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CNN Live At Daybreak

Two Teenagers in Custody After Triggering Nationwide Search; President Bush Starts Whirlwind Tour of Asia

Aired November 15, 2005 - 06:00   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 Tuesday, November 15.
Two teenagers are in custody after triggering a nationwide search. It started with a double murder and ended with a high speed chase. Now authorities are looking for answers.

Plus, first it was the Pledge of Allegiance and now a self- proclaimed atheist has a new protest. He's putting his mouth where his money is.

And President Bush starts a whirlwind tour of Asia. But he's facing a storm of disapproval back home.

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

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

We have more on the president's trip to Japan in just a minute.

Also ahead, what does your city stand for? Hear about one city's search for an identity.

And most girls dream of being a princess. But this woman is giving up that treasured title all in the name of love.

But first, now in the news, a breakthrough for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She has secured a deal between Israelis and Palestinians to open the borders of Gaza. Both sides believe the issue could lead to broader peace talks. Rice extended her stay in the region to oversee the negotiations.

A powerful car bomb blast leaves massive damage on a street in Karachi, Pakistan this morning. At least three are dead, a dozen others wounded. Officials say the target may have been a KFC restaurant.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the Japan coast this morning, and it triggered a tsunami alert as far as the northwest United States coast. No reports of injuries or damage.

To the Forecast Center, though, where, ooh, some nasty weather is on tap -- good morning. BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, I think, Carol, almost the whole country will be affected in some way.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: A Pennsylvania teenager accused of gunning down his girlfriend's parents may have an extradition hearing as early as today. David Ludwig fled with his 14-year-old girlfriend Kara Beth Borden after the killings, setting off a nationwide search. The two were captured in Indiana, about 600 miles from the crime scene in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

CNN's Mary Snow has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Authorities are now working to bring 18-year-old David Ludwig and 14-year-old Kara Borden back here to Pennsylvania after they were taken into custody Monday afternoon in Indiana. This was after a police chase.

One question police do not have the answer to is the role Kara Borden played. Was she abducted or did she go along willingly? That is something they are trying to figure out. And in helping to do that, police say they have confiscated computers from each of the teen's homes. This because each had a blog and they had a relationship leading up to these murders.

Police are trying to find out exactly what led up to the shootings of Borden's parents Sunday morning.

Mary Snow, CNN, Lititz, Pennsylvania.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And we're going to get many more details on this case at the bottom of the hour.

We'll be joined by a long time police reporter in Lancaster County. Hopefully he'll be able to shed some light on this case for us.

Now to the fight for answers over the war in Iraq.

Senators agree it is time for the Bush administration to outline its political and military plan so U.S. troops can begin to come home. This morning, the senators will put their proposals to a vote The Republican plan calls for President Bush to outline his strategy for winning in Iraq. The Democratic proposal demands a timetable for the phased withdrawal of American troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: 2006 should be a significant year of transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqis taking more and more responsibility for their own security. It's time to take the training wheels off the Iraqi government. Iraqis must begin to run their own country.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: President Bush is firing back at critics who say he misled the American people about Iraq War intelligence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some Democrats who voted to authorize the use of force are now rewriting the past. They are playing politics with this issue. And they are sending mixed signals to our troops and the enemy. And that's irresponsible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Apparently, most of you have your doubts about the president. A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows only 37 percent of those polled approve of the way the president is handling his job. Sixty percent disapprove. And on the heels of those poll numbers, President Bush left the country on a swing through Asia. He arrived in Kyoto, Japan just about two hours ago.

CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash is traveling with the president.

And she joins us live from Kyoto now -- hello, Dana.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

And this stop in Japan is the first of four countries that Mr. Bush will hit in his eight day trip across Asia. And as you mentioned, he is leaving back home some poll numbers -- when you talk about his general poll numbers -- approval that is at an all time low. But, also, some other numbers that are going to be quite disturbing to the White House.

First of all, honesty and integrity, as you know, has been the president's top asset, one of them. Now, the latest poll numbers from CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup shows that less than half of Americans think that they trust George W. Bush less than they trusted Bill Clinton when he was president. Now, that is noteworthy because, of course, Mr. Bush ran for office first in 1999 and 2000 as somebody who would restore integrity and honesty to Bill Clinton's Oval Office.

And not just that, Carol. When you talk about terrorism, the war in Iraq, all of those numbers are at an all time low for Mr. Bush. That is why he is, perhaps, going to try to use an old trick of the presidential trade, try to use the world stage at least to show him in a different light, perhaps prop up some of those numbers. But the White House understands that is not going to be easy.

Certainly his trip last week to Argentina and elsewhere in South America, that kind of situation, that did not help the president's numbers back home -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, Dana, is that why he chose countries like Japan and Mongolia? I mean how is that going to improve his image with the American people? BASH: Well, this first stop in Japan is actually, he's going to get quite a warm welcome from the leader here. The prime minister is somebody who is, perhaps, one of the president's closest allies, closest friends, really, when you talk about world leaders, and he is actually somebody who not only has a small contingent of troops in Iraq, but is going to, perhaps, try to extend a deadline that was set to bring those troops home. So that is something that is going to be quite warm for the president to be greeted with here in Japan.

And the rest of the trip he is here to have a summit, to attend a summit, a 21-nation summit, APEC, in South Korea. So that is the main reason why the president is here.

But, Carol, he also is going to be meeting with leaders in China. That is going to present him with some very tough issues, issues like trade, issues like the country's currency that are really affecting Americans' jobs and the economy back home. He's getting a lot of pressure from within his own party to try to really push the Chinese hard on those issues. But all along the way, on the way here to Japan and even before that, the president's aides are trying very, very hard to lower expectations that anything will actually come back with the president in terms of tangible results.

COSTELLO: Dana Bash reporting live from Kyoto, Japan this morning.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, money, money may end up in court. We'll tell you why one man is suing to change the change in your pockets.

And millions of people will start signing up for Medicare's Plan D today. Is it for you? An explanation in "Business Buzz."

And Baltimore -- it is a city looking for a slogan. We'll talk to one of the people trying to give the city a new image and a new catchphrase.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER UPDEGRAVE, SENIOR EDITOR, "MONEY": When you're looking at houses, you want to make sure it's the right house for you. And there are two aspects to that.

One is just aesthetically. Does the layout fit for you? Does the style please you? Is it the kind of place, the kind of space where you could see yourself living, raising your family?

You want to look at the neighborhood. Does it have decent schools? Is it a thriving neighborhood?

And even if you're not married and you think well, do I have to consider the school, you always have to remember at some point you're going to be selling this house and there's going to be another buyer coming along. And so all of these affect the resale value of your house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 6:11 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

Marathon negotiations pay off in Israel. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Israel and the Palestinians have reached a deal on Gaza border crossings. The deal will allow greater freedom of movement to and from the Gaza Strip. It's considered a key element in the Middle East peace plan.

French President Jacques Chirac calls the riots that gripped his country a sign of profound malaise rooted in discrimination. Police say young people living in mostly poorer suburbs are behind the unrest, which continued for a 19th night.

In money news, Federal Reserve Chair Nominee Ben Bernanke testifies before a Senate panel in just under four hours. He's expected to stress his credentials as an inflation fighter.

In culture, country in the big city. For the first time, the Country Music Awards will be held in New York City's Madison Square Garden instead of Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. Brooks & Dunn are hosting.

In sports, it looks like the Philadelphia Eagles have bigger problems than T.O. being gone. Dallas staged a 21-20 comeback over the Eagles thanks to a late game interception. It was Philly's first game since Terrell Owens was deactivated. And the roughest thing about this is Donovan McNabb was injured -- his groin was injured. And who knows if he'll be back for the season? Bad game for the Philadelphia Eagles -- Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Bad news for Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, "in god we trust," at least that's what our money says. But a father who's taken issue with religious symbolism before is at it again. We'll talk to him about his new lawsuit, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Time now for a little "Business Buzz." Ready to settle in for an evening of computer watching? AOL and Warner Brothers are set to launch a new broadband network called In2TV. Early next year, the network will start offering episodes of "Welcome Back Kotter," "Sisters" and "Growing Pains." And it's free!

AOL and Warner Brothers are part of Time Warner, which, of course, is CNN's parent company.

And a big deal in the hotel world. The Marriott Company is buying 38 properties from Starwood Hotels & Resorts worldwide. The deal is worth nearly $3.5 billion. Starwood wants to operate, not own, these luxury properties.

And today is the first day seniors can enroll in the Medicare prescription drug plan. But the vast array of choices, oh, is causing confusion. That's an understatement.

Carrie Lee tries to break it down -- it is confusing.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's very confusing. And too many choices not a good thing. That's the number one complaint with this plan. So a lot of questions about it.

One thing we know, it's not going to be cheap. It's going to cost over $700 billion over 10 years and the idea here is that Medicare beneficiaries will be able to enroll in a private plan and Medicare will pay part of the cost of their prescription drugs.

Now, coverage starts January 1. The deadline to enroll and receive benefits in 2006 is May 15th.

Members can pick from an array of plans. In some cases, they'll have more than 40 to choose from and not all of them will offer the same coverage for the same drugs. So you really have to go through each one. That variety is being billed as one of the biggest benefits of the plan, but it's also now being seen by some as its biggest curse.

According to one survey, over 70 percent of those eligible said they would not enroll or weren't sure if they would. The number one reason given, it is just too confusing. That's why eight patients' rights groups representing six-and-a-half million low income Medicaid recipients filed a lawsuit last night. They say members will not understand the process and will not enroll, in which case a program will be randomly selected.

Two potential problems with this. They say they're afraid some people might slip through the cracks, not get coverage at all. And people might not understand it, might not understand that they're going to have to go to a different pharmacy to get their drugs. And obviously Medicaid low income, they're the people who need the most help.

COSTELLO: Yes.

LEE: So, those are some of the concerns. COSTELLO: Is there any place people can go to help -- to get help in understanding this?

LEE: A very good point. There's a Web site, medicare.gov. And that's really the authority. That's the place to go and try to discover it.

COSTELLO: I know that some cities are offering classes, but only select cities.

LEE: You know, I'm not sure about that. I know medicare.gov is the authoritative Web site, so that's the place to start.

COSTELLO: Well, maybe they list the cities, because I know they were offering classes...

LEE: It might be...

COSTELLO: ... in places like...

LEE: It might be on the Web site.

COSTELLO: ... Urbana, Ohio, for example, was offering classes to seniors. So...

LEE: Hopefully there'll be some information on the site for the state (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

COSTELLO: A look at the futures?

LEE: Yes, futures looking pretty flat this morning.

And we'll see what happens in about nine -- at 9:30, in about three hour's time.

COSTELLO: Will do.

Thank you, Carrie.

LEE: OK.

COSTELLO: An atheist walks into a church. No, it's not a set up to a joke.

You remember Michael Newdow? He sued California public schools to have the words "under god" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Well, now he's planning a new lawsuit, trying to get the motto "in god we trust" taken off U.S. coins and currency. He says it violates the religious rights of atheists who belong to his First Amendment Church of True Science.

He joins us now live with more on his new legal challenge.

Good morning.

MICHAEL NEWDOW, ATHEIST ACTIVIST: Good morning.

COSTELLO: Why are you doing this?

NEWDOW: To uphold the constitution and the equality that underlies it.

COSTELLO: And you really think that a lot of people are upset about this?

NEWDOW: Well, what do you think people would say if we had on our coins and currency "we don't believe in god?"

COSTELLO: Yes, but I've never heard anyone complain about the inscription on a dollar bill.

NEWDOW: Well, first of all, atheists are a small minority of the country. And, second of all, if you complain, you suffer consequences. So...

COSTELLO: Well, but like it or not, part of -- I mean our country was founded by religious men, in part. And you could say that this was put on our money for historical reasons and not religious reasons.

NEWDOW: You could say that, but then you'd be lying. It was put on for purely religious reasons and the history is quite clear about that.

COSTELLO: So why would atheists so object to this? I mean, really, when they look at the dollar bill, do they really and truly feel their rights are being infringed upon?

NEWDOW: And I'll ask you again, do you really think nobody would mind if all our coins and currency said "we don't believe in god?"

COSTELLO: You know, I understand where you're going, but aren't there more important things to fight in this country?

NEWDOW: Well, I don't know. I'm sure there are some more important things. But that doesn't mean this isn't important. You know, was it important to have -- get rid of separate water fountains for blacks and whites? I mean, you know, everybody got to drink water. What's the big deal?

COSTELLO: Well, tell me how you're going to go about this.

Where is your federal lawsuit going to be filed?

NEWDOW: In the Eastern District -- in the District Court in California.

COSTELLO: And do you think you'll be successful -- actually, you were successful in the federal courts before. You took it all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Do you feel that you'll be more successful this time? NEWDOW: It's a very powerful case. You can read my brief when it's -- I mean, my complaint -- when it's filed.

COSTELLO: Why do you think you'll be more successful this time?

NEWDOW: I just, I mean, you know, first of all, think about it. We are the nation that gave to the world the idea of this religious liberty, where government will not be involved with religion, where we'll let everybody just choose whatever religious belief he or she chooses to adhere to. And of all the nations in the world, we're the one that has a religious motto.

Isn't that incredible?

COSTELLO: Well, you know, also, on the back of the dollar bill, there's a Latin inscription and some call it a secular inscription. Translated it means "new secular order."

Would you fight to have that taken off, too?

NEWDOW: Well, that depends what new secular order means. I mean the government should stay out of the religion business and if the government is endorsing any religious idea, that god exists, that god doesn't exist, then government is violating the constitution.

It's quite clear. And the framers made that clear when they passed the constitution. Nobody interpreted it in any other way. There were many people who wanted god in government and they agreed that this constitution doesn't allow that.

COSTELLO: Well, they also came to some sort of compromise to satisfy certain segments of the population, didn't they?

NEWDOW: Not that I'm aware of. Maybe you can tell me what you're talking about.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, when they wrote documents having to do with the United States, like the constitution, the Declaration of Independence.

NEWDOW: Well, the constitution is a completely secular document. It specifically leaves out god. If anything, it says that we are not going to have anything to do with it. In Article 6, in the oath of office to the president, there's no "so help me god." In the preamble, there's no mention of god. There were mentions of god all over the place, the very first act of the very first Congress was the oath act, their own oath act. They removed two references to god from what the committee came up with.

So they wanted us to be secular. And what the document -- and the Declaration of Independence is not our law. That was written 13 years before and they changed that.

COSTELLO: Let me ask you about this, the First Amendment Church of True Science.

NEWDOW: First Amendmist Church of True Science.

COSTELLO: First Amendment Church of True Science.

How many members does that have?

NEWDOW: I couldn't tell you. We don't keep a count. But it's an irrelevant question with regard to the constitution. But I would imagine there's at least a few hundred.

COSTELLO: All right, well, we'll be following your case.

Michael Newdow joining us live this morning.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, a girl's parents are killed then she and the suspect end up three states away. How did they get there? And what connected their lives in the first place? We'll talk to a reporter following the case.

And then, police call her the cell phone bandit and this morning they found a way to make her hang up. We'll have new details for you just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

Thank you for waking up with us.

We'll have your forecast in just a minute.

Also coming up this half hour, more on the amber alert arrest in Indiana. We'll have a live report for you.

But first, now in the news, massive damage on a street in Karachi, Pakistan this morning, after a powerful car bomb blast. At least three are dead; a dozen others wounded. Officials say the target may have been a KFC restaurant.

A breakthrough for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She's been -- she has secured a deal between the Israelis and Palestinians to open the borders of Gaza. Both sides believe the issue could lead to broader peace talks. Rice extended her stay to oversee the negotiations.

A manhunt now underway in Iowa for two convicted killers. Authorities say 27-year-old Robert Legendre and 34-year-old Martin Moon escaped from the maximum security portion of the Iowa State Penitentiary last night.

To the Forecast Center now and Bonnie -- good morning.

SCHNEIDER: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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