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CNN Live At Daybreak

Iraqi Casualties; Transit Strike, Pet Project

Aired October 31, 2005 - 05:29   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello.
CAROL 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, you've heard the numbers and we feel the loss, more than 2,000 U.S. troops killed in Iraq. But now we're getting a look at some of the civilian casualties, and that number is staggering.

Also, who looks out for homeless pets? We'll introduce you to a project that aims to bring animals and humans together.

But first, "Now in the News."

President Bush is expected to announce a new nominee to the Supreme Court today, and his pick is expected to have strong conservative credentials that will satisfy the president's political base. But that may rile Democrats and provoke a confirmation fight and a possible filibuster.

Opening statements are due to begin today in the trial of a man accused of plotting to assassinate President Bush. Ahmed Abu Ali was arrested in Saudi Arabia in 2003. The trial takes place in Alexandria, Virginia.

In Washington, lines are forming again today at the Capitol Rotunda as people pay their last respects to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. Her body is lying in honor from 7:00 to 10:00 Eastern. And then there's a memorial service at a D.C. church at 1:00 this afternoon. That's Eastern Time.

To the Forecast Center and, Jacqui, good morning.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thanks, Jacqui.

The U.S. reached a grim milestone last week in the Iraq war when the American military death toll reached the 2,000 mark. Now the military says that number has increased to 2,016.

And for the first time, we're getting some official numbers on Iraqi civilian casualties.

CNN's Aneesh Raman has more now from Baghdad.

Hello -- Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning.

The U.S. military has never publicly given an estimate on civilian casualties in Iraq. They did so, though, tucked away on page 23 of a 44-page report that was issued from the Pentagon to Congress earlier this month. It says some 26,000 Iraqis have been killed or wounded since the start of January 2004.

We wanted to take a look at one incident that happened over the weekend that within these numbers shows the specifics of what is happening to communities here. This piece does contain some graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid charred debris, they stand in disbelief, a small farming community crippled Saturday by a car bomb that killed nearly 30, that destroyed the central marketplace, that stunned generations.

Grieving women huddled on the roadside, as children stood next to the wheels of a blown out vehicle. Witness to a sequence played out often in many Iraqi cities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): A vehicle drove near to the mosque, but there was nobody there. So it turned back to the market, where many people were around, and it exploded.

RAMAN: It is virtually impossible to know the true civilian toll of these sustained insurgent attacks. But tucked away in a report to Congress last month, the Pentagon, for the first time, publicly estimated that 26,000 Iraqis have been killed or wounded by insurgents since the start of 2004, with an average of 64 civilian casualties daily, by early September this year.

Others put the number higher. But any estimate can be numbing. Each time, for each community, these attacks stop time and fuel sectarian divisions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Why do they kill our children? May God damn them. God revenge them in this life and after life. God send them to hell.

RAMAN: At the local hospital, the scenes are familiar as well. The wounded, like 9-year-old Ali Nasser (ph), desperately tried to stay alive. His father turned away in anguish. Hours later, Ali died, one of four children killed in the attack.

And so, as has happened before, as will happen again in Iraq, in the village of Whiter (ph), the coffins were lined up. Hasty burials carried out. (END VIDEOTAPE)

And, Carol, the Iraq civilian casualties are the tragic drumbeat of the insurgency here. It is they who are suffering on a daily basis -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm just wondering, who counts the casualties on the Iraqi side? I mean how exactly is that done?

RAMAN: Well it's essentially impossible to know, as we said, the exact number. The government now is putting in place better logistics to keep track. That essentially means hospitals are calling in with numbers that they have of wounded and killed.

But in these remote areas, and then when you're talking about these selective killings, assassinations, bodies found shot execution style, compiling all of those numbers is an impossibility in a government that is struggling with so many other infrastructural issues. For them, this is just something they are starting to grapple with. So we'll never know the exact number.

That U.S. military estimate was based on daily averages. It wasn't a cumulative number. And so all of these are estimates and a lot of numbers put the 26,000 at much higher -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman live in Baghdad this morning.

There is a new CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup Poll out of Iraq. It was done over the weekend. Asked if it was a mistake to send U.S. troops into Iraq, 54 percent of those polled now say, yes, it was; 45 percent say it was not a mistake.

In Afghanistan, two U.S. soldiers face charges for allegedly assaulting detainees there. The alleged incident occurred at the Oruzgan Province. The U.S. military says two soldiers punched two detainees in the chest, shoulders and stomach. The military says the detainees did not require medical attention.

Startling new accusations this morning that intelligence was deliberately distorted by government officials during a crucial incident in the Vietnam War. "The New York Times" reports the National Security Agency has kept the finding secret since 2001, fearing it might raise uncomfortable comparisons to the Iraq war.

An agency historian says communications intercepted by the NSA in August of '64 were falsified so it appeared there were two North Vietnamese attacks on American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. President Lyndon Johnson used the incident to persuade Congress to pass a resolution to fund the war. Most experts now say there was no second attack. The NSA historian says officers deliberately distorted the intelligence to cover up earlier mistakes.

In India, investigators are going over mobile telephone records as part of the probe into the weekend blast that killed 59 people and injured more than 200 others. Two of the explosions were at markets, while a third was aboard a bus. Government officials say the explosions are terrorist related, but they have not named a group suspected of carrying out those attacks. Residents of the city are preparing to celebrate the Hindu festival of lights, and security has been increased.

We all remember the pictures of the pets left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. But one homeless pet project didn't stop there, it's looking for a few good people to take on a whole lot of great animals. That's ahead.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: This morning could be a tough commute for people in Philadelphia and surrounding communities. Thousands of the city transit workers are on strike, which means buses, subways, trolleys and commuter rails, well, they're not up to speed shall we say. It's early, but let's see how things are going.

Amy Buckman of CNN affiliate WPVI joins us from Upper Darby, which is a Philadelphia suburb.

Good morning.

AMY BUCKMAN, WPVI-TV REPORTER: Well good morning, Carol.

We're here at the Upper Darby terminal, which is usually a major transportation hub, usually very busy, even at this early hour on a weekday morning. But if you take a look behind me, you see the driveway where the buses would normally be. There are no buses there, no people waiting for those buses.

And if you take a look over here, you will see the reason why. We have members of the City and Suburban Transport Workers Union. They went out on strike at midnight last night. This is a strike that is affecting a half million commuters here in the Philadelphia area, including about 36,000 high school students who depend on public transit to get to school.

The main issue in this strike is who will pay for health care benefits. SEPTA, which is the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation network, wants the workers to pay about 5 percent of their premiums.

Now at first the union said the workers wouldn't pay anything at all, because they have been making concessions to SEPTA over the past 20 years or so. Before the talks broke off last night, SEPTA had conceded that workers would pay something for health care, but they wanted to do it on a sliding scale according to how much the individual workers made. SEPTA did not agree with that. The talks broke down at midnight. And, as of now, there are no additional talks that are scheduled -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Amy Buckman, reporting live from near Philadelphia this morning, thank you.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

We may soon find out who the new Supreme Court nominee is. Senior administration sources tell CNN that President Bush is expected to name that person today. Former nominee Harriet Miers dropped out amid a conservative backlash.

The president has even more on his plate today. He's also meeting with the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The two will talk about a possible pullout of Italian troops from Iraq.

In money news, you will have to pay more to download music from Yahoo! It's doubling the price of its online subscription service for portable MP3 players. Yahoo! was charging around 60 bucks a year. Many experts said that wouldn't last, and it's not going to.

In culture, one of the world's richest art museums is under investigation. The J. Paul Getty Museum is facing accusations it bought looted items. The board that oversees the L.A. museum has formed a panel to investigate.

In sports, Carl Edwards has good reason to flip. There he goes. He has finished the sweep of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Races in Atlanta with a first place win. He's also gained some ground in the race for the Nextel Cup Championship -- Jacqui.

JERAS: Wow, what a happy guy. Good for him. Pretty talented in many ways, I guess.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Jacqui.

If you see ghosts and goblins today, do not be afraid, it's Halloween. Ahead, we take a look at the spooky worldwide celebrations.

And don't forget about our e-mail "Question of the Morning," it's all about football. Should the New Orleans Saints stay in New Orleans or should the team move? We want to hear from you this morning. E- mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Well, talk about your beautiful mornings, it's a beautiful morning here in New York City.

You know we all followed stories of pets left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. Nationwide efforts helped those animals and other -- and their displaced owners, I should say. But millions of dogs and cats are abandoned every year for any number of reasons and now there are people lining up to help them, too.

CNN's Tony Harris has more for you. TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hansel and Gretel were rescued from flooded New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. They were brought here, to the Town & Country Veterinary Clinic in Atlanta, along with 30 other abandoned pets. All of them have now found new homes, all except these two pit bulls.

But they probably have a good chance of being adopted here, as the clinic is the base for the Homeless Pets Foundation that Dr. Michael Good started seven years ago to help rescue stray animals from shelters.

DR. MICHAEL GOOD, HOMELESS PETS FOUNDATION: This is Kane (ph). He needs a home. Something was wrong with him. He just slung this puppy against the wall and broke his leg. And we just took the pin out. He's a great dog.

HARRIS: Three to four million pets are put to sleep in U.S. shelters every year. Many of them have simply wandered too far from home.

GOOD: I would go to a shelter and volunteer my time. And what I found I was doing, for the most part, is playing God. I would have to walk by cage by cage by cage and say you live, you die, you live, you die. And that's a very hard thing to do.

HARRIS: One way to ensure a lost pet is returned to the owner is through the nationwide I.D. tags program, started by Dr. Good. Now there are close to a quarter million tags like these across the country. They come with a free tracking service that matches the owner's contact information with a number on the pet's tag.

GOOD: There's a unique I.D. number on the back. Fill this out, mail that into the foundation. And if anybody finds or your dog gets lost, they'll call you on your emergency numbers. It's like a microchip on the outside.

HARRIS: To raise awareness and funds, Homeless Pets Foundation teamed up with the Atlanta Braves and their star manager, Bobby Cox. The new nationwide program, Bobby Cox Paws Cause, will work with Major League Baseball encouraging people to adopt pets from animal shelters and create what they call an underground railroad to provide spayed and neutered homeless pets from the southeast to shelters with waiting lists for people trying to adopt.

BLAINE BOYER, ATLANTA BRAVES PITCHER: Come on, Herb. Good dog.

HARRIS: For now, the Braves and other volunteers come to the clinic to donate their time preparing animals for their new homes.

BOYER: Anything I can do to help out, it's just no trouble at all. Just by looking at these guys, you know, you feel like you're making a difference.

DOUG PERIN, VOLUNTEER: It's great fun just taking them and watching them get excited and jump in the car. And you know it's like the greatest day of their life going out and going on a walk. HARRIS: Adopting a pet from here will cost you up to $150. Higher than a shelter fee, but it covers all shots and premedical care for any genetic diseases. And there is more information about the program online at HomelessPets.com.

Tony Harris, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And now dozens of talented youngsters are now part of the first class of the Kids Hall of Fame. Achievers from age 1 to 19 were inducted during yesterday's ceremonies in New York. The Hall of Fame celebrates extraordinary achievements by children, whether it be in music, art or community service. And how a 1-year-old can achieve that, you know I'd like to know.

Speaking of talented teens, pro golfer Michelle Wie was on hand in Las Vegas to hand over a pretty big check to President Clinton. A check for half a million dollars is Wie's contribution to the Bush- Clinton Katrina Fund. After the ceremony, the pair took to the links for a quick round of golf. We'll let you guess who won.

As many as 30,000 people took part in the Marine Corps Marathon over the weekend, 30,000, wow! The race wind through the streets in and around Washington, D.C. Mexican Rubean Garcia (ph) won on the men's side. Suzanna Vaznika (ph) of Minnesota won the women's division. There were also a record number of wheelchair participants this year. Several of them were wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan over the past few years. Thirty thousand, usually there are 18,000 in this race -- Jacqui.

JERAS: Wow!

COSTELLO: I love it.

JERAS: That's a big jog.

COSTELLO: I ran that marathon. It's a great marathon.

JERAS: Did you?

COSTELLO: It's the people's marathon -- Jacqui.

JERAS: I have a lot of respect for marathon runners -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It's fun.

JERAS: Couldn't imagine.

COSTELLO: And you know it's...

JERAS: Doesn't look like fun, though, that doesn't come to mind.

COSTELLO: No. No, it's the best time -- it was one of the best times of my life.

JERAS: Excellent.

COSTELLO: It was that fun.

JERAS: Good for you.

COSTELLO: And anyone can run a marathon. It's all mental.

JERAS: I don't know about that.

COSTELLO: I'm telling you, Jacqui, when you pass a person who is running on one leg...

JERAS: I get into (INAUDIBLE) race, I just don't run.

COSTELLO: ... with a prosthesis, then you say to yourself,...

JERAS: That anybody can do it.

COSTELLO: ... if that person can do it, I can do it.

JERAS: All right.

COSTELLO: OK.

JERAS: I'm still not going...

COSTELLO: I'm off my soapbox now.

JERAS: OK.

And we got some answers to our e-mail question, not a lot. Actually, more people asking where Chad Myers is.

COSTELLO: He is taking a little break from the shift.

JERAS: He is.

COSTELLO: He'll be back in January.

JERAS: I know, he's just sleeping a little bit. You'll get rid of me in no time.

COSTELLO: Stop.

JERAS: So here's what people had to say.

Yes, I think the Saints should stay in New Orleans for many reasons, but especially as part of the rebuilding process. Sports is like a religion here. We just need faith and hope that the Saints will help New Orleans to rise again. That's from Rosemary (ph) in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. And that is a city, she says, between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

This one from Chris Quinalt (ph), keeping the Saints in New Orleans can be broken down to the simple rule of supply and demand. Move the team to elsewhere where the team can bring a large crowd, maybe L.A. he says.

Oops, I just dropped one. Oh well.

Absolutely, otherwise anything else would be a perfect example of giving up and failure to persevere. And I'm not a Saints fan, yes, they should stay there. They are the most well known entity sports- wise in Louisiana. And if they were to pull out, I believe that many other people in the region would give up hope and pull out, too. That's from Brent Cobb Sr. (ph).

COSTELLO: Thank you for your comments this morning. We'll see what happens, because I don't know, I just have a bad feeling about it.

Thank you, Jacqui.

Here's what's all new at 6:00. Looking for a job, well you've got to learn the deadly myths of job references. We'll talk to an expert about how to get your past employers to talk you up, not put you down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Time for our DAYBREAK "Eye Opener" on this Halloween.

There's a special way to celebrate this ghoulish holiday. This party is in Germany at the 800-year-old castle Frankenstein, no kidding, Frankenstein's castle. The castle hosted a Halloween party ever since 1977 when it was organized by some American soldiers at a nearby base.

Another Halloween gathering, this one is unusual. It's in Ghaol Paul (ph), India, where Halloween is not such a big deal. Teachers and volunteers got these kids to dress up in scary outfits to help them get over their fear of ghosts. No word on whether it worked.

We go to great depths to bring you the latest in Halloween coverage. Check out this unique pumpkin carving contest. This one is off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The divers even lit up their finished work. Not so tough under water -- I mean it is tough under water, I should say.

And finally, New York's Greenwich Village lays out the Halloween welcome mat for New Orleans tonight. A parade will be led by 10-year- old Glenn Hall III (ph), a jazz trumpeter whose house and trumpet were destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Young Glenn will be blowing and dancing. The Manhattan-based Jazz Foundation found him a new trumpet, and he'll be playing that during the parade tonight.

On behalf of the entire DAYBREAK gang, wishing you a very happy Halloween. The next hour of DAYBREAK starts in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is Monday, October 31, Halloween. President Bush wants his latest Supreme Court choice to be a treat. And he's hoping the next confirmation battle will be far less gruesome than the last one. We're keeping a close eye on the White House.

Plus, questionable intelligence during a time of war, sound familiar? But this time it might have happened decades ago.

And no annual fee, no late fee. It's no joke. We'll tell you which plastic will cause you the least pain.

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

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

We'll have more on who the president is expected to nominate for the Supreme Court in just a moment.

Also ahead, we'll tell you many stories of suicide bombers terrorizing marketplaces and other public places around the world. A French filmmaker is taking a closer look at who these bombers are and why they choose to kill themselves and others. We'll talk to him later.

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