaid patients who meet the requirements of prescriptions and testing the same benefit. So this is a serious national issue, and we urge the federal government to act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It brings up so many questions, doesn't it, Chad?
MYERS: Oh, Carol, here's our e-mail "Question of the Day." Should Medicaid pay for Viagra? Not just for sex offenders, but for anyone? About $7 a pill, I guess, now. Should Medicaid pay for Viagra, period?
Your tax dollars at work, Carol, as they say.
COSTELLO: Well, and it's a bad question, because if you're having a problem and you qualify for this drug, and you qualify for Medicaid, then shouldn't Medicaid be required to pay for your Viagra?
MYERS: Well, some of the...
COSTELLO: Can you only discriminate against some who need it?
MYERS: Where do you draw the line, right?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MYERS: And they say if you don't give them Viagra, you're going to give them something else to make them feel better, because they're going to be very depressed as well. So it's one thing after another, after another. But we want to know what you think.
COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com.
In other news "Across America" this morning, police in Huntington, West Virginia, are investigating their first quadruple homicide in more than two decades. It happened early Sunday morning when four teenagers were gunned down. At least two of them had just returned home from a post-prom party. Police say they have not established a motive in the shootings.
An all-out ban of junk food and soda may become reality in Connecticut schools. Lawmakers are debating a bill that would be the most comprehensive in the country. The law would ban junk food and soda at all levels, including high school. It also calls for 20 minutes of physical activity outside of gym class for all kids in elementary school. Some soldiers stationed in Iraq are getting a rare chance to watch by satellite as their children graduate from high school. The Army set up big video screens so soldiers could watch the ceremonies at two high schools in Hinesville, Georgia. Hinesville is the home to Fort Stewart.
It is something we have not seen before, the first lady getting heckled by angry protesters. It happened to Laura Bush in Israel this week on what's supposed to be a goodwill trip around the Middle East.
CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux was in the thick of it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was a chaotic scene surrounding the first lady. As Mrs. Bush began her visit to the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's holiest sites, a crowd formed. She approached the mosque, as is custom, wearing a headscarf and taking her shoes off at the door.
Then an angry man shouted, "You don't belong in the mosque." I stood beside her as Israeli press clamored to get inside. Grabbing a Secret Service agent, I was pulled in.
Inside the shrine, her tour was relatively calm. But when we stepped out of the mosque, the heckling resumed.
"How dare you come in here! How dare you hassle our Muslims!" one yelled. Secret Service agents closed in around Mrs. Bush as both Israeli journalists and Palestinians tried to penetrate the first lady's inner circle. At that point, Israeli police created a human linked chain around her security detail.
Throughout, Mrs. Bush remain poised and calm. But around her, tensions reached a point where I saw an Israeli policeman draw his gun at a young boy who was running towards Mrs. Bush. The first lady's motorcade then whisked her away. It wasn't the first dissent of the day.
Earlier, the first lady had been at Judaism's Western Wall. Following tradition, she placed a prayer note in the wall. But she didn't find calm there, either.
Dozens of young Israeli women standing behind me shouted for the release of Jonathan Pollard, an American serving a life sentence for spying for Israel. Mrs. Bush did not react to the commotion. Later, she reflected on the day's events.
BUSH: So I am really glad to be here, but I also know that especially the American press, who are here with me, see what an emotional place this is as we go from each one of these very, very holy spots to the next. And it's a -- we're reminded again of what we all want, what every one of us pray for.
MALVEAUX (on camera): The first lady says that is peace. As for the day's events, the Secret Service put out a statement saying nothing out of the ordinary happened. Clearly, Mrs. Bush got a taste of the passions some feel regarding U.S.-Middle East policy.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And the first lady is pressing ahead with her Mideast journey. She's in Cairo, Egypt, this morning.
Let's talk live to Suzanne Malveaux now.
Good morning, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Let's concentrate on first -- at the reception that Mrs. Bush got earlier and the story we just saw. Did those who organized this expect this?
MALVEAUX: Well, they were certainly prepared in terms of Secret Service and Israeli security. It is -- it's fair to say that there was a lot of anger that was involved in these protests, and the security was definitely fortified.
And, you know, in these kinds of situations, the first lady, she said afterwards -- spoke to us this morning saying that, you know, these kinds of protests are expected. She said that if you don't expect them, then you really don't know what it's like when you get here, that everyone knows that the tensions are high. But clearly, Carol, when -- you know, when you are in a situation like that, there were a lot of things that were unfolding very, very quickly. People were responding to those very quickly, and it got tense just -- just within moments.
COSTELLO: Well, I don't know, what did this do for the goodwill of this? If it made so many people so very angry, did it do more harm than good in the end?
MALVEAUX: Well, it's hard to say. It's really much too soon to say. I mean, the first lady came out today and spoke with us, and she says that, you know, she believes that most people in the region have accepted her warmly, that she has been received well.
Obviously, yesterday is certainly not what -- what the White House had hoped for, not the kinds of pictures that they were hoping to focus on. They really believed that -- that much of the emphasis wasn't so much on the fact that they didn't appreciate the first lady being there, but that, you know, there was a security situation where you had people who were getting much too close to her inner circle.
But it's fair to say, Carol, of course, that the first lady is the face of the United States when she comes to this region and visits. And they're certainly hoping that this isn't really a black eye on this visit, that they could move forward and move past this. And that's one of the reasons we heard the first lady speak this morning to us. They are hoping to focus on -- on other things.
COSTELLO: Egypt, what is she going to do there today?
MALVEAUX: Well, she's actually going to be doing a lot of touring, a lot of sightseeing. Of course she's going to be going to the pyramids.
She just wrapped up -- she was watching what is the equivalent of an Egyptian "Sesame Street" program, a taping of that. They're focusing on education reform. She was with Mrs. Mubarak, the president's wife.
And, Carol, what we're looking forward to is actually speaking with the first lady. In about a couple of hours or so, we'll actually have a one-one-one sit-down with her in front of the pyramids, and we're certainly hoping to -- to get some more answers about just how she saw yesterday and what kind of impact she thinks that will have on her trip as a whole.
COSTELLO: We'll check back with you later. Suzanne Malveaux reporting live for us this morning.
Coming up on DAYBREAK this hour, the peace talks keep breaking down and the battle lines are drawn. It's not the Middle East. It's the U.S. Senate.
And would you like a big piece of rolling luxury for a fraction of the price? You can get it. We'll tell you how.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning, May 23.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time for our market watch. It's been a good day so far in the international markets.
Japan's Nikkei closes up 121 points. Britain's FTSE trading up a 4.5. And the German DAX is up just over 32 points.
Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:18 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.
An 8-year-old Florida girl is in remarkably good condition this morning after being found alive in a dumpster full of rocks. The teenager accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting the girl is expected to appear in court today.
First lady Laura Bush says she is not surprised at the jeers and heckling she encountered over the weekend in Jerusalem. She's in Egypt now on the second day of her goodwill tour of the Middle East.
In money news, falling gas prices are finally giving us a break, sort of. The average price for a gallon of unleaded has just dropped a shade over six cents in the past two weeks. The new average is $2.15 a gallon. In culture, it's been a record-breaking few days for "Star Wars." What a surprise. Moviegoers plunked down more than $158 million to see "Episode 3" since it opened on Thursday.
That's in poor taste (ph). Just add more money to George Lucas' pockets. The film made nearly $145 million overseas.
In sports, there was plenty of scoring in the first game of the Western Conference Finals. But it was the usually defensive San Antonio Spurs that came out on top, with a 121-114 win over the Phoenix Suns. Game two of the series is tomorrow.
MYERS: Awesome. Just think, Carol, in over a month basketball will be over. Gosh.
Anyway, good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Could you believe Friday was the last day for some kids here in Georgia?
COSTELLO: Really?
MYERS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Those lucky kids.
MYERS: They're headed out already. Back to you.
COSTELLO: I miss the last day of school. It would be nice if there could be a last day of work and then we could take our summer vacation.
MYERS: Oh, well, that's -- you'd have to be a schoolteacher...
COSTELLO: Or live in Europe.
MYERS: ... and take a significant pay cut, because they don't pay teachers nearly enough to do that.
COSTELLO: You're right about that. Thank you, Chad.
That's a look at the latest headlines.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, why cargo ships from a certain group of countries are no longer allowed to dock in U.S. ports.
And later, wizard wannabes may wait until July to read the new "Harry Potter" book, but CNN went to the publishing company to get a sneak peek.
You're watching DAYBREAK for Monday, May 23.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener."
Runners from around the world gathered to compete in the annual Great Wall Marathon in China. How cool would this be?
This race is unlike others because of the scenery, and, of course, the steps. Only four miles of the race is actually on the wall itself, but that four miles includes 3,700 steps. Of course the entire Great Wall has more than 25,000 steps, though. It could have been worse.
But how cool would that be?
MYERS: It would be great to see it. It wouldn't be great to run it.
COSTELLO: I'd love to run it.
MYERS: Maybe go downhill.
COSTELLO: Get to go up steps, unfortunately.
MYERS: Start at the top and go the other way.
COSTELLO: It's not quite the coveted Palme d'Or, but a jury at the Cannes Film Festival did pick the Palme dog. This dog is the president of that jury. The actual winning dog appeared in the Mongolian film "The Cave of the Yellow Dog," but it didn't make the trip from Mongolia to accept the award. It was just too expensive to ride in first class.
This next story just proves that some people have too much time on their hands. Ashrita Furman set the world record for backwards bowling. The score was 160, which broke the old record by 21 pins. Furman actually holds 27 Guinness records, including underwater rope jumping and balancing a milk bottle on his forehead.
What can you do, Chad?
MYERS: You know, he does this just to get on TV on CNN. I can do weather, Carol. That's what I...
COSTELLO: Well, you do that to get on TV.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: Exactly.
COSTELLO: It seems that everyone in southern California likes to take a few laps in the pool. That includes this black bear. Firefighters who arrived at the scene say they believe he was just trying to beat the heat, but the 200-pound bear was tranquilized and taken to the hills. Not Beverly Hills, just the hills.
MYERS: Taken down Rodeo Drive.
COSTELLO: Can you imagine looking in your back yard? "Oh my gosh, there's a bear in the pool. I swear!"
Oh, a rambunctious 3-year-old boy found himself in a tight spot in an Indiana store. He climbed inside one of those crane toy vending machines.
MYERS: There is no way. Look how big he is.
COSTELLO: Way. The boy's mother got a kick out of it, and she even took these pictures. And then she found out workers didn't have a key to the machine. So she had to call the fire department, and the fire department had to come out. And they finally...
MYERS: And they ran -- and they ran out of quarters and they couldn't get him out either.
COSTELLO: Right.
MYERS: No, they did. They did get him out. He was...
COSTELLO: He's OK. And they gave him a toy, too.
MYERS: Oh, they did? Oh, good.
COSTELLO: Three-year-old James Manges II shows off a few photographs -- you know, that's the same story here again. Let's go to -- let's go to e-mail.
Should we solicit new e-mail now? I think that's a much better thing to do.
MYERS: There you go. DAYBREAK@CNN.com. We were talking a little earlier about how some sex offenders are getting Viagra through Medicaid. And then the "Question of the Day" kind of expanded into, should Medicaid pay for Viagra at all for sex offenders...
COSTELLO: Yes, because how can -- how can you separate them out? I mean, how can Medicaid go through the records, the criminal records of everybody who's getting Viagra and separate them out anyway?
MYERS: And there'll be some kind of discrimination going on there.
COSTELLO: I don't know.
MYERS: So how do you draw the line?
COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com. That's DAYBREAK@CNN.com. We'll be right back.
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