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CNN Live At Daybreak

Battle Over John Bolton; Crane Fugitive

Aired May 27, 2005 - 06:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Rob Marciano.
"Now in the News."

An explosion at a Muslim shrine in Pakistan has killed 10 worshippers and wounded 40 others. It happened in the capital of Islamabad. Police say hundreds of people were inside the sanctuary at the time.

Two U.S. troops died when their helicopter crashed near Baquba in Iraq. Authorities say an insurgent shot down the chopper with small- arms fire. A second helicopter was also attacked and damaged, but managed to land safely.

Are you getting ready to hit the road? AAA predicts a record 37 million of you will travel this Memorial Day weekend. That's despite the highest gas prices ever recorded for a holiday.

To the forecast center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: The debate over John Bolton will continue next month. That's because Senate Democrats successfully blocked a vote on his nomination as ambassador to the United Nations. Republicans fell just four votes short of forcing the vote. Democrats say they want more documents released on Bolton's work at the State Department.

But Republicans contend that it's nothing more than another stalling tactic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: We're going to come back and revisit it, but I think what America has just seen is an engagement of another period of obstruction by the other side of the aisle. And it looks like we have, once again, another filibuster.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: We need to work together, and I think this week has established that. And we're going to work together. But how can we work together when the information is not supplied? So, I hope that we'll all slow down the rhetoric during the break.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: So, now any vote is on hold until the Senate reconvenes after the holiday. But will the break bring closure?

CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns joins us now from Washington with a look at what's next.

What is next -- Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Hi, Carol.

Well, this nomination is basically held up until the first week of June because Democrats say they want more information. Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, both Democrats, are insisting on NSA intercepts that Bolton requested. They haven't gotten what they want yet.

This was a procedural vote, it's important to note. I counted something like three Democrats who voted with the Republicans to cut off debate, but they needed more votes from Democrats to move to a final vote. And the failure, as you said, to cut off debate set off finger pointing. Republicans accusing Democrats of obstructionism; Democrats saying they're being blocked from getting information they say they need before they want to move to a final vote.

There's a larger dispute, as we all know, over whether Bolton is the right man for a tough diplomatic job. But it still looks like this is just a temporary delay. Still, Republicans are not happy about this -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So what's your prediction? After the break, will they get to a vote? And will he be confirmed?

JOHNS: Well, it's obviously hard to predict, because this has been a moving target from the start. A lot of Democrats are very concerned about Bolton's people skills, his ability to work with people, some suggestions that he's a bureaucratic insider and has been for some time.

But on balance, Republicans are still saying they think this thing is going to move sometime after the break; that issue of information Democrats want just has to be resolved, they say.

COSTELLO: Joe Johns reporting live from Washington this morning. Thank you.

There have been a few surprises during that long, torturous Bolton hearing; among them, a stall by Republican Senator John Voinovich. He slowed the vote, calling Bolton the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be. He became so emotional about the issue you could spot a tear in his eye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: And, you know, some of my friends say, oh, let it go, George is going to work out. I don't want to take the risk. I came back here and ran for a second term because I'm worried about my kids and my grandchildren. And I just hope my colleagues will take the time. And before they get to this well, do some serious thinking about whether or not we should send John Bolton to the United Nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Senator Voinovich then had to sit down and compose himself. See how emotional he got?

Let's head live to Washington now and Sabrina Eaton, the Washington correspondent for the "Cleveland Plain Dealer."

Good morning.

SABRINA EATON, "CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER": Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You have covered Voinovich as mayor of Cleveland and governor of Ohio. Is he always so emotional about such issues?

EATON: Not really. He's more of a state chamber of commerce type Republican. But he does get exercised about things from time to time, as I guess you could see from that clip. He's very concerned with good government issues, and he doesn't like people who he feels are nasty to their subordinates. And I think that some of the testimony about Bolton that came out at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee indicated that he's that kind of guy. And that really got under Voinovich's skin and rankled him.

COSTELLO: I know. But to become so emotional, I mean, he was actually in tears.

EATON: Well, the senators all have to be dirty Harry or something? He's...

COSTELLO: You know what, Sabrina? If a female senator had done this, I wonder if there would be a different reaction.

EATON: Well, Voinovich has burst into tears in the past. At one point in, I think it was 1992, there were some welfare demonstrators outside the statehouse in Columbus, because, you know, he was the governor of Ohio. And at that point, he was talking about how much he cares about people, and I gather he actually did burst into full-blown tears at that point.

I mean, when he talks to -- I mean, I don't think I've ever seen him get quite that way, but he talks about things. You know, when he talks to people and they particularly touch him, he says it brought tears to my eyes. When I asked him about his -- how President Bush is feeling about this, he says, well, President Bush knows my heart. I mean, he's a very -- you know, that's kind of how he relates to people.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let me put this by you. He is so upset about Bolton; yet, he voted to stall and not to defeat the nomination. And it's been called something now by Jon Stewart. You know Jon Stewart.

EATON: Yes.

COSTELLO: He says, we've all been Voinoviched (ph). Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": Chime down. Bolton is not coming out of committee (INAUDIBLE).

VOINOVICH: That being said, Mr. Chairman, we owe it to the president to give Mr. Bolton and up or down vote on the floor of the United States Senate.

STEWART: I got Voinoviched (ph). (INAUDIBLE) votes yes. So, the Bolton nomination moves on, because George Voinovich voted for the guy that he believes is the opposite of what a diplomat should be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, you have to ask yourself, is Voinovich standing up for himself, yet he's being somewhat loyal to his party? I mean, what's up with this?

EATON: Well, some people have accused him of wanting to have his cake and eat it, too. But I think that the reason that he's voting is he did. And I think that last night when the Democrats successfully were able to stall the vote, he voted against that. He wanted to continue the debate.

I think that, you know, he believes that he doesn't support the whole filibuster thing. And he doesn't want to, like, single-handedly obstruct what the president wants. But I think that he was hopeful that he might be able to persuade some of his colleagues to his point of view. That doesn't seem to have happened, and I think he's somewhat disappointed about that. But, you know, he's making his stand, and that's how he feels about it.

COSTELLO: Well, it could happen. We'll have to wait until after the holiday break.

EATON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Sabrina Eaton from the "Cleveland Plain Dealer." Thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

EATON: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: We are now about 40 hours into a police standoff with a murder suspect in Atlanta. You've had to hear about this by now. Forty-one-year-old Carl Edward Roland is atop an 18-story crane in Atlanta's trendy Buckhead neighborhood.

Tony Harris live now at the scene.

Tony, bring us up to date. TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. Good morning to you, Carol.

As you mentioned, police are trying to get him down. The long and short of this is that 41-year-old Carl Roland is still high atop this construction crane, 350 feet above the ground in this, as you mentioned, a residential commercial area of Atlanta, the Buckhead neighborhood, very trendy here in Atlanta.

And the story is this will mean for Atlanta residents another very hectic commuter day, a lot of road closures in this immediate area. It has been a major headache for not only the commuters working in this area, but also businesses, many of which have been shut down for the last couple of days, as you mentioned. What police are hoping for, obviously, is that they can get Roland to come down; that he will surrender to them peacefully.

Here is a bit of a back story. As you mentioned, Roland is linked to the beating death of his girlfriend in Pinellas Park, Florida. Jennifer Gonzalez's body was found earlier this week in a pond near their home. Roland then makes his way here to Atlanta. And then he basically bum rushes a construction worker at this condominium construction site behind me. He jumps on the crane elevator, goes up the crane, construction crane elevated to where he has been, as you mentioned, for nearly 40 hours now.

And I've got to tell you, I arrived on the scene just before 6:00 this morning, and for the next half-hour or so what we heard was just this constant barrage of sounds. There were just sirens and hammers and hammers and sirens, trying to keep him awake. They've been rolling this -- I don't know what this is -- this little arm with this bucket on the bottom of it back and forth to where he is up there on that crane just as a distraction to try to keep him awake. We have seen him waving his arms. He obviously is awake now.

But that's the scene here in Buckhead. Authorities are trying to do everything they can. Negotiators are up on that level, on that T, trying to get John Roland to surrender -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Tony Harris live from the scene. And they're afraid if he falls asleep that he's going to roll off the crane and fall.

HARRIS: Exactly.

COSTELLO: And yesterday, one police negotiator was actually up on the crane with him, talking to him?

HARRIS: Yes. A couple of things. They've been able to provide him with a coat. They have asked him if he would take water, if he would take food. And he has said no to both of those things. He did take a coat, which it's been chilly the last couple of nights here. They've been trying desperately to talk to him.

But for a while there, there was a woman, who claimed to be his sister, on the scene, who was trying to communicate with him. The authorities got as much information as they could from her, and then moved her along.

But, yes, they've been pretty close to him, trying to do everything they can to talk him down. What obviously they don't him to do is to fall asleep and roll off that narrow perch that he's on. And the other thing they don't want him to do is to get caught up in a rescue attempt and slip and then fall to his death.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Tony Harris, I know you're going to remain on the scene...

HARRIS: Sure.

COSTELLO: ... pretty much the whole day. Thank you very much.

HARRIS: I'll be here.

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, one company is not so desperate to advertise during that hit show about housewives.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:47 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi really wounded? It depends on who you ask. Iraq's interior minister says yes, with confidence. But the Pentagon says it has no hard evidence about the fate of the most- wanted man in Iraq.

In money news, thousands of former Enron employees will share $85 million in insurance proceeds. A federal judge ruled the money will not go to pay the legal fees for former Enron executives Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling.

In culture, Mary Kay Cosmetics are not intended for "Desperate Housewives." The company has changed its mind about advertising on the popular TV program. Protesters had urged Mary Kay to stay away from a show that promotes promiscuity.

In sports, Alex Rodriguez provided the power to lift the New York Yankees over my Detroit Tigers, 4-3. A-Rod leads the Major Leagues with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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

Just another look at this crane situation in Atlanta, Georgia, on Peachtree. This is this man who has been up there for 48 hours now. He's on the move again for some reason. Police have been trying to talk him down from his perch for days. He simply will not come down. He won't accept food. He did accept a coat from negotiators who were up on that crane. This crane is 18 stories high, by the way.

This man is suspected of murdering his girlfriend in Pinellas Park, Florida. And then he came to the Atlanta area for some reason, went to this construction scene. They're building condominiums here. Supposedly he had some kind of knife.

Are we going to go to that reporter? We're not.

Supposedly he had some kind of knife and forced the construction workers away from the crane, and then took the elevator up to the top. And he's been up there ever since.

We'll keep you posted on this situation.

We're going to take a break. We'll be back with much more on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're taking a live look at Boston, Massachusetts, this morning, courtesy of our affiliate there, WHDH; 59 degrees is the expected high in Boston. And as you can see, it's going to be a cloudy cool day.

It is now 6:53 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

An Australian woman is sentenced to 20 years in prison for smuggling drugs into Indonesia. She insists the nine pounds of marijuana were planted in her luggage while she was on vacation.

The annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle run marks this Memorial Day weekend; 250,000 cyclists are expected at tonight's candlelight vigil at the Vietnam War Memorial on the National Mall.

And President Bush will speak at the Naval Academy commencement in about three hours. It's the first time since the 9/11 attacks the president will personally commission the troops. CNN will carry the president's remarks live at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

Back to Soledad O'Brien now on board the USS John F. Kennedy, where she's getting a schooling on sailoring.

Good morning.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

You know, when they're under way, some 5,200 service men and women work on board this historic carrier. You know, it's the third- oldest in the Navy. It takes obviously lots of teamwork and elbow grease to keep it running smoothly.

All morning long, we're going to take you behind the scenes of the JFK from the galley that serves all of those hungry sailors to the special room that was designed by Jackie Kennedy. You'll also have access to the ship's Big John. We're going to give you a little inside scoop on what happens here. That's all ahead on "AMERICAN MORNING" this morning, Carol. We'll see you at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: We will. Thank you, Soledad.

It's time for today's coffee quiz questions. We didn't have a quiz yesterday due to breaking news; so no Thursday winner to announce. But it's time for the contest now.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Here is your chance to win one. We'll announce the winner on Monday.

All right, here are the questions. How many people will travel by car this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA? Question number two, name two VIP's whose personal information was posted on the Virginia Watchdog Web site we told you about earlier?

Submit your answers online. The address is CNN.com/daybreak. And we will announce it on Monday. And just because it's a holiday, Carol, doesn't mean that people shouldn't get up early and watch us on Monday morning.

COSTELLO: Exactly. And if they can't, they should TiVo us.

MARCIANO: You're so hip and cutting-edge.

COSTELLO: I try to remain current even at my advancing age.

When we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. You are watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

An explosion in a Muslim shrine in Pakistan has killed 14 worshippers and wounded 40 others. It happened in the capital of Islamabad. Police say hundreds of people were inside the sanctuary at the time.

The commander of the joint task force at Guantanamo Bay says he has identified five incidents in which the Quran may have been mishandled. But the general said there is no proof that a Quran was ever flushed down a toilet, as was reported and then retracted by "Newsweek.

A Florida man who climbed an 18-story-high construction crane in Atlanta late Wednesday afternoon is still up there. This is a live picture we're showing you. He is ignoring police, negotiators and his sister. In fact, a negotiator just climbed up there moments ago. He is wanted in the beating death of his ex-girlfriend.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now. 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 27, 2005 - 06:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Rob Marciano.
"Now in the News."

An explosion at a Muslim shrine in Pakistan has killed 10 worshippers and wounded 40 others. It happened in the capital of Islamabad. Police say hundreds of people were inside the sanctuary at the time.

Two U.S. troops died when their helicopter crashed near Baquba in Iraq. Authorities say an insurgent shot down the chopper with small- arms fire. A second helicopter was also attacked and damaged, but managed to land safely.

Are you getting ready to hit the road? AAA predicts a record 37 million of you will travel this Memorial Day weekend. That's despite the highest gas prices ever recorded for a holiday.

To the forecast center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: The debate over John Bolton will continue next month. That's because Senate Democrats successfully blocked a vote on his nomination as ambassador to the United Nations. Republicans fell just four votes short of forcing the vote. Democrats say they want more documents released on Bolton's work at the State Department.

But Republicans contend that it's nothing more than another stalling tactic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: We're going to come back and revisit it, but I think what America has just seen is an engagement of another period of obstruction by the other side of the aisle. And it looks like we have, once again, another filibuster.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: We need to work together, and I think this week has established that. And we're going to work together. But how can we work together when the information is not supplied? So, I hope that we'll all slow down the rhetoric during the break.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: So, now any vote is on hold until the Senate reconvenes after the holiday. But will the break bring closure?

CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns joins us now from Washington with a look at what's next.

What is next -- Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Hi, Carol.

Well, this nomination is basically held up until the first week of June because Democrats say they want more information. Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, both Democrats, are insisting on NSA intercepts that Bolton requested. They haven't gotten what they want yet.

This was a procedural vote, it's important to note. I counted something like three Democrats who voted with the Republicans to cut off debate, but they needed more votes from Democrats to move to a final vote. And the failure, as you said, to cut off debate set off finger pointing. Republicans accusing Democrats of obstructionism; Democrats saying they're being blocked from getting information they say they need before they want to move to a final vote.

There's a larger dispute, as we all know, over whether Bolton is the right man for a tough diplomatic job. But it still looks like this is just a temporary delay. Still, Republicans are not happy about this -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So what's your prediction? After the break, will they get to a vote? And will he be confirmed?

JOHNS: Well, it's obviously hard to predict, because this has been a moving target from the start. A lot of Democrats are very concerned about Bolton's people skills, his ability to work with people, some suggestions that he's a bureaucratic insider and has been for some time.

But on balance, Republicans are still saying they think this thing is going to move sometime after the break; that issue of information Democrats want just has to be resolved, they say.

COSTELLO: Joe Johns reporting live from Washington this morning. Thank you.

There have been a few surprises during that long, torturous Bolton hearing; among them, a stall by Republican Senator John Voinovich. He slowed the vote, calling Bolton the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be. He became so emotional about the issue you could spot a tear in his eye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: And, you know, some of my friends say, oh, let it go, George is going to work out. I don't want to take the risk. I came back here and ran for a second term because I'm worried about my kids and my grandchildren. And I just hope my colleagues will take the time. And before they get to this well, do some serious thinking about whether or not we should send John Bolton to the United Nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Senator Voinovich then had to sit down and compose himself. See how emotional he got?

Let's head live to Washington now and Sabrina Eaton, the Washington correspondent for the "Cleveland Plain Dealer."

Good morning.

SABRINA EATON, "CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER": Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You have covered Voinovich as mayor of Cleveland and governor of Ohio. Is he always so emotional about such issues?

EATON: Not really. He's more of a state chamber of commerce type Republican. But he does get exercised about things from time to time, as I guess you could see from that clip. He's very concerned with good government issues, and he doesn't like people who he feels are nasty to their subordinates. And I think that some of the testimony about Bolton that came out at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee indicated that he's that kind of guy. And that really got under Voinovich's skin and rankled him.

COSTELLO: I know. But to become so emotional, I mean, he was actually in tears.

EATON: Well, the senators all have to be dirty Harry or something? He's...

COSTELLO: You know what, Sabrina? If a female senator had done this, I wonder if there would be a different reaction.

EATON: Well, Voinovich has burst into tears in the past. At one point in, I think it was 1992, there were some welfare demonstrators outside the statehouse in Columbus, because, you know, he was the governor of Ohio. And at that point, he was talking about how much he cares about people, and I gather he actually did burst into full-blown tears at that point.

I mean, when he talks to -- I mean, I don't think I've ever seen him get quite that way, but he talks about things. You know, when he talks to people and they particularly touch him, he says it brought tears to my eyes. When I asked him about his -- how President Bush is feeling about this, he says, well, President Bush knows my heart. I mean, he's a very -- you know, that's kind of how he relates to people.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let me put this by you. He is so upset about Bolton; yet, he voted to stall and not to defeat the nomination. And it's been called something now by Jon Stewart. You know Jon Stewart.

EATON: Yes.

COSTELLO: He says, we've all been Voinoviched (ph). Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": Chime down. Bolton is not coming out of committee (INAUDIBLE).

VOINOVICH: That being said, Mr. Chairman, we owe it to the president to give Mr. Bolton and up or down vote on the floor of the United States Senate.

STEWART: I got Voinoviched (ph). (INAUDIBLE) votes yes. So, the Bolton nomination moves on, because George Voinovich voted for the guy that he believes is the opposite of what a diplomat should be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, you have to ask yourself, is Voinovich standing up for himself, yet he's being somewhat loyal to his party? I mean, what's up with this?

EATON: Well, some people have accused him of wanting to have his cake and eat it, too. But I think that the reason that he's voting is he did. And I think that last night when the Democrats successfully were able to stall the vote, he voted against that. He wanted to continue the debate.

I think that, you know, he believes that he doesn't support the whole filibuster thing. And he doesn't want to, like, single-handedly obstruct what the president wants. But I think that he was hopeful that he might be able to persuade some of his colleagues to his point of view. That doesn't seem to have happened, and I think he's somewhat disappointed about that. But, you know, he's making his stand, and that's how he feels about it.

COSTELLO: Well, it could happen. We'll have to wait until after the holiday break.

EATON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Sabrina Eaton from the "Cleveland Plain Dealer." Thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.

EATON: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: We are now about 40 hours into a police standoff with a murder suspect in Atlanta. You've had to hear about this by now. Forty-one-year-old Carl Edward Roland is atop an 18-story crane in Atlanta's trendy Buckhead neighborhood.

Tony Harris live now at the scene.

Tony, bring us up to date. TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. Good morning to you, Carol.

As you mentioned, police are trying to get him down. The long and short of this is that 41-year-old Carl Roland is still high atop this construction crane, 350 feet above the ground in this, as you mentioned, a residential commercial area of Atlanta, the Buckhead neighborhood, very trendy here in Atlanta.

And the story is this will mean for Atlanta residents another very hectic commuter day, a lot of road closures in this immediate area. It has been a major headache for not only the commuters working in this area, but also businesses, many of which have been shut down for the last couple of days, as you mentioned. What police are hoping for, obviously, is that they can get Roland to come down; that he will surrender to them peacefully.

Here is a bit of a back story. As you mentioned, Roland is linked to the beating death of his girlfriend in Pinellas Park, Florida. Jennifer Gonzalez's body was found earlier this week in a pond near their home. Roland then makes his way here to Atlanta. And then he basically bum rushes a construction worker at this condominium construction site behind me. He jumps on the crane elevator, goes up the crane, construction crane elevated to where he has been, as you mentioned, for nearly 40 hours now.

And I've got to tell you, I arrived on the scene just before 6:00 this morning, and for the next half-hour or so what we heard was just this constant barrage of sounds. There were just sirens and hammers and hammers and sirens, trying to keep him awake. They've been rolling this -- I don't know what this is -- this little arm with this bucket on the bottom of it back and forth to where he is up there on that crane just as a distraction to try to keep him awake. We have seen him waving his arms. He obviously is awake now.

But that's the scene here in Buckhead. Authorities are trying to do everything they can. Negotiators are up on that level, on that T, trying to get John Roland to surrender -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Tony Harris live from the scene. And they're afraid if he falls asleep that he's going to roll off the crane and fall.

HARRIS: Exactly.

COSTELLO: And yesterday, one police negotiator was actually up on the crane with him, talking to him?

HARRIS: Yes. A couple of things. They've been able to provide him with a coat. They have asked him if he would take water, if he would take food. And he has said no to both of those things. He did take a coat, which it's been chilly the last couple of nights here. They've been trying desperately to talk to him.

But for a while there, there was a woman, who claimed to be his sister, on the scene, who was trying to communicate with him. The authorities got as much information as they could from her, and then moved her along.

But, yes, they've been pretty close to him, trying to do everything they can to talk him down. What obviously they don't him to do is to fall asleep and roll off that narrow perch that he's on. And the other thing they don't want him to do is to get caught up in a rescue attempt and slip and then fall to his death.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Tony Harris, I know you're going to remain on the scene...

HARRIS: Sure.

COSTELLO: ... pretty much the whole day. Thank you very much.

HARRIS: I'll be here.

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, one company is not so desperate to advertise during that hit show about housewives.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:47 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi really wounded? It depends on who you ask. Iraq's interior minister says yes, with confidence. But the Pentagon says it has no hard evidence about the fate of the most- wanted man in Iraq.

In money news, thousands of former Enron employees will share $85 million in insurance proceeds. A federal judge ruled the money will not go to pay the legal fees for former Enron executives Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling.

In culture, Mary Kay Cosmetics are not intended for "Desperate Housewives." The company has changed its mind about advertising on the popular TV program. Protesters had urged Mary Kay to stay away from a show that promotes promiscuity.

In sports, Alex Rodriguez provided the power to lift the New York Yankees over my Detroit Tigers, 4-3. A-Rod leads the Major Leagues with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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

Just another look at this crane situation in Atlanta, Georgia, on Peachtree. This is this man who has been up there for 48 hours now. He's on the move again for some reason. Police have been trying to talk him down from his perch for days. He simply will not come down. He won't accept food. He did accept a coat from negotiators who were up on that crane. This crane is 18 stories high, by the way.

This man is suspected of murdering his girlfriend in Pinellas Park, Florida. And then he came to the Atlanta area for some reason, went to this construction scene. They're building condominiums here. Supposedly he had some kind of knife.

Are we going to go to that reporter? We're not.

Supposedly he had some kind of knife and forced the construction workers away from the crane, and then took the elevator up to the top. And he's been up there ever since.

We'll keep you posted on this situation.

We're going to take a break. We'll be back with much more on DAYBREAK.

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COSTELLO: We're taking a live look at Boston, Massachusetts, this morning, courtesy of our affiliate there, WHDH; 59 degrees is the expected high in Boston. And as you can see, it's going to be a cloudy cool day.

It is now 6:53 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

An Australian woman is sentenced to 20 years in prison for smuggling drugs into Indonesia. She insists the nine pounds of marijuana were planted in her luggage while she was on vacation.

The annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle run marks this Memorial Day weekend; 250,000 cyclists are expected at tonight's candlelight vigil at the Vietnam War Memorial on the National Mall.

And President Bush will speak at the Naval Academy commencement in about three hours. It's the first time since the 9/11 attacks the president will personally commission the troops. CNN will carry the president's remarks live at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

Back to Soledad O'Brien now on board the USS John F. Kennedy, where she's getting a schooling on sailoring.

Good morning.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

You know, when they're under way, some 5,200 service men and women work on board this historic carrier. You know, it's the third- oldest in the Navy. It takes obviously lots of teamwork and elbow grease to keep it running smoothly.

All morning long, we're going to take you behind the scenes of the JFK from the galley that serves all of those hungry sailors to the special room that was designed by Jackie Kennedy. You'll also have access to the ship's Big John. We're going to give you a little inside scoop on what happens here. That's all ahead on "AMERICAN MORNING" this morning, Carol. We'll see you at the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: We will. Thank you, Soledad.

It's time for today's coffee quiz questions. We didn't have a quiz yesterday due to breaking news; so no Thursday winner to announce. But it's time for the contest now.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Here is your chance to win one. We'll announce the winner on Monday.

All right, here are the questions. How many people will travel by car this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA? Question number two, name two VIP's whose personal information was posted on the Virginia Watchdog Web site we told you about earlier?

Submit your answers online. The address is CNN.com/daybreak. And we will announce it on Monday. And just because it's a holiday, Carol, doesn't mean that people shouldn't get up early and watch us on Monday morning.

COSTELLO: Exactly. And if they can't, they should TiVo us.

MARCIANO: You're so hip and cutting-edge.

COSTELLO: I try to remain current even at my advancing age.

When we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. You are watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.

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COSTELLO: "Now in the News."

An explosion in a Muslim shrine in Pakistan has killed 14 worshippers and wounded 40 others. It happened in the capital of Islamabad. Police say hundreds of people were inside the sanctuary at the time.

The commander of the joint task force at Guantanamo Bay says he has identified five incidents in which the Quran may have been mishandled. But the general said there is no proof that a Quran was ever flushed down a toilet, as was reported and then retracted by "Newsweek.

A Florida man who climbed an 18-story-high construction crane in Atlanta late Wednesday afternoon is still up there. This is a live picture we're showing you. He is ignoring police, negotiators and his sister. In fact, a negotiator just climbed up there moments ago. He is wanted in the beating death of his ex-girlfriend.

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COSTELLO: From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.