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CNN Live At Daybreak
Teens in Court After Hitting Bus Driver; Mideast Protesters Heckle Laura Bush
Aired May 23, 2005 - 06:00 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)
SGT DAN BOLAND, LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA POLICE: That girl was put there to die. There is no uncertain terms, that girl was put there to die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Left to die but found alive. Florida police turn a tragic tale into a miraculous recovery.
Also, Afghanistan's top man is in America and he is speaking his mind. We'll tell you what he has to say about the United States.
And from the hood to the suburbs and beyond, hip hop is on a roll. But why do your kids like it?
It's Monday, May 23.
You are watching 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 arrived in Cairo, Egypt this morning, a day after getting heckled by protesters in Israel. Mrs. Bush says the protests aren't surprising in a region where emotions run high.
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.
Starting today, the U.S. Coast Guard will deny port entry to ships from seven countries that it says don't have effective anti- terrorism measures into place at their ports. The countries in question include Albania, the Republic of Congo and Liberia.
To the Forecast Center -- good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT) COSTELLO: Now for one amazing story out of Lake Worth, Florida. A missing 8-year-old girl found alive after being left for dead. The suspect in the case is a 17-year-old who police say confessed to the kidnapping and assault. He is expected to appear in court today. As for the girl, she is in remarkably good condition considering she was found in a landfill, inside of a dumpster, covered up with rocks.
Police say it is nothing short of a miracle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF WILLIAM SMITH, LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA POLICE: They saw, as they began to uncover the rocks that were piled on top of this, they saw movement And, in fact, discovered the child alive, which is -- Mayer Droughts (ph) described it accurately as a miracle, which is certainly is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The girl was found by Lake Worth Sergeant Mike Hall, who was searching through that landfill. He'll talk about his discovery live on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING." Of course, that comes your way at 7:00 a.m. Eastern this morning.
The father of those two missing Idaho kids says he's being called a liar. Police seem no closer to finding 9-year-old Dylan Groene and his 8-year-old sister Shasta. The pair disappeared after three people, including their mother, were killed. The children's father says an FBI agent told him there are now doubts about his innocence. Groene is the guy in the baseball cap there. He says he was also told that he failed parts of the polygraph test.
Sex offenders are getting Viagra for free courtesy of your tax dollars. Prescriptions are being paid by Medicaid to sex offenders who have abused children as young as two years old. Medicaid didn't discover this. The New York State comptroller did. He's now asking the federal health secretary to stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN HEVESI, NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER: We have discovered that 198 individuals who are listed as level three sexual offenders, according to the criminal statutes, were receiving Medicaid-funded Viagra. And we think this is a matter of serious public policy that ought to be reviewed by the Department of Health and Human Services.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: To say that they would be able, on the federal, state and local government's arm, to get Viagra for free, 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. The Viagra freebie for Medicaid recipients is nationwide. Two Florida teenagers expected in court today to answer felony charges for hitting their bus driver. I am sure you saw the video by now. But some are saying they aren't the ones who should be facing such a harsh punishment.
CNN's Sara Dorsey has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALBERT TAYLOR, BUS DRIVER: The front, that's the way you face.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bus driver Albert Taylor told Charlotte County police he had to pull his bus over Tuesday after a few students caused a disruption.
TAYLOR: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Unlock him now!
TAYLOR: Don't you tell me what to do.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No!
TAYLOR: Get up here!
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.
TAYLOR: Get up here!
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.
DORSEY: Taylor told police he had asked a student to come to the front of the bus three times. This video shows Taylor then went to get the student. The boy's brother intervened and Taylor appears to strike him and grab him by the throat.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Get off him! Get off him! Get off him!
TAYLOR: (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED).
DORSEY: The scuffle doesn't end there. The older brother, who has already been struck, appears to throw a punch at the driver.
TAYLOR: Sit down.
DORSEY: The boys then demand to be let off the bus.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: You're going to jail, boy.
Let me off this bus. Let me off the bus. (INAUDIBLE). Call (INAUDIBLE). Hurry up.
DORSEY: 66-year-old Taylor has been charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor. We've been unable to reach him for comment and it's not known if he has legal representation. None of the other children on the bus were involved in the confrontation, but the 13- and 15- year-old brothers are charged with felonies.
The boys' defense attorney says that doesn't add up.
RUSSEL KIRSHY, BOY'S ATTORNEY: It's just, it's despicable. It's crazy that they would be charged with felonies and the bus driver would be charged with a misdemeanor.
DORSEY: Charlotte County sheriff's officials say that in Florida, it's an automatic felony for a student to strike a school official. They say the charges were filed before the video became available, but that seeing it has "changed the thinking here."
(on camera): The sheriff's office says it does not have the power to change any of the charges, but the state's attorney can. The brothers have been suspended from school and will appear in front of a judge on Monday. The bus driver is scheduled to appear on June 1. He has been suspended with pay and the sheriff's office says the school board will meet next week to determine his future.
Sarah Dorsey, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: 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 the 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's 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 home to Fort Stewart.
First Lady Laura Bush is sightseeing in Egypt right now. It is the latest stop on her tour of the Middle East. She's there to promote women's issues and try to improve the image of the United States in the region. But the first lady got a taste of the fury many people there feel toward the U.S. while she was in Jerusalem. She was greeted by angry protesters at Jewish and Muslim holy sites.
Let's talk more about the first lady's Mideast journey. Suzanne Malveaux covering the story. She joins us live now from Cairo. You know, this looked pretty scary around Laura Bush, frankly.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, apparently it really was quite frightening, to tell you the truth. It was chaotic. It was a frightening scene surrounding the first lady. I was very close to her for much of the protests that were going on around her. We were at the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's holiest sites, and a crowd gathered. She approached the mosque and a man shouted, "You don't belong in the mosque! Your husband kills Muslims."
It was -- she went inside for a quick tour. When she came outside, it just got worse. There was a crowd that really gathered closer and closer. The Secret Service pulled in, stepped in to protect her. And, of course, there was a ring of Israeli guards and officials who set up a perimeter, really, to try to keep back some of those people from trying to get in the inner circle.
I even saw, at one point, the tensions were so high that an Israeli police officer drew his weapon on a little boy who was running to approach the first lady. I mean it was very clear that tensions were very high.
COSTELLO: Whose idea...
MALVEAUX: And this was the second event...
COSTELLO: Whose idea was it to have Laura Bush visit a mosque?
MALVEAUX: Well, it was certainly her office's idea to visit both of these places. The whole point of it was to really show and display a very even-handed approach. She's here to encourage peace between Muslims and Christians and Jews. But, of course, one of those sites was the mosque, the Dome of the Rock, very important to Islam, one of its holiest sites. And then the other, of course, Carol, was the Western Wall. That was her first stop, a very important site for Jews there. And, again, she was met with a group of protesters. This was a group of young women who were standing literally right behind me yelling, "Free Pollard now!" It was a reference to Jonathan Pollard. He's the Israeli spy who's being held in U.S. custody. There's a big movement now to try to free him.
So there was a lot of confusion. There was a lot of chaos. And security was very, very tight.
COSTELLO: I know time will tell if this did, you know, anything good or anything bad to relations there. And I know that the first lady is in Egypt this morning, where it's much more peaceful. I also know, Suzanne, that you sat down for a one-on-one with Laura Bush.
And Suzanne will talk more about that on "AMERICAN MORNING" in just about 50 minutes.
Thank you, Suzanne.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, maybe it's not a surprise that "Star Wars" broke box office records, but we're talking about big time bucks here. We'll talk more about it with "In Touch Weekly's" Tom O'Neil in six minutes.
And in about 34 minutes, the new cyber land superhero. We'll tell you about hacker hunters who fight computer crimes.
And just before the top of the hour, hip hop -- its wild success and its growing influence with white teenagers.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:13 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Another person close to the Iraqi government was gunned down in Baghdad this morning. This time it was an adviser to the Iraqi prime minister who was killed in a drive-by shooting. There have been several attacks recently, all targeting Iraqi political officials.
In money news, falling gas prices are finally giving us a break, sort of. The average price for a gallon of unleaded has dropped just a shade over $0.06 in the past two weeks. The average now, $2.15.
In culture, have you seen it? Probably not. The Belgian film "The Child" has won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival in France. It's about a young petty crook who's facing fatherhood.
In sports, the Triple Crown drought continues. That's because Afleet Alex won the Preakness stakes over the weekend in amazing fashion. Oh, I hope you saw it, because it was amazing. Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo finished third. It has been 27 years since Affirmed won the Triple Crown -- Chad.
MYERS: Carol, yes, in those -- in six years, we had Secretariat, Affirmed and Seattle Slew. And then it was been a drought ever since, 27 years now. Afleet Alex actually stumbled to a knee, back up and still won the race. A great race there this weekend in Baltimore.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: That's a look at the latest headlines for you this morning.
How does a cool $158 million sound to you? It sounds like a four day record to the creator of "Star Wars," George Lucas. But let's face it, was there ever any doubt this movie would make financial history?
Tom O'Neil from "In Touch Weekly" is here to tell us more.
So go ahead.
TOM O'NEIL, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Yes, the producers of DAYBREAK said Tom, would you come in Monday morning to talk about your prediction that this is going to top $100 million? And then it was a dare said with a wink because we all knew it probably would.
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'NEIL: The experts, though, said that this would only make $93 million.
COSTELLO: Oh.
O'NEIL: While the previous record for a four day weekend was $134 million, set by "The Matrix Reloaded." But this set not only the four day record, but a one -- a new one day record of $50 million.
COSTELLO: Wow! And then overseas it made $145 million.
O'NEIL: Are we keeping count of this? Yes, I mean this is staggering, isn't it?
COSTELLO: How much could it make, when all is said and done?
O'NEIL: I think probably between $700 million and $800 million.
COSTELLO: Wow!
O'NEIL: If it really tops out. The movie that holds the record is "Titanic" at $1 billion.
COSTELLO: $1 billion? That's just mind-boggling, isn't it?
O'NEIL: I know.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable.
Well, let's talk about something else, because, frankly, I'm sick of talking about "Star Wars."
O'NEIL: OK.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about your TV Land special, because this is fun.
O'NEIL: This is fun. Wednesday night, 10:00 p.m., a countdown show of the top 10 TV characters you love to hate. You know, we're not allowed to hate anybody in real life, so you can channel it all toward your -- those despicable characters like Archie Bunker on "All In the Family." My gosh, Archie, can anybody be more vile in his views of the world?
Arc
COSTELLO: There are a lot of people that loved him, though, too.
O'NEIL: And you had to love Archie, because he loved Gloria, he loved his wife, he loved his country. And he was just ignorant.
COSTELLO: So he was a bigot and a racist. O'NEIL: I know.
COSTELLO: The other one, the others of the top 10, of course, we saw Eddie Haskell from "Leave It To Beaver." But, of course, Newman from "Seinfeld."
O'NEIL: Newman is my favorite because he hates Jerry because everybody hates a the mailman, illogically. He has to put his hate somewhere and it ends up on Jerry. Jerry goes why does this guy hate me? I don't get it. And we've all been in that situation where someone loathes us at work or, you know, in the neighborhood and you go I don't understand why.
COSTELLO: I know. Well, that is true. I did love Newman, though. He was so funny. In fact, I still say my friend's name in that tone. My best friend's name is Bonnie. I always go Bonnie. I know.
O'NEIL: Does she know what you're talking about?
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
O'NEIL: Or does she think you hate her?
COSTELLO: No, she doesn't. She laughs.
"Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David, is the other one. But you're not going to tell us who the number one most hated TV character is until?
O'NEIL: Until Wednesday night at 10:00 p.m.
COSTELLO: OK.
Hey, Chad, do you have a most hated character?
MYERS: Probably Boss Hog, Carol.
COSTELLO: Really?
MYERS: Yes.
O'NEIL: Really?
MYERS: I didn't like Boss Hog. I liked that guy Roscoe P. Coltrane, though.
COSTELLO: You know, I'm curious, Tom, why did these shows do so well?
O'NEIL: Because we love lists, all of us, and in a case like this, it's just so much fun, because we love TV so much.
COSTELLO: We need an escape from our own reality.
O'NEIL: Yes, we really do. COSTELLO: Yes.
Tom O'Neil, thanks, as usual.
O'NEIL: All right.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, another incident of personal accounts and information stolen. This time it involves 10 different banks on the East Coast. So is your bank on the list? Carrie Lee has that list and she'll tell you when DAYBREAK continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: In our "Business Buzz" this morning, housing is still the nation's financial bright spot. That's according to a top economist for the National Association of Realtors. Despite the Fed's rising interest rates, new and existing home sales are strong and that trend is expected to continue throughout the summer.
General Motors hopes to regain the market share it lost to Japanese imports with a new marketing strategy of its own. Besides a price cut, the auto maker will roll out a new compact car called Cobalt, designed to compete against popular Honda and Toyota models.
More reports of data theft. This time, bank employees may be involved.
Carrie Lee has more -- you're kidding.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is another story, another week. I know we've been hearing a lot about this, but the latest involving a lot of the big banks in the country. And what's happening is information on at least 500,000 accounts may have been compromised over a four year period. Now, and this involves 10 banks in seven states, mostly on the East Coast.
And according to the "Wall Street Journal," the bank employees took and sold information to an investigative agency, which then sold it to collection agencies. And this breach differs from others we've heard about because it doesn't involve computer hackers or any outside criminals, but rather the employees, who we all know often have access to this account information right in front of them.
COSTELLO: That is unbelievable.
So, what are the banks?
LEE: Pretty much all the big ones -- Bank of America to Wachovia, 10 in total. So -- and there are only about 10 big banks. So pretty much all of them.
We also want to get to, separately, an MCI story here. An analyst who works with MCI had a laptop stolen here, personal information for about 16,000 people, 16,500 people, was stolen. The "Journal" says the laptop was taken from the car. So the bottom line, you know, we continue to beat this drum, but do your due diligence, check with the three big credit reporting agencies, keep an eye on your files, put a fraud alert. You know, this is really the time when people have to be proactive.
COSTELLO: I'm just going to like publish my personal information for everyone to look at so they don't have to bother stealing it.
LEE: You know, that's the thing. It's really not that hard to find, it seems like. So you just have to be proactive, monitor your accounts, do what you can to make sure everything is on the up and up.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee, thanks.
LEE: OK.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, revealing pictures of Saddam Hussein on the cover of a British tabloid. Is this a breach of the Geneva Accords? And, if so, who will pay the price? There is an investigation going on. We're going to talk about that when DAYBREAK continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 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 new military offensive is underway this morning in western Baghdad. U.S. an Iraqi forces have launched Operation Squeeze Play. The U.S. military says a number of terror suspects have already been captured.
First Lady Laura Bush is in Cairo, Egypt this morning, a day after getting heckled by protesters in Israel. Mrs. Bush says the protests are not surprising in a region where emotions run so high.
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 are up as rivers eat away at their banks -- good morning, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
The snow is melting so quickly now because of that heat. We talked about it. It's going to be 109 on Phoenix today. Some of the spots on top of the mountains, from Vail Pass, right on down southward, even into the Sangre de Cristos and into parts of New Mexico, temperatures there reached 80 and 90 degrees yesterday. And those snow melts now have just really accelerated, and so, so has the water.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Our top story this morning is the amazing end to an amber alert in Florida. An 8-year-old girl 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 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 8-year old girl, is alive.
BOLAND: 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 (on camera): Did she make any noise?
BOLAND: No. And then all of a sudden, she moved a finger.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Investigators were amazed the 80-pound girl was still conscious.
MIKE DRISCOLL, FLORIDA LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT: 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. 17- 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, officer. Thank you, officer. Thank you. 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 and tried as an adult and if convicted, could face life in prison.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Lake Worth, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT DAN BOLAND, LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA POLICE: That girl was put there to die. There is no uncertain terms, that girl was put there to die.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Left to die but found alive. Florida police turn a tragic tale into a miraculous recovery.
Also, Afghanistan's top man is in America and he is speaking his mind. We'll tell you what he has to say about the United States.
And from the hood to the suburbs and beyond, hip hop is on a roll. But why do your kids like it?
It's Monday, May 23.
You are watching 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 arrived in Cairo, Egypt this morning, a day after getting heckled by protesters in Israel. Mrs. Bush says the protests aren't surprising in a region where emotions run high.
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.
Starting today, the U.S. Coast Guard will deny port entry to ships from seven countries that it says don't have effective anti- terrorism measures into place at their ports. The countries in question include Albania, the Republic of Congo and Liberia.
To the Forecast Center -- good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT) COSTELLO: Now for one amazing story out of Lake Worth, Florida. A missing 8-year-old girl found alive after being left for dead. The suspect in the case is a 17-year-old who police say confessed to the kidnapping and assault. He is expected to appear in court today. As for the girl, she is in remarkably good condition considering she was found in a landfill, inside of a dumpster, covered up with rocks.
Police say it is nothing short of a miracle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF WILLIAM SMITH, LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA POLICE: They saw, as they began to uncover the rocks that were piled on top of this, they saw movement And, in fact, discovered the child alive, which is -- Mayer Droughts (ph) described it accurately as a miracle, which is certainly is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The girl was found by Lake Worth Sergeant Mike Hall, who was searching through that landfill. He'll talk about his discovery live on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING." Of course, that comes your way at 7:00 a.m. Eastern this morning.
The father of those two missing Idaho kids says he's being called a liar. Police seem no closer to finding 9-year-old Dylan Groene and his 8-year-old sister Shasta. The pair disappeared after three people, including their mother, were killed. The children's father says an FBI agent told him there are now doubts about his innocence. Groene is the guy in the baseball cap there. He says he was also told that he failed parts of the polygraph test.
Sex offenders are getting Viagra for free courtesy of your tax dollars. Prescriptions are being paid by Medicaid to sex offenders who have abused children as young as two years old. Medicaid didn't discover this. The New York State comptroller did. He's now asking the federal health secretary to stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN HEVESI, NEW YORK STATE COMPTROLLER: We have discovered that 198 individuals who are listed as level three sexual offenders, according to the criminal statutes, were receiving Medicaid-funded Viagra. And we think this is a matter of serious public policy that ought to be reviewed by the Department of Health and Human Services.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: To say that they would be able, on the federal, state and local government's arm, to get Viagra for free, 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. The Viagra freebie for Medicaid recipients is nationwide. Two Florida teenagers expected in court today to answer felony charges for hitting their bus driver. I am sure you saw the video by now. But some are saying they aren't the ones who should be facing such a harsh punishment.
CNN's Sara Dorsey has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALBERT TAYLOR, BUS DRIVER: The front, that's the way you face.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bus driver Albert Taylor told Charlotte County police he had to pull his bus over Tuesday after a few students caused a disruption.
TAYLOR: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Unlock him now!
TAYLOR: Don't you tell me what to do.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No!
TAYLOR: Get up here!
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.
TAYLOR: Get up here!
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.
DORSEY: Taylor told police he had asked a student to come to the front of the bus three times. This video shows Taylor then went to get the student. The boy's brother intervened and Taylor appears to strike him and grab him by the throat.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Get off him! Get off him! Get off him!
TAYLOR: (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED).
DORSEY: The scuffle doesn't end there. The older brother, who has already been struck, appears to throw a punch at the driver.
TAYLOR: Sit down.
DORSEY: The boys then demand to be let off the bus.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: You're going to jail, boy.
Let me off this bus. Let me off the bus. (INAUDIBLE). Call (INAUDIBLE). Hurry up.
DORSEY: 66-year-old Taylor has been charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor. We've been unable to reach him for comment and it's not known if he has legal representation. None of the other children on the bus were involved in the confrontation, but the 13- and 15- year-old brothers are charged with felonies.
The boys' defense attorney says that doesn't add up.
RUSSEL KIRSHY, BOY'S ATTORNEY: It's just, it's despicable. It's crazy that they would be charged with felonies and the bus driver would be charged with a misdemeanor.
DORSEY: Charlotte County sheriff's officials say that in Florida, it's an automatic felony for a student to strike a school official. They say the charges were filed before the video became available, but that seeing it has "changed the thinking here."
(on camera): The sheriff's office says it does not have the power to change any of the charges, but the state's attorney can. The brothers have been suspended from school and will appear in front of a judge on Monday. The bus driver is scheduled to appear on June 1. He has been suspended with pay and the sheriff's office says the school board will meet next week to determine his future.
Sarah Dorsey, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: 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 the 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's 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 home to Fort Stewart.
First Lady Laura Bush is sightseeing in Egypt right now. It is the latest stop on her tour of the Middle East. She's there to promote women's issues and try to improve the image of the United States in the region. But the first lady got a taste of the fury many people there feel toward the U.S. while she was in Jerusalem. She was greeted by angry protesters at Jewish and Muslim holy sites.
Let's talk more about the first lady's Mideast journey. Suzanne Malveaux covering the story. She joins us live now from Cairo. You know, this looked pretty scary around Laura Bush, frankly.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, apparently it really was quite frightening, to tell you the truth. It was chaotic. It was a frightening scene surrounding the first lady. I was very close to her for much of the protests that were going on around her. We were at the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's holiest sites, and a crowd gathered. She approached the mosque and a man shouted, "You don't belong in the mosque! Your husband kills Muslims."
It was -- she went inside for a quick tour. When she came outside, it just got worse. There was a crowd that really gathered closer and closer. The Secret Service pulled in, stepped in to protect her. And, of course, there was a ring of Israeli guards and officials who set up a perimeter, really, to try to keep back some of those people from trying to get in the inner circle.
I even saw, at one point, the tensions were so high that an Israeli police officer drew his weapon on a little boy who was running to approach the first lady. I mean it was very clear that tensions were very high.
COSTELLO: Whose idea...
MALVEAUX: And this was the second event...
COSTELLO: Whose idea was it to have Laura Bush visit a mosque?
MALVEAUX: Well, it was certainly her office's idea to visit both of these places. The whole point of it was to really show and display a very even-handed approach. She's here to encourage peace between Muslims and Christians and Jews. But, of course, one of those sites was the mosque, the Dome of the Rock, very important to Islam, one of its holiest sites. And then the other, of course, Carol, was the Western Wall. That was her first stop, a very important site for Jews there. And, again, she was met with a group of protesters. This was a group of young women who were standing literally right behind me yelling, "Free Pollard now!" It was a reference to Jonathan Pollard. He's the Israeli spy who's being held in U.S. custody. There's a big movement now to try to free him.
So there was a lot of confusion. There was a lot of chaos. And security was very, very tight.
COSTELLO: I know time will tell if this did, you know, anything good or anything bad to relations there. And I know that the first lady is in Egypt this morning, where it's much more peaceful. I also know, Suzanne, that you sat down for a one-on-one with Laura Bush.
And Suzanne will talk more about that on "AMERICAN MORNING" in just about 50 minutes.
Thank you, Suzanne.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, maybe it's not a surprise that "Star Wars" broke box office records, but we're talking about big time bucks here. We'll talk more about it with "In Touch Weekly's" Tom O'Neil in six minutes.
And in about 34 minutes, the new cyber land superhero. We'll tell you about hacker hunters who fight computer crimes.
And just before the top of the hour, hip hop -- its wild success and its growing influence with white teenagers.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:13 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Another person close to the Iraqi government was gunned down in Baghdad this morning. This time it was an adviser to the Iraqi prime minister who was killed in a drive-by shooting. There have been several attacks recently, all targeting Iraqi political officials.
In money news, falling gas prices are finally giving us a break, sort of. The average price for a gallon of unleaded has dropped just a shade over $0.06 in the past two weeks. The average now, $2.15.
In culture, have you seen it? Probably not. The Belgian film "The Child" has won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival in France. It's about a young petty crook who's facing fatherhood.
In sports, the Triple Crown drought continues. That's because Afleet Alex won the Preakness stakes over the weekend in amazing fashion. Oh, I hope you saw it, because it was amazing. Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo finished third. It has been 27 years since Affirmed won the Triple Crown -- Chad.
MYERS: Carol, yes, in those -- in six years, we had Secretariat, Affirmed and Seattle Slew. And then it was been a drought ever since, 27 years now. Afleet Alex actually stumbled to a knee, back up and still won the race. A great race there this weekend in Baltimore.
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COSTELLO: That's a look at the latest headlines for you this morning.
How does a cool $158 million sound to you? It sounds like a four day record to the creator of "Star Wars," George Lucas. But let's face it, was there ever any doubt this movie would make financial history?
Tom O'Neil from "In Touch Weekly" is here to tell us more.
So go ahead.
TOM O'NEIL, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Yes, the producers of DAYBREAK said Tom, would you come in Monday morning to talk about your prediction that this is going to top $100 million? And then it was a dare said with a wink because we all knew it probably would.
COSTELLO: Yes.
O'NEIL: The experts, though, said that this would only make $93 million.
COSTELLO: Oh.
O'NEIL: While the previous record for a four day weekend was $134 million, set by "The Matrix Reloaded." But this set not only the four day record, but a one -- a new one day record of $50 million.
COSTELLO: Wow! And then overseas it made $145 million.
O'NEIL: Are we keeping count of this? Yes, I mean this is staggering, isn't it?
COSTELLO: How much could it make, when all is said and done?
O'NEIL: I think probably between $700 million and $800 million.
COSTELLO: Wow!
O'NEIL: If it really tops out. The movie that holds the record is "Titanic" at $1 billion.
COSTELLO: $1 billion? That's just mind-boggling, isn't it?
O'NEIL: I know.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable.
Well, let's talk about something else, because, frankly, I'm sick of talking about "Star Wars."
O'NEIL: OK.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about your TV Land special, because this is fun.
O'NEIL: This is fun. Wednesday night, 10:00 p.m., a countdown show of the top 10 TV characters you love to hate. You know, we're not allowed to hate anybody in real life, so you can channel it all toward your -- those despicable characters like Archie Bunker on "All In the Family." My gosh, Archie, can anybody be more vile in his views of the world?
Arc
COSTELLO: There are a lot of people that loved him, though, too.
O'NEIL: And you had to love Archie, because he loved Gloria, he loved his wife, he loved his country. And he was just ignorant.
COSTELLO: So he was a bigot and a racist. O'NEIL: I know.
COSTELLO: The other one, the others of the top 10, of course, we saw Eddie Haskell from "Leave It To Beaver." But, of course, Newman from "Seinfeld."
O'NEIL: Newman is my favorite because he hates Jerry because everybody hates a the mailman, illogically. He has to put his hate somewhere and it ends up on Jerry. Jerry goes why does this guy hate me? I don't get it. And we've all been in that situation where someone loathes us at work or, you know, in the neighborhood and you go I don't understand why.
COSTELLO: I know. Well, that is true. I did love Newman, though. He was so funny. In fact, I still say my friend's name in that tone. My best friend's name is Bonnie. I always go Bonnie. I know.
O'NEIL: Does she know what you're talking about?
COSTELLO: Oh, yes.
O'NEIL: Or does she think you hate her?
COSTELLO: No, she doesn't. She laughs.
"Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David, is the other one. But you're not going to tell us who the number one most hated TV character is until?
O'NEIL: Until Wednesday night at 10:00 p.m.
COSTELLO: OK.
Hey, Chad, do you have a most hated character?
MYERS: Probably Boss Hog, Carol.
COSTELLO: Really?
MYERS: Yes.
O'NEIL: Really?
MYERS: I didn't like Boss Hog. I liked that guy Roscoe P. Coltrane, though.
COSTELLO: You know, I'm curious, Tom, why did these shows do so well?
O'NEIL: Because we love lists, all of us, and in a case like this, it's just so much fun, because we love TV so much.
COSTELLO: We need an escape from our own reality.
O'NEIL: Yes, we really do. COSTELLO: Yes.
Tom O'Neil, thanks, as usual.
O'NEIL: All right.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, another incident of personal accounts and information stolen. This time it involves 10 different banks on the East Coast. So is your bank on the list? Carrie Lee has that list and she'll tell you when DAYBREAK continues.
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COSTELLO: In our "Business Buzz" this morning, housing is still the nation's financial bright spot. That's according to a top economist for the National Association of Realtors. Despite the Fed's rising interest rates, new and existing home sales are strong and that trend is expected to continue throughout the summer.
General Motors hopes to regain the market share it lost to Japanese imports with a new marketing strategy of its own. Besides a price cut, the auto maker will roll out a new compact car called Cobalt, designed to compete against popular Honda and Toyota models.
More reports of data theft. This time, bank employees may be involved.
Carrie Lee has more -- you're kidding.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is another story, another week. I know we've been hearing a lot about this, but the latest involving a lot of the big banks in the country. And what's happening is information on at least 500,000 accounts may have been compromised over a four year period. Now, and this involves 10 banks in seven states, mostly on the East Coast.
And according to the "Wall Street Journal," the bank employees took and sold information to an investigative agency, which then sold it to collection agencies. And this breach differs from others we've heard about because it doesn't involve computer hackers or any outside criminals, but rather the employees, who we all know often have access to this account information right in front of them.
COSTELLO: That is unbelievable.
So, what are the banks?
LEE: Pretty much all the big ones -- Bank of America to Wachovia, 10 in total. So -- and there are only about 10 big banks. So pretty much all of them.
We also want to get to, separately, an MCI story here. An analyst who works with MCI had a laptop stolen here, personal information for about 16,000 people, 16,500 people, was stolen. The "Journal" says the laptop was taken from the car. So the bottom line, you know, we continue to beat this drum, but do your due diligence, check with the three big credit reporting agencies, keep an eye on your files, put a fraud alert. You know, this is really the time when people have to be proactive.
COSTELLO: I'm just going to like publish my personal information for everyone to look at so they don't have to bother stealing it.
LEE: You know, that's the thing. It's really not that hard to find, it seems like. So you just have to be proactive, monitor your accounts, do what you can to make sure everything is on the up and up.
COSTELLO: Carrie Lee, thanks.
LEE: OK.
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, revealing pictures of Saddam Hussein on the cover of a British tabloid. Is this a breach of the Geneva Accords? And, if so, who will pay the price? There is an investigation going on. We're going to talk about that when DAYBREAK continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 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 new military offensive is underway this morning in western Baghdad. U.S. an Iraqi forces have launched Operation Squeeze Play. The U.S. military says a number of terror suspects have already been captured.
First Lady Laura Bush is in Cairo, Egypt this morning, a day after getting heckled by protesters in Israel. Mrs. Bush says the protests are not surprising in a region where emotions run so high.
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 are up as rivers eat away at their banks -- good morning, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
The snow is melting so quickly now because of that heat. We talked about it. It's going to be 109 on Phoenix today. Some of the spots on top of the mountains, from Vail Pass, right on down southward, even into the Sangre de Cristos and into parts of New Mexico, temperatures there reached 80 and 90 degrees yesterday. And those snow melts now have just really accelerated, and so, so has the water.
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COSTELLO: Our top story this morning is the amazing end to an amber alert in Florida. An 8-year-old girl 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 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 8-year old girl, is alive.
BOLAND: 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 (on camera): Did she make any noise?
BOLAND: No. And then all of a sudden, she moved a finger.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Investigators were amazed the 80-pound girl was still conscious.
MIKE DRISCOLL, FLORIDA LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT: 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. 17- 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, officer. Thank you, officer. Thank you. 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 and tried as an adult and if convicted, could face life in prison.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Lake Worth, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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