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CNN Live At Daybreak

Courting Religion; Flooding Fears; Racing to Extremes

Aired October 13, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is Thursday, October 13. Plunging poll numbers for President Bush, and his party, too. The president's job approval rating keeps going south. Is the Republican majority going along for the ride?
Back-to-back hurricane were no small shock to America's shrimpers. We'll take a look at a struggling industry that may not come back

And we have some tips for keeping warm this winter without getting hot under the collar about sky-high fuel bills.

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.

COSTELLO: And good morning to you. We'll have more on President Bush in just a minute.

Also ahead, round and round and round they go. NASCAR drivers sure are fast, but are they fit? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta investigates the medicine behind NASCAR.

But first, "Now in the News."

There is unrest this morning near Chechnya. Rebel fighters launched attacks on government buildings in the resort city of Nalchik. Russian officials say they've regained control of the area now, but local reports from the region say residents are still fleeing the fighting in the city.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist must turn over stock records to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Both "The Washington Post" and "New York Times" report the SEC subpoenaed the records as part of its insider trading investigation. The Justice Department also investigating.

Indictments have been handed down in one of the country's largest music piracy cases. Three men in California face charges in an alleged scheme to distribute and sell nearly half a million illegally- copied CDs and thousands of DVDs.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Tajikistan today. It's the latest stop on her tour of Central Asia. Yesterday, Rice met with U.S. troops in Pakistan who are helping with quake relief efforts there.

To the forecast center. Oh, make the rain stop, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wow. Did it rain yesterday or what?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Now back to the Bill Frist story. The Senator majority leader is under investigation for a July stock sale. Frist sold his hospital corporation shares shortly before a financial report was released that sent the stock tumbling. Both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department are investigating.

"The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" report the SEC has now issued subpoenas for Frist's records and documents in the case. Sources also tell "The Post" that Frist is expected to testify about what he knew before he sold that stock.

Criticism over Hurricane Katrina, high gas prices and Harriet Miers may be taking a toll on the public's perception of President Bush. A new poll done by "The Wall Street Journal" and NBC shows that only 29 percent of you believe the country is heading in the right direction.

The more telling number may be the president's approval rating. For the first time ever, fewer than 40 percent of those polled approve of the way President Bush is doing his job.

Now, the Bush administration is highlighting Harriet Miers' religion to win conservative support for her Supreme Court nomination. But as CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux reports, that tactic isn't going over so well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush defended his administration's campaign to highlight Harriet Miers' religious beliefs to win support from conservatives for his nominee.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People are interested to know why I picked Harriet Miers. They want to know Harriet Miers' background, they want to know as much as they possibly can before they form opinions. Part of Harriet Miers' life is her religion.

MALVEAUX: But Mr. Bush insisted Miers' faith was not being used as a litmus test to indicate how she might vote on hot-button social issues like abortion, gay marriage and the role of religion.

BUSH: Our outreach program has been just to explain the facts to people. MALVEAUX: As part of that outreach program, two days before Mr. Bush nominated Miers, his top political adviser Karl Rove was quietly lobbying Christian conservative James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, to get his support for Mr. Bush's pick.

Last week, Dobson created a stir when he suggested he had inside information about Miers that led him to back her.

In an effort to clear up the mess, Dobson on his latest radio broadcast said Rove never discussed Miers' positions on Roe v. Wade or other pending Supreme Court issues. Instead, he told him...

DR. JAMES DOBSON, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY: We all know now that Harriet Miers is an evangelical Christian, that she is from a very conservative church, which is almost universally pro-life.

MALVEAUX: Language some Democrats say sounds a lot like a code to reassure conservatives Miers will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said, "We don't confirm justices of the Supreme Court on a wink and a nod. And a litmus test is no less a litmus test by using whispers and signals."

(on camera): The administration's focus on Miers' faith, as well as her qualifications, underscores the White House concern that Miers' nomination may be in trouble.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The war in Iraq will be the focus for President Bush this morning. The president will take part in a teleconference where he'll be talking with U.S. troops stationed over in Tikrit. CNN will provide live coverage of that. That starts at 9:45 a.m. Eastern.

The lawyer for the New Orleans police officers videotaped beating a retired teacher says the police acted properly while trying to arrest him. The man who was beaten, Robert Davis, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to an array of charges, including public intoxication, resisting arrest and battery on a police officer. His trial now set for January. The officers' lawyer says Davis was belligerent and seemed to reach for his waistband when they tried to cuff him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK DESALVO, POLICE OFFICERS' ATTORNEY: That's a reasonable concern that the officers would have. Any time a man puts his hands toward his waistband, that's -- that's law enforcement 101, don't let a guy put his hands in his waistband.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The officers' attorney also says Davis' arrest was not as violent as has been portrayed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DESALVO: It shows a fair representation of what happened when it was in view. There were points where there was no camera, then there was a point where there was a camera. There were points where the camera was interrupted. And the total sequence is not there, and some of that will have to be filled in with testimony.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The three officers pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of battery. They have been suspended without pay.

Let's talk about the cost of staying warm this winter now, because it's going to cost you a lot more than it did last year. A new government report out this morning says those of you who heat with natural gas can expect to pay about 50 percent more this year. And in some parts of the country, almost 60 percent more.

Of course that's because of the impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the affect they had on oil production. Those of you heating with fuel oil could pay about 30 percent more.

That's just unbelievable. People will spend, what, $1,100 extra this winter to keep warm?

MYERS: That's a lot. And about 60 percent of the natural gas is now back on line. That's up one percent from on Monday.

So they're trying to get everything back running, but it's just -- it's not happening. It's a slow process, Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. A slow process that's going to really hurt in the pocketbook.

MYERS: It is.

COSTELLO: Well, we wanted to provide you some energy saving tips. We know we did it last week, but we have more for you this morning.

MYERS: Different ones today. Maybe things you haven't thought about.

You've heard of the Heat Index in the summer, right? The Heat Index is when it feels warmer because there's heat and humidity in the air. When the air is dry, like Phoenix, it's a dry heat and it doesn't feel as hot, so to speak. But 112 is still hot.

But if you can turn your thermostat to 70 degrees, or 68, and get the humidity up to maybe 40 or 50 percent, you're going to create a heat index in your house, and you're going to feel warmer than if your air was dry. How do you do that? You go buy a humidifier.

Now, you can only turn your humidifier up as good as your windows are, because, Carol, you know that if you're boiling tea on the pot on the stove, eventually your windows steam up because they get too cold, and then all of a sudden you get all this condensation on your windows. And we don't want you rotting out your windows, either.

Go high tech, another way. Buy one of those thermostats that you can actually automatically turn down. It goes all by itself when you go to work.

And then the third one for this time, turn it down. How low can you go? Here's the number. According to the energy surveys, if you can keep your thermostat one degree lower, you save three percent.

COSTELLO: Wow.

MYERS: Now, you said $1,100 may be what the average person pays extra. Three percent of $1,100 then becomes kind of significant, doesn't it? Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Yes. Great tips. And you're going to have more for us later, too, right?

MYERS: We have a dozen of them.

COSTELLO: We like that.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, will it never let up? Northeastern states are being hammered day after day by rain. And Chad is calling for more.

Back-to-back hurricanes may have dealt a fatal blow to the Gulf Coast shrimp industry. Will it ever come back?

And when it comes to taking checkered flags, staying in shape and eating right are right up there with the motors and tires.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I miss the "Money" song this morning. But we couldn't find it.

International markets, though, we found those. They're lower this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei down 14. The London FTSE down 29. The German DAX down 7.

In futures trading -- we've got to talk about the price of oil -- it's up two cents, $63.63 a barrel this morning.

More flooding could be on the way to badly-battered areas of New Hampshire. In Alstead, officials are going door to door to tell people how to get out of town quickly. Three people from Alstead died in last weekend's floods.

Flooding fears have led to evacuation in parts of northern New Jersey, too. But travel has been hampered by the rising water as well. Many roads in the area are closed, and the roads that are open, well, during rush hour it was not a pretty sight. Lodi, New Jersey, one of the communities under evacuation orders this morning. And that's where we find Katherine Creag of CNN affiliate WNYW.

Ooh, I can see it's raining there, Katherine.

KATHERINE CREAG, REPORTER, WNYW: Yes. Not only is it raining, Carol. It's windy. And not only is it rainy and windy, it's flooded out here.

Take a look at this. This is one of the main streets out here in Lodi, New Jersey, and we're trying to figure out if the driver of this car left his vehicle parked out here, or if he became stuck in the high waters and the vehicle became flooded.

Nevertheless, it is ugly, as you said. Not a pretty sight at all.

What's amazing as well, some of the people in these houses, they are still in there trying to figure out what to do. And they're pretty much stuck.

But we know in Bergen County, where Lodi is located, there are at least 300 people who have been evacuated. They've been taken to area shelters here in northern New Jersey.

One thing we're also learning, yesterday the Lodi schools were closed because of building damage and because basically the roads were just impassable. And we're trying to figure out right now if the schools will be opened today. That is still trying to be determined. But right now it is just a hard scene out here, because the people, they do have electricity, but they're pretty much stuck in their houses.

It rained so much in this area in northern New Jersey, and in New York, in that area, that the water really has nowhere to go. Here in New Jersey, the rivers, the creeks have all risen, and there's just nowhere for the water to go because the ground is so saturated.

It rained at least four inches in New York City. And we expect in this area of northern New Jersey and in the boroughs of New York, at least three to six inches of more rain. So another tough day today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, you're not kidding. And I'm not looking forward to it.

CREAG: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Katherine Creag reporting live from New Jersey, from Lodi, New Jersey, this morning.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:16 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Investigators are going after the stock records of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. "The Washington Post" and "The New York Times" reporting this morning that the Securities and Exchange Commission subpoenaed the records as part of its insider trading probe.

President Bush plans to speak to U.S. troops in Iraq this morning. The president will be taking part in a teleconference with soldiers stationed in Tikrit. CNN will bring that to you live at 9:45 Eastern.

In money news, iPods are quickly moving beyond just music. Apple now has video iPods so that you can download and watch TV shows and music videos. Shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" would be available the day after they air on regular TV.

In pop culture, Chewbacca is becoming an American citizen. It's about time, isn't it? It's actually British-born actor Peter Mayhew who's scheduled to take the oath on Monday. He played Wookie in four "Star Wars" films.

In sports, the St. Louis Cardinals took the early lead in their playoff series against the Houston Astros. The Cards won 5-3 as they try and make a return trip to the World Series.

In the American League, a controversial play led to a White Sox win and a tie in that series. What looked like a missed strikeout call actually put the winning run on base in the ninth inning. Chicago won 2-1 over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim -- Chad.

MYERS: I missed what the bad call was. Did they call it that it was a dropped strike three? Clearly he swung at the ball.

COSTELLO: I don't know, but it won the game.

MYERS: Anyway, good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad. You'll have more later.

With all due respect to Forrest Gump, it's going to take a lot more than a lucky guy with a boat to revive one of the Gulf Coast's most beloved industries. How hurricanes and fuel costs may be putting the shrimping business out of business for good. That's ahead.

Also, the drive to win. Dr. Sanjay Gupta straps in once again for a look at the fitness behind the famous men of NASCAR -- and women.

You're watching DAYBREAK for Thursday.

I guess there are no women at NASCAR. It's the Indy races.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: We all drive in traffic. It's a cinch, isn't it? But do we really need to be physically fit to work the gas and the brake pedals? On the way to the supermarket maybe not, but on the track at Daytona, at 200 miles an hour, the answer is a resounding, you betcha.

CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a drive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Even if he's not driving, Carl Edwards likes to keep his heart racing with a mix of cardio and weights, seven days a week.

CARL EDWARDS, NASCAR DRIVER: No place like Bristol. I know we've gone for like 250 laps before without stopping. And that is intense. I mean, you're breathing heavy, your heart's beating, and it's the same as going on a long run or a bicycle ride or something like that. It's hard core.

GUPTA: How hard core? Well, a study found racecar drivers on an oval track like NASCAR's sustained heart rates of 120 to 150 beats per minute, about the same level as a serious marathon runner for about the same length of time.

Research into car racing also shows that aerobic and resistance training helps drivers handle the G forces. One of the pioneers of this fitness boom, Edwards' team and mentor, Mark Martin. He began working out seriously in 1988. Martin, who wrote the book "NASCAR for Dummies," says there are three benefits: drivers suffer fewer injuries because their muscles protect their bones and internal organs, the drivers are better able to handle the intense heat in the car, 120 degrees or hotter, because they start with a lower pulse, a strong upper body helps a driver steer better when the car is not handling well.

Fitness routines and special diets now abound among NASCAR drivers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As I get older, I find I need to do more things to stay in shape.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Light weights and reps, a lot of reps, so that I can have some strength and some muscle mass for a crash or impact.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I run a marathon in January. I'm planning to run another marathon this summer -- or this winter some time.

GUPTA: Of course not all drivers have joined in the fitness craze.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Channel up, channel down. Volume up, volume down. That's about the extent of my fitness routine.

GUPTA: In the long run, Edwards is convinced being fit will have him in victory lane more often, jumping for joy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Interesting. I just have a hard time believing you need cardiovascular strength, I guess...

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... to drive a car.

MYERS: Well, you're pulling that thing at some tracks around a bullring, basically. It isn't like power steering, although they have it. You still have to pull that center of gravity. And you're getting pulled off to the right as your car goes off to the left as well.

But Carol, you know what? That -- those cars, especially at Daytona, the Firecracker, they used to call it, 400, the air temperature in Florida can be 90, heat index 95. And inside that car, 160 or 170.

That's sitting in a sauna, exercising for four hours. So...

COSTELLO: Yes, but can you imagine the older drivers exercising like that?

MYERS: I know Rusty Wallace does and I know Mark Martin does. I know that's how Mark Martin has stayed in the business so long.

COSTELLO: OK. I take it all back.

MYERS: No, no, no. I just -- there are some drivers out there that like, like Mr. Stewart there just said, no, don't do it. So...

COSTELLO: Got you.

MYERS: And he's winning races, too.

COSTELLO: He is. Sanjay will have more on NASCAR's race to fitness in a CNN special, "NASCAR: Driven to Extremes." That will come your way at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday night.

Here's what's all in the next half-hour of DAYBREAK.

The shrimping industry used to mean jumbo bucks for the Gulf Coast. But that was then. After back-to-back hurricanes, we'll see how things are shaping up for the entire seafood business in the United States.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.

COSTELLO: And good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us. Welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK.

Coming up in the next 30 minutes, aftershocks and agony. The worst may be yet to come in the devastated earthquake zone in South Asia. We're live there.

And even Bubba Gump Shrimp might not be able to pull off the miracle needed to save the Gulf Coast-battered shrimping industry also ahead.

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