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CNN Live At Daybreak

Love & War

Aired June 23, 2005 - 05:29   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, thank you for waking up with us. And welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK.
Coming up in the next 30 minutes, it's graduation day for young Prince William. We'll take you live to St. Andrews, Scotland for a preview of the prince's big day.

And later, we're asking how you feel about protecting the American flag. Still ahead, we'll read your e-mails, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

But first, "Now in the News."

Congressional Democrats are demanding answers from Donald Rumsfeld about the future presence of U.S. troops in Iraq. The Defense Secretary heads to Capitol Hill today to testify on training Iraq's own security forces. The progress of training Iraqis to defend themselves has been slower than anticipated.

We should learn today what John Couey told investigators. Couey is accused of abducting and killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford in Homosassa, Florida. Court documents on what he told police are being released today.

It has been two months since the regular NBA season ended. Tonight it is finally over. The Detroit Pistons play the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio in the deciding game of the championship series.

And remember you can view more CNN reports online. Just visit CNN.com and click on to Watch and you can check out the most popular stories on video.

To the Forecast Center now and, Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Are you sure that game is in San Antonio?

COSTELLO: Well I think they went back to Detroit.

MYERS: I thought they were going back to Auburn Hills, because they just had two games down there. I don't know. I will check.

COSTELLO: Let me check on that.

MYERS: All right, I'll do weather, you check.

COSTELLO: I'll check.

MYERS: All right. I could be completely mistaken on this, I don't know.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Darn, you didn't go on long enough, I'm still checking. OK, I'm going to get my people working on it.

MYERS: OK, we'll get my peeps.

COSTELLO: Thank you. Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: I have to tell you about what's happening in Iraq this morning. Three car bombs explode within 15 minutes of each other in Baghdad, 15 are dead. The bombings left at least 50 people wounded in the Karada neighborhood. That's an area -- actually, it's a suburb of Baghdad. The attacks follow a deadly day yesterday where 5 car bombs killed 18 people and wounded 46 others in Baghdad.

Amid the war there is also love in the air all across Iraq. That's something we have not heard a lot about until now.

So let's head live to CNN's Jennifer Eccleston. She's in Baghdad to tell us about it.

Good morning.

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

That's right, despite the daily dose of violence, where in the last 18 hours, 8 car bombs killed 33 people here in Baghdad. Despite the fact that basic infrastructure needs are well below people's expectations, not enough water, not enough electricity, abysmal sanitation, there is tremendous resolve among the Iraqis that life must go on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Piras Odisho and Nahrane Esho (ph) romanced each other for six months through suicide car bombings and firefights. The Christian couple, both in their 20s, met by chance and say it was love at first sight. They could have delayed their marriage, hoping security would improve, but they decided not to wait.

PIRAS ODISHO, GROOM (through translator): Life must go on. There must be marriages and happiness. Although there is sadness on one side, there is also happiness on the other side.

ECCLESTON: The deadly spasm of violence in Iraq, especially in Baghdad, spurred many people to put major life plans, like finishing college or building a home, on hold. But despite the unrest, or perhaps because of it, marriages have soared 30 percent since the invasion, according to Judge Ghani Al-Isaa.

At his central Baghdad chambers, Judge Al-Isaa receives a steady stream of young couples. Today it's 22 in under three hours. Among them, Ala Lufki (ph) and Ashma Abdullah (ph). The judge, married himself for 29 years, offers the Sunni couple a few words of advice, issues their vows and signs their marriage contract.

Judge Al-Isaa says one improvement in post war Iraq accounts for the nuptial boom.

GHANI AL-ISAA, JUDGE (through translator): There is an increase since the income of all sectors of Iraqi people have gone up.

ECCLESTON: So Iraqis are better equipped to afford what can be a costly endeavor. The dowry, the groom's family cash gift to the couple, is part of the official marriage contract in Iraq. The going rate $300.

And there is cost of trappings to mark that special day. At this Shiite wedding in Sadr City, trappings with a distinctly Iraqi flair.

Piras and Nahrane's wedding celebration seems tame by comparison, 200 guests enjoying the rhythms of D.J. Azaad and the appropriately named Lover Band. The chaos of life just outside the hall a distant memory, at least for a few hours.

For the young couple, the moment couldn't be more perfect.

ODISHO (through translator): You see day after day the situation in Iraq is getting better and living standards are improving. Generally, things are getting better, God willing.

ECCLESTON: There is no doubt they face an uncertain future; but, they say, at least they face it together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Carol, it's a snapshot there of the resilience of some Iraqis. Despite the hardship, they are taking control of their lives and they say they won't be defeated -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jennifer Eccleston reporting live from Baghdad this morning.

In news "Across America" this morning, here's a twist to the story of Ashley Smith. Authorities near Augusta, Georgia have arrested two men in the 2001 stabbing death of Smith's husband. You might remember Ashley Smith, she's the woman who persuaded Brian Nichols to surrender. Nichols is the suspect in those Fulton County, Georgia courthouse killings.

Lionel Tate has a bond hearing this morning. The Florida teenager is accused of robbing a pizza deliveryman last month. Tate was 13 when he was sentenced to life for killing a family friend in 1999. That sentence was overturned on appeal. His lawyer says the boy who fingered him has recanted his statement, but Broward sheriff's officials say they have new evidence linking Tate to the robbery.

Did you know the Southern Baptists have been boycotting Disney for the last eight years? Well, not anymore. Southern Baptists voted at their annual convention to end the boycott. It had been called mainly to protest Disney's decision to give benefits to gay and lesbian workers.

Federal agents in California are cracking down on medical marijuana providers. Two people have been charged so far. The action comes two weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that medical marijuana users can be prosecuted under federal law even if a state allows its use. California is one of those 10 states.

Connecticut police are calling it an old fashioned joy ride, but it has a frightening modern twist. A teenager stole a small airplane and took two friends from Danbury, Connecticut to White Plains, New York. The young pilot was arrested after landing the Cessna at the Westchester County Airport. He broke into that plane, Chad, and stole it,...

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... which is disturbing. He flew around the New York area for five hours undetected.

MYERS: And then landed it.

COSTELLO: That's more than a joy ride, to me.

MYERS: Yikes!

COSTELLO: OK, let's get to our e-mail "Question of the Day," because the House of Representatives passed a law to put a constitutional amendment within our Constitution banning flag burning. The issue now goes to the Senate where a lot of people feel it will pass.

MYERS: The Supreme Court, back in the late '80s and early '90s, said that with the current amendments the way they are, the First Amendment especially, that you have the right to burn the flag. Now the Congress wants to change that and said no, we want this amendment to say, a new amendment to say that you do not have that right.

Here from Douglas (ph) in Victor, New York, I feel that this proposed amendment would be an incredible assault on the First Amendment, the right of free speech. If you begin this course, I feel our democracy will truly be in decline.

I know that burning the flag provokes a strong emotional response, but that's exactly the intent. There are times in which citizens may want to show their strong objection to the government and this makes that point very clear. Will we prohibit any public comments that do not agree with the party line? Will we have a democracy like China or North Korea?

From Bill (ph), the flag is more than just a piece of cloth, it's a symbol of our culture, our beliefs, our freedom and equality and our way of life. There are some words and actions that should just not be accepted in our country and should not be tolerated. Free speech needs a line in the sand. If we don't respect ourselves and our flag, how can other countries respect us?

From Mike (ph), absolutely not. The flag represents our country and all of the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives to make the greatest nation in the world for that we live in. When I look to the flag and its red stripes, I think of our blood of these people that have shed for us. I always pause and reflect and give thanks for them. If you burn our flag, you dishonor those who fought and died for it and this nation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Wow! And you know people on the other side think exactly the same thing that...

MYERS: Correct.

COSTELLO: ... if you're not allowed to burn the flag, you dishonor the soldiers fighting for freedom because that's part of what they're fighting for.

MYERS: I like the line in the sand one, though, because free speech doesn't allow you to yell fire in a movie theater either, you know. So if you want to -- whatever the public thinks. I mean this is a majority, it's a democracy, right?

COSTELLO: Well in the 6:00 hour, we're going to talk to the Democratic congressman who's fighting this flag-burning ban. And we're going to ask him what he feels about this. And we're also going to pose your e-mail questions to him to see how he responds.

MYERS: Do you think we need it on a national ballot?

COSTELLO: Pardon? I'm sorry.

MYERS: Do you think we need it on a national ballot?

COSTELLO: Maybe that's a better idea.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: We'll ask him.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Keep the e-mails coming, though, because we want good ones to pose to that representative.

Evangelist Billy Graham returns to the city he once called the "stronghold of Satan," New York. In New York, Graham ran into CNN's Soledad O'Brien. And in an interview, Graham says his message will steer clear of politics and stick to what he knows best.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REV. BILLY GRAHAM, TV EVANGELIST: And I'm looking forward just to presenting the Gospel. I'm going to hopefully stay away from all of the hot button issues of our day and not talk about those issues that divides the audience. And I want the audience to divide only on the cross of Christ and what Jesus can do for them and not some other issue.

And I found that many people are happy with what I'm doing, because in the earlier years of my ministry, I've talked on about every subject that was in the news at that time. I've spent a lot of time in England, in Scotland, in Wales and with prime ministers and people in that part of the world, and I've learned that I don't have the answers to everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: See Soledad's whole interview with the Rev. Billy Graham on "AMERICAN MORNING." And of course "AMERICAN MORNING" comes on at 7:00 Eastern Time.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, it is graduation day for Prince William. We'll take you live to Scotland for a preview of his commencement and what life will be like for the future king in the real world.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:44 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Wildfires have forced evacuations in California and Arizona. A 4,500-acre blaze has destroyed at least seven homes in the Mojave Desert east of Los Angeles. The two brushfires forced evacuation of at least 250 homes in the Tonto National Forest. That's northeast of Phoenix.

A federal judge rules against wheelchair riders who sued Amtrak for the right to ride in the same car. Federal law requires only one occupied wheelchair space and one space to store a wheelchair per car.

In money news, U.S. oil company Unocal is mauling an $18 billion cash bid from China's third biggest oil producer. Rival bidder Chevron had offered more than $16 billion to take over Unocal.

In culture, the Mega Millions Lottery welcomes California as the 12th state to join the jackpot. That means the odds are longer for you, but the payoff could be bigger, a lot bigger.

In sports, by the time you go to bed tonight the professional basketball season will finally be over, unless they continue to go into overtime. Tonight is the last game of the best of seven NBA championship series. The Detroit Pistons do play in San Antonio, Chad. They play the Spurs at 9:00 Eastern. Winner takes all. MYERS: They do. They do. The first rounds are two, two, one, one, one, one game, one game, one game, back, back, back. So I knew that they played in San Antonio last, but I didn't realize they did that two, three and two thing on the final thing. So I...

COSTELLO: Well thank God we straightened that out.

MYERS: It is corrected, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: We'll do. Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: A look at the latest headlines for you.

New SUVs are less likely to rollover than they were four years ago. That's good news, right? Federal safety regulators say 2005 model SUVs showed significant improvement in rollover tests. Twenty- four SUVs tested got four stars. That's the second highest mark. Among them, the Ford Freestyle 4x4 rated the best with a 13 percent chance of a rollover. No SUV earned five stars. But among passenger cars, the Ford Mustang is rated at just an 8 percent chance to rollover.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, outrageous comments by Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, likening women to "domestic appliances." What is that all about? We're going to talk about it.

And don't forget our e-mail "Question of the Morning," should you have the right to burn the American flag? We want to hear from you. E-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time to check out our "Web Clicks" this morning. We're always interested in what you're interested in on CNN.com.

First up -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Danica Patrick.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: The Formula One boss says "women should all be dressed up in white like kitchen appliances." He actually said that to her over the phone.

MYERS: Well she's an Indy car driver. She's not a Formula One driver. Formula One is something completely different. They had that fiasco in Indianapolis last week where only 6 out of the 20 cars competed. U.S. Grand Prix fans, in my opinion, are probably gone. They'll never be back.

But this is also what Bernie said back in 2000. He told "Autosport" magazine, according to AP, that "women could not compete in Formula One. But if one did, I would really like to see this happen to find the right girl, perhaps a black girl with super looks, preferably Jewish or Muslim, who speaks Spanish."

COSTELLO: What is his problem? It just makes the men...

MYERS: I don't know.

COSTELLO: ... of racing look bad. I don't even get this.

MYERS: I don't get it.

COSTELLO: "Women should all be dressed in white like all other domestic appliances." What the heck does that mean?

MYERS: And he was talking to her on the phone, talking directly to her, not like to some reporter.

COSTELLO: This is what she said. She says "I can't believe that he would say it to me over the phone, not to my face, but directly to me. I was a bit confused, so I don't really know what to think about it."

It's so odd that I think if someone said that to me I'd say, what? I don't know. That's very strange.

MYERS: Formula One needs to be completely revamped from...

COSTELLO: Yes.

Did you hear about Oprah and Hermes?

MYERS: I did. I did. And now the store is apologizing, because they said wait, no, we were setting up for a PR event, sorry the store was closed.

COSTELLO: Yes, right. This is the story. They turned her away from their Paris store because apparently someone inside the store said they were having problems with Africans. So they turn Oprah Winfrey away, a women who could probably buy out the store.

MYERS: And the company.

COSTELLO: Not a good business decision.

MYERS: Not really.

COSTELLO: And you know it's going to be a topic on her show.

MYERS: Sure.

COSTELLO: So you talk about PR and bad PR.

MYERS: She had an order out for 6,000 handbags, or $6,000 handbags, 12 of them, and she canceled that order.

COSTELLO: Dumb, dumb, dumb.

MYERS: Thank goodness. Anyway.

COSTELLO: All right.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: So you want to know how much British subjects have to shell out to support their royals?

What are we going to now?

MYERS: We're going to go to...

COSTELLO: What is this up here?

MYERS: We're going to read a few e-mails now.

COSTELLO: OK.

MYERS: But if you want to see the "Web Clicks," that's where that was, go to CNN.com. And up on the very top right there is "Most Popular," or you can just type in /mostpopular. And it gives you the top 10 clicked on stories of the day so far. And they switch back and forth, some go up, some go down, kind of like billboards top 100, but it's interesting to see what people are interested in.

COSTELLO: Got it. OK. Let's get right to our e-mail segment now, because it's very interesting this morning.

MYERS: It is.

COSTELLO: Should you have the right to burn the American flag? That's our question.

MYERS: Correct. Changing, making a new amendment so that it is illegal to burn the flag, because right now it is legal to do so.

Hello...

COSTELLO: Constitutionally illegal to burn the flag that's what they're trying to do.

MYERS: Correct. Correct. They have to make a new law.

Dan (ph) in Florida says, as a veteran it bothers me to see anyone burn the American flag. However, much American blood has been shed to allow us the right to do such things. Distasteful or not, I think the act of burning the flag should be judged by the onlookers, not the courts.

I think it's all right to burn the American flag as long as the person is wrapped up inside it, says Bill (ph).

Tongue in cheek, obviously.

And Mike (ph) from Long Beach, have I missed something? Is there a burning issue here that I've not smelled? This is a ridiculous waste of time and certainly not in the business that I voted for my congress people to be engaged in.

And I knew that we were going to get a bunch of those.

And then from Karen (ph) in Florida, Fidel Castro doesn't allow desecration of the Cuban flag. Saddam Hussein didn't allow desecration of the Iraqi flag. The Iranians don't allow desecration of their flag. Neither did the Nazis or the Soviets.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

MYERS: And that's...

COSTELLO: And, as I said, we're going to have a Democratic representative on in the next hour of DAYBREAK. He's against a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning, and we'll ask him why. And we'll also pose your e-mails to him. I'm sure he'll enjoy that.

MYERS: All right.

COSTELLO: Here's what we're working on all new for you in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

A novel plan to reduce suburban traffic is getting forced on developers near the nation's capital. Can the plan really cut traffic by changing the way people live and work?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is Royal graduation day. The heartthrob who is heir to the British throne is graduating from college today. And you know who I'm talking about, Prince William. And the media floodgates are expected to open up around him because of his graduation. The ceremonies are in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Joining us live from there is ITN reporter Tom Bradby.

Tom, can you hear me? Tom?

I suspected something was wrong when he was speaking when I was speaking.

TOM BRADBY, ITN REPORTER: Sorry.

COSTELLO: Tom, can you hear me now?

Man, we cannot get Tom. We're going to try to get news of Prince William's graduation for you, and that will happen in the next hour of DAYBREAK, which starts right now.

It is Thursday, June 23, and the U.S. strategy for Iraq is in the spotlight today. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld returns to The Hill. What message will he deliver?

The Supreme Court set to issue decisions from Ten Commandments to sharing music online. Your beliefs and behaviors are being considered.

And burning the U.S. flag, long an issue that divides. I'll talk to a congressman who says it is your constitutional right.

And good morning to you, we'll have more on those stories in just a minute.

Also ahead, a fast growing community may put the brakes on commuters in a new housing development. Is their plan to control commuters fair?

But first, "Now in the News."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her French counterpart finally agree on something. The two say Syria should live up to

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